TECHNICAL & 'MUST KNOWS' What makes your photography better than others? What equipment do you use? What digital equipment do you use to post your photography? What do you think of Photoshop and digital manipulation? Did you build this website yourself? What do you like better, color or black & white?

What makes your photography better than anyone else's? My photography is no way "better" than anyone elses. Every photographer is his own. Honestly, I can't tell you why you should buy my work. If you want an answer, this is best one I can give you: my photos speak for themselves. As a photographer, I strive to find new subjects, a new perspective on some things that may have been seen countless times over. Other times, it's just capturing something very unique and can only be exclusive to my portfolio. 'El Cap' shouldn't be viewed in the same way, or photographed, in the same way over and over. I can shoot Mono Lake from South Tufa at dusk, or Lake Tahoe at sunrise... but so can everyone else. Instead, I try to find photos that cannot be duplicated in the field, photos that you'll remember and draw in your head from memory. From the moment the hunt begins, I am on a prowl for subjects that haven't been taken before, viewpoints that couldn't have been seen by other photographers. I've had many other photographers ask me how in the world I get the unique shots that I do. The answer is simple. Every photographer is his own. He has his own style... mine happens to be abstract. It wasn't something I set out to do... it just happens. I don't have to work very hard to get the images that I do, but I do work extremely hard to get these images delivered in the highest quality. From choosing the right type of film, to the digital process to the final print and finish, I insure that these images are coded with nothing less than with top precision. So again, why should you choose Sierra Life? I'll let you answer that question yourself.   What equipment do you use? You can view exactly what equipment this photographer uses by visiting my Equipment Tutorials page. Here, you'll be able to see all the equipment I use in complete detail, including film and media and the 'whys', 'hows' and underlines that make up this photographer's bag. Ready for the digital darkroom   What digital equipment do you use to post your photography? I don't go overboard on the digitizing process simply because I want to spend as little time as possible behind a monitor. However, I do take great pride in the equipment I have and every bit of care from start to finish throughout the entire 'session'. I strive for this and is why I only use necessary equipment that will do the job. For my scans, I use a Nikon Coolscan V, then importing images via the latest version of Photoshop. Once that work is done, I output all of my images onto a Canon I9900 photo printer. All of my prints are printed on Canon Photo Paper Pro and Fuji Archival papers. I believe in only printing my photos on quality papers that will last a minimum of 25 years. Simply put, these papers are the best on the market, literally unbeatable in today's standards when it comes to saturation and durability. What does that mean for you? A long lasting, beautiful print just perfect for any room. In short, you can't find a better photo paper.   What do you think about Photoshop and digital manipulation? Don't say this is a true image!... As I mentioned before, I strive to spend as little amount of time on the computer as I have to. I try not to use Photoshop too much because I'm not a big fan of digital manipulation. I mainly use it as a destination for my scanner and necessary adjusting of levels, sharpness, and contrast. It is difficult to display work over the web due to the limitations of the Internet and monitor settings, so I only use these tools when I need to get my photos looking just as accurate over the web as they are in my hand. Levels, Channels and Unsharp Mask are the brunt of my manipulations. In other words, I'm a traditionalist... who strives to use natural light to its fullest. I think of myself as a rebel. When everybody has converted to the skycar, I will probably still be riding a horse. Don't get me wrong, it doesn't mean that I don't expand beyond these options. It also doesn't mean I don't use any of the artistic filters. I usually don't use them simply because I don't have the time! However, I don't hesitate to display the 'images' on this website that are digitally manipulated within my "Digital Art" gallery with artistic filters and experimentation. My point: I don't change or "manipulate" a photograph that is an ugly duckling into a beautiful swan. ...But this is. If I have a bad photograph, it's often scrapped right then and there. On average for every 36 exposure roll I shoot, only 7-8 make it into the "saleable" category, "saleable" meaning it's ready to be posted on the website without any or little changes on Photoshop... needing just some sharpening and levels adjusting. Many people are against Photoshop and manipulating images, believing it's creating a "fake" photograph, and the end result is not the "true" and "pure" image originally captured. My personal opinion: it's perfectly fine as long as the manipulations don't influence the credibility of your work. In other words: don't advertise a photograph that is not true! That is dishonesty to others and a put-down to yourself. Don't say that your photograph was taken exactly as is without any manipulation, when the truth is, it's chop full of hand colors and outworldly tones. What you create is your inspiration, your feeling, your personal photographic knowledge behind the camera, or behind the monitor. Why ruin that truth just to create something that isn't true and make yourself look good? I personally try my best to produce a photograph that is clever, beautiful and strikes a key with others. Even better, a combination or all of those things. | Back to Top |   Did you build this website yourself? Yes, it was a long and arduous task. It uses basic HTML which accounts for its super fast loading time on your computer! No flash, templates or anything fancy. I've gotten many great comments on my site, and many requests for the source code. Please ask before taking it. Just be sure you don't copy my layout exactly as mine because it IS copywritten.   What do you like better, color or black & white? I love both equally. The thing is, both color and monochrome have different moods, and different uses for them. Take the photo on the right, for example. Which do you prefer? This photograph is a photo of the "Merritt Parkway", a busy parkway in Connecticut that is a beautiful road to drive in the fall. Turn it into black & white, and it tells an almost documentary of the busy lifestyle on the east coast. Even amidst this beauty are still busy lives to be found. Color is the standard, because it's what everybody sees. Color can be a powerful subject and addage to the photographer... or it can be a lifeless snapshot, depending on how you shoot it. Careful attention to composition, subject matter and most importantly, the right light is what dictates between these two differences. It can give motivation to what appears to be a lifeless or historic scene, or a breathtaking splash of romance and intrigue through its reds and warm colors. Since we see the world in color, color is what we're used to. Monochrome on the other hand is something different. Black & white focuses more on simplicity. It brings out shape, form, texture and everything else that describes more than just a subject. It creates an almost odd world with powerful moods and impact. In short, it is the artistic side of photography. A simple black & white photo has the power to out do even the best color photograph and outwin the modest, coldest and narrow minded individual. Simply put, black & white tells a story and speaks to the heart. Depending on your subjects, each has its own character. Many beginners start out with black & white because of it's simplicity and it's great to use when you want to "say" something. When in doubt, use this addage of mine... "Monochrome 'speaks', color 'presents'." | Back to Top |

"I looked, I tried, I wept... but all in the end, it was worth it."