PATRICK SMITH UNIQUE VIEWS OF LAND AND SEA
Introduction
I have admired the landscape for my entire life. I grew up studying the architectural hills and canyons of the San Francisco cityscape, and later the natural open spaces north of the Golden Gate in Marin County California. Now I seek to witness everything that is splendid in the landscape and bring it back for all to see. I will go to great lengths to be in the right place at the right time to capture nature's finest moments. I currently live in the San Francisco area and travel up and down the California coast and elsewhere looking for natural beauty that will inspire people to protect and save our precious natural landscape and seascape.
Artist's Statement
Photography brings the world together in a way that nothing else does. You can travel to nearly anywhere on Earth, and if you pull out some photos people will want to see them and talk about them. I spend weeks or even years trying to be in a special place at the right time, and photography enables me to take everyone along to witness those events. I hope that people will look at my images of these special places, talk about them, and work to preserve them for future generations.
Image: Me on the beach at Carmel on New Year's eve. See what was in the viewfinder below. Click to see it big!
I have admired the landscape for my entire life. I grew up studying the architectural hills and canyons of the San Francisco cityscape, and later the natural open spaces north of the Golden Gate in Marin County California. Now I seek to witness everything that is splendid in the landscape and bring it back for all to see. I will go to great lengths to be in the right place at the right time to capture nature's finest moments. I currently live in the San Francisco area and travel up and down the California coast and elsewhere looking for natural beauty that will inspire people to protect and save our precious natural landscape and seascape.
Artist's Statement
Photography brings the world together in a way that nothing else does. You can travel to nearly anywhere on Earth, and if you pull out some photos people will want to see them and talk about them. I spend weeks or even years trying to be in a special place at the right time, and photography enables me to take everyone along to witness those events. I hope that people will look at my images of these special places, talk about them, and work to preserve them for future generations.
Image: Me on the beach at Carmel on New Year's eve. See what was in the viewfinder below. Click to see it big!
Awards etc.
I only enter one or two contest per year if I have the time. My work has been featured in many magazines including Nature's best, What Digital Camera, American Photography, Popular Photography and others. My photos are in the 2010, 2011 and 2012 Nature Conservancy Calendars. On Flickr, my work is viewed about 5,000-12,000 times per day. Over 1.5 million people have circled me on the Google Plus social network. However, the most important thing is whether you enjoy my work! I create these photos so that I can bring into your home (and mine too), the feeling of being there. That is what matters most to me.
Inspiration
The beauty of nature is all around us at all times, but there are brief moments when a combination of elements present themselves in a truly spectacular way. Anybody who is fortunate enough to witnesses one of these events will look back fondly upon the memory. And they are even more fortunate if they happen to have a camera ready to record the event. In order to be in the right place at the right time, it is necessary to understand the complex interactions between light, weather, landscape, the tides, plants, and animals. And it is important to have a deep respect for this planet and its inhabitants. I hope that photography can bring people closer to nature and encourage them to preserve it for future generations.
I want to be able to capture exactly how it feels to be there at the moment of exposure. So I try to get as close to the interesting action as possible. So you won't find any images taken at the usual tourist postcard, side of the road pullout spots if I can help it! I often get wet when making seascape images so that you can feel the sea spray in your face too. And I often climb thousands of feet in the hills to bring back a view not often seen.
Also, I will wait a long time for the light and clouds to make a memorable scene. In California, there are many clear days so I often have to wait a long time for conditions to be right.
I enjoy visiting fine art galleries as often as possible. And I especially like works from classical painters such as Claude Lorrain, whose work I was fortunate enough to see in San Francisco, that depict the landscape and seascape with that dramatic light and form that you rarely if ever see in person. That is the sort of image I hope to capture if I can be so fortunate. I also enjoy the surreal works of artists such as Salvador Dali. Sometimes, extra long exposures can create landscapes that are part real and part surreal. It is possible that the reality of photography can never match the imagination of a talented artist, but I can hope that I will be able to capture some of that light in the real world.
Thanks for looking!
Patrick
I only enter one or two contest per year if I have the time. My work has been featured in many magazines including Nature's best, What Digital Camera, American Photography, Popular Photography and others. My photos are in the 2010, 2011 and 2012 Nature Conservancy Calendars. On Flickr, my work is viewed about 5,000-12,000 times per day. Over 1.5 million people have circled me on the Google Plus social network. However, the most important thing is whether you enjoy my work! I create these photos so that I can bring into your home (and mine too), the feeling of being there. That is what matters most to me.
Inspiration
The beauty of nature is all around us at all times, but there are brief moments when a combination of elements present themselves in a truly spectacular way. Anybody who is fortunate enough to witnesses one of these events will look back fondly upon the memory. And they are even more fortunate if they happen to have a camera ready to record the event. In order to be in the right place at the right time, it is necessary to understand the complex interactions between light, weather, landscape, the tides, plants, and animals. And it is important to have a deep respect for this planet and its inhabitants. I hope that photography can bring people closer to nature and encourage them to preserve it for future generations.
I want to be able to capture exactly how it feels to be there at the moment of exposure. So I try to get as close to the interesting action as possible. So you won't find any images taken at the usual tourist postcard, side of the road pullout spots if I can help it! I often get wet when making seascape images so that you can feel the sea spray in your face too. And I often climb thousands of feet in the hills to bring back a view not often seen.
Also, I will wait a long time for the light and clouds to make a memorable scene. In California, there are many clear days so I often have to wait a long time for conditions to be right.
I enjoy visiting fine art galleries as often as possible. And I especially like works from classical painters such as Claude Lorrain, whose work I was fortunate enough to see in San Francisco, that depict the landscape and seascape with that dramatic light and form that you rarely if ever see in person. That is the sort of image I hope to capture if I can be so fortunate. I also enjoy the surreal works of artists such as Salvador Dali. Sometimes, extra long exposures can create landscapes that are part real and part surreal. It is possible that the reality of photography can never match the imagination of a talented artist, but I can hope that I will be able to capture some of that light in the real world.
Thanks for looking!
Patrick
