coastal california.

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I WAS FORTUNATE TO LIVE IN THE SF BAY AREA FROM THE TIME I WAS 16 IN 1963 UNTIL I MOVED TO THE SIERRAS IN 2013..I BEGAN MY PHOTOGRAPHY ADVENTURES IN  I964 EARNING A FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY DEGREE IN 1966    AT THAT TIME, LIKE SO MANY OTHERS, I WAS INFLUENCED BY THE LIKES OF ANSEL ADAMS, EDWARD AND BRETT WESTON, AND MORLEY BAER.   WEST COAST STYLE PHOTOGRAPHY OF THE LANDSCAPE WAS THE PREDOMINATE  ARTISTIC AESTHETIC TAUGHT IN THE NEWLY FORMED PHOTOGRAPHY DEGREE PROGRAMS IN THE  UNIVERSITIES.  BEING A STUDENT OF LIFE MAGAZINES, AND CAMERA 35 BOOKS OF THE 40'S AND 50'S I ALSO HAD EXPOSURE TO HUMANISTIC PHOTOGRAPHY,  INFLUENCED BY  CARTIER BRESSON, EUGENE SMITH, WALKER EVANS, ETC. BUT WEST COAST STYLE WAS THE THING ON THE CALIFORNIA COAST, TO WHICH I HAD IMMEDIATE  ACCESS.    

THE WEST COAST STYLE WAS DEFINED BY THE GROUP F64,. THEY EMPHASIZED THAT EVERYTHING IN THE PHOTOGRAPH  SHOULD BE IN SHARP FOCUS FROM FRONT TO BACK. I OFTEN CARRIED HUGE 4X5 CAMERAS AND HEAVY TRIPODS ACROSS OCEAN BEACHES IN SEARCH OF THE NEXT EDWARD WESTON POINT LOBOS LOCATION TO ACHIEVE THAT END.   THE INFLUENCE OF IMPRESSIONISM WAS  CAST OFF IN FAVOR OF  "STRAIGHT, CLEAR" SEEING. PICTORIALISM WAS DEAD,  AND  MODERN PHOTOGRAPHY WAS BORN.  PHOTOGRAPHY WAS BEGINNING TO BE ACCEPTED INTO ART GALLERIES, EVEN THE MOMO IN NEW YORK CITY.

DURING THAT TIME I HAD NOT REALLY FOUND MY OWN WAY,  BEING STILL YOUNG  AND UNSURE OF MYSELF, I STRUGGLED AND PHOTOGRAPHED AND THOUGHT AND THOUGHT.

SOME 20 YEARS LATER I DID  FIND MY OWN PATH.  I COULD FINALLY  CAST OFF MY EARLY INFLUENCERS TO DEVELOP MY OWN PHOTOGRAPHY WITH MY OWN CONCERNS ABOUT WHAT  THE MEDIUM I HAD CHOSEN AN EARLY AGE COULD BE FOR ME..

BELOW ARE SOME OF MY EARLY ATTEMPTS ON THIS  JOURNEY. EACH WORK,  WHETHER  A SUCCESS OR FAILURE LED ME TO THE NEXT STEP, A LEARNING EXPERIENCE EVERY ARTIST MUST GO THROUGH , NO MATTER HOW DIFFUCULT.