I recently went on an excursion to Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP). This was the first time I had been to the park since I had picked up a camera 8 years ago. And so, I felt I was walking into the park with an unbiased eye. I have these memories from my times in boy scouts, of giant bull elk proudly protecting their herd in Moraine Park. Craggy glacial valleys lay basked in the glowing afternoon sunlight in the distance. It was these memories that eventually led me to photography. I was led to record these moments in time, to savor and share. I wanted to relive the brief moments of beauty that I had been presented with.
On a recent trip to the Denver Art Museum, I rediscovered a love for a particular artist, Albert Bierstadt. Bierstadt was a painter that helped to romanticize the west in the 19th century. His images depicted grand landscapes that were extravagantly lit, with flora and fauna in abundance. These were the images that glorified the west, and encouraged the westward expansion in the 1800's. Interestingly enough, these are the same memories from when I was a young scout.
My goal in attending RMNP was to recapture one of these moments I had encountered in my youth. Over the course of three days, I spent the majority of the time scouting locations, looking for wildlife, and attempting to escape the crowds. I settled on the very place where my memories lay, Moraine Park. I waited for the elk to present themselves in the soon to be setting sun.
After the realization that nothing would present itself, I darted to the next valley over, where I found a large herd of elk awaiting my arrival. There were several well endowed satellite bull that were placed quite conveniently in front of an impressive backdrop. Everything I envisioned was coming together, everything except for the light. It was flat, lacking in vibrancy, and had little atmospheric significance. I captured a few shots that were similar in composition to my vision, but nothing in relation to the grandiose landscape I envisioned.
There are three things that are needed to make a quality landscape photograph; skill, vision and light. To some extent, I have control over two of those necessities. But there is one, that I have no control over whatsoever. Light. It comes and goes. Sometimes I witness it, sometimes I don't. Painters on the other hand, need only skill and vision. And it was then that I realized, "I wish I were a painter, and not a photographer." If that were the case, I wouldn't have to wait around for the light to be right, I could just fake it.
I am by no means demeaning the validity of the painter as an artist. It takes a lot of skill and technique to master the canvas. But this is the one place where painters have the upper hand on photographers. They can paint a scene that is lit anyway they'd like. Photographers on the other hand have to wait for the convergence of many factors. Easier said than done.
In the past year, I can think of maybe a handful of instances where the light has presented itself to my satisfaction. It lasts for mere moments, but yet I still spend months on end in search of it. Why? Because, when it does happen, it's as if God's hand (term used loosely) has basked the land in some sort of alternative significance.
I don't know what your beliefs are, and sometimes I question my own. But it is these very moments in time that affirm my Pantheistic beliefs. This is not a recognition of a God. More so the acknowledgement and unification of; universe, nature and god (lower case g intentional). One is no greater than the other. And it is this belief that drives myself to capture the significance that nature has to offer.
I kinda feel like I am preaching now. The reason I wrote this essay was to regain the validity of the photographer as an artist. Its not all bells and whistles. Just because you own a fancy camera doesn't mean that you are an artist. There are many hours of labor invested in the click of a shutter. And it is that 1/100th of a second that will continue to inspire my growth as a photographer, as well as a human being.
