Introduction:
I was born in San Francisco and have spent much of my life hiking the mountains and coastline of
California.
My father was a photographer and worked in the large darkrooms at the Presidio in San Francisco.
When not in the dark room, he could look out his office window and see the Golden Gate Bridge less
than a mile away. I enjoyed visiting his work place so I could see all of the photographic equipment
and walk along the sandy shore of the bay. Now, his office is the visitor center for the new Golden
Gate National Park, but I still enjoy visiting this scenic place full of memories. You can actually see the
visitor center in the image below. It is near the water just to the right of the 10th cable on the right
side of the tower.
I did not take up photography after college, but instead worked on the trading floor of the Pacific
Stock Exchange in San Francisco for a few years. The noise and chaos were too much, so I took up
computer database programming and have done it for years.
One day, I came across a website called ePHOTOzine (the largest photography website in the UK) and
the images I saw there inspired me to take up photography on my own. I have worked hard to
improve my photography ever since.
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.
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 was born in San Francisco and have spent much of my life hiking the mountains and coastline of
California.
My father was a photographer and worked in the large darkrooms at the Presidio in San Francisco.
When not in the dark room, he could look out his office window and see the Golden Gate Bridge less
than a mile away. I enjoyed visiting his work place so I could see all of the photographic equipment
and walk along the sandy shore of the bay. Now, his office is the visitor center for the new Golden
Gate National Park, but I still enjoy visiting this scenic place full of memories. You can actually see the
visitor center in the image below. It is near the water just to the right of the 10th cable on the right
side of the tower.
I did not take up photography after college, but instead worked on the trading floor of the Pacific
Stock Exchange in San Francisco for a few years. The noise and chaos were too much, so I took up
computer database programming and have done it for years.
One day, I came across a website called ePHOTOzine (the largest photography website in the UK) and
the images I saw there inspired me to take up photography on my own. I have worked hard to
improve my photography ever since.
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.
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
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Patrick Smith Photography - Biography and Latest News |
