It is October 21, 2011. I have just scrambled up a steep slope for an hour
to arrive at the scene before me. I am looking down at the Neuschwanstein
Castle in Germany. The Austrian Alps lie to the south, coated with fresh snow.
There is a sea of fog below the castle, above the Alpsee, changing by the minute.
I wait for an hour for the sun to hit the castle and the fall colors. I shoot two sheets
of 4 x 5 film, and a minute later, the castle is obscured in fog. I had been here 10
times since 1988, and finally all the conditions materialized. Trying to achieve conditions
like this is a constant challenge, and despite having traveled almost continuously
in my free time every year since 1987, memorable moments like this happen very infrequently.
In early February, 2005, I was traveling in a remote area along the Arizona-Mexico
border, and noticed some purple in the distance. I hiked for three miles and discovered
the most incredible bloom of wildflowers I had ever seen, over three miles wide. I stayed
there and photographed for three days.
In April of 1991, I was fortunate enough to witness another unforgettable event
on the Big Island of Hawaii - lava flowing off a cliff and exploding in the ocean in front of me.
While these events are some of my most memorable, whenever I am out in nature, waiting
for light at the magic hour (near sunrise and sunset), I am in my element. Sometimes I
have to hike for several miles to get to a location, or drive for days.
Great photos are a result of being in the right place at the right time, and if all the
conditions are not met at first, I return again and again. Photography has taken me to places
I would otherwise never have seen. My photographs are a way of sharing my experiences from
some of the world's most incredible places.