Portraits of Shenandoah
A ribbon of road is flying at me from the darkness and quickly vanishing beneath the spinning wheels. My alarm clock woke me up more than an hour ago, and it will be another hour before the morning reveals the landscape beyond the patch of light in front of my car. It is a weekend, and I am driving to Shenandoah National Park.
Waking up in the middle of the night is not easy. It is tempting to fall asleep again, especially on a cold or rainy day. But I never regret my decisions to go. Over the years, these early arrivals became an important ritual, helping my mind switch to the observing state needed for the project.
Portraits of Shenandoah is an unusual photographic study of the park. It is an attempt to show these mountains as a living being - a place with a soul, character, and countless faces. I seek to create portraits rather than landscapes and capture inner beauty rather than the apparent makeup of colors. I look for shapes and textures, light and shadows, timeless and transient. I explore popular destinations and trails less taken, capturing familiar views and ubiquitous scenes.
