Art and Photography

I take photographs. I like to capture and reproduce some of the beautiful things I see so I can look at them later; but I think there is more to it than just that.

Some times I feel alone on this earth. I am pretty sure I am not and that there are others out there who think like me. I am not going to go into my entire philosophy on life but I will say that I don't view the human animal as being any more, or less, deserving of a place on this planet than any other life.

It may be because of my take on life and my occasional loneliness that makes me seek some sort of higher purpose in life; even though I don't really believe there is one. I just want to live life to its fullest and walk softly on the earth so that those who come after me can enjoy the beauty of the natural world as I have and do.

Enter art and photography, I have found some sort of meaning here. I don't fully understand it yet but I like to create. When I see an image appear, seemingly out of nowhere, as in the darkroom or on a good computer screen, it lifts my spirits. The only comparison that comes close to explaining what I feel when I see an image appear, slowly, on the paper, as it's slipped into the developer, is that of the first wave of an orgasm. It is not a sexual feeling. It is more an orgasm of the mind. It originates in the eye and flows back into the brain.

I try to capture and create images that have depth as well as "pop" or "shock" value. I try to make images that the viewer can walk into and that make them a part of the picture. I also want them to reflect my love of the outdoors and of life and humanity.

I am a student of life and hope to keep learning as I age. I want the camera to be an extension of my minds eye and I hope to hone my craft so that the technical aspects become so automatic that I can concentrate on the emotion of the image that I am trying to capture or create.

Norman Detweiler