Photography is not a full time job for me, but it does seem to be in the back of my mind full time. I am lucky that my home is surrounded by nature. I quickly find my mind wandering to compositions as I walk, bike, or drive through the region where my family and I live. The area on which I focus most is called the James River basin, a watershed region of Southwest Missouri. A network of streams flow into rivers that join together a series of Army Corps of Engineers lakes. A small NPS national battlefield with several trails is just outside of town. And, the Buffalo National River and the Ozark National Scenic Riverways are just a short trip away. The Ozarks aren’t as grand as the sights we enjoy traveling to in the Rockies and elsewhere, but there are gems to be found wherever you look.

For me, photography started out as part of our travel, a way to seek out and enjoy gorgeous vistas while visiting national parks. While I still enjoy a gorgeous sunrise in the truly special places this country has to showcase, I find myself most engaged photographing in my relative backyard. Ease of access and proximity have bred familiarity and a deeper connection with nature. Though these Ozarks hills don’t offer the expansive views I’ve sought out in the west, there’s something special about the dense forests and meandering rivers.

Slowing down and taking the time to see what is beautiful about this place has opened my eyes to a wealth of small scenes and abstract images. Landscapes like the dense Ozarks forests force you to look at nature in a less obvious way if you ever hope to come away with an appealing image. Whether you call it a slow approach, a mindful approach, or a contemplative approach to photography, the end result is the same: “present-ness.”

A sense of being present in my surroundings is the most rewarding aspect of the photographic exercise. And, I like to think that it is a way to train my mind to be more present in other aspects of life—with my family, with the people I work with, etc. While the photographic exercise creates images which I hope are visually pleasing in their own right, connection with the landscape seeks to undergird a body of work which shows a knowledge of and relationship with this place. I situate my work within a naturalistic paradigm. The images I seek to create are an attempt at showcasing the natural beauty of a scene discovered through time spent in the outdoors observing the changes in a landscape over time. I feel the most compelling images are those where the landscape speaks for itself. As such, I seek to process images in such a way to maintain this natural beauty and sense of moment. And most of all, I hope that love of this landscape comes across to viewers and allows them to share in the experience.

Cheers and thank you for visiting,
Adam