Welcome

Welcome to my website of images.  I am a nature photographer specializing in landscapes and wildlife.  With the exception of the lions, all wildlife are photographed in their natural environments free of fences and feeding times.  All landscapes are as close to what I actually saw as possible.  Computer software is used only for that purpose.  Growing up on film made us take care of business before hitting the shutter.  Feel free to email me for order information, feedback, or questions on any of the images.

Honesty and Artistry

Mother Nature is the artist here. You only need to place yourself in her house for a while to appreciate her art in terms of design, movement, light, function, behavior, etc. 

Nature photographers should consider themselves fortunate, maybe lucky sometimes, to witness scenes of beauty on earth, flora or fauna, let alone capture them through a lens.  I guess you could call us ‘capturers’ first and foremost.  Artists? You could argue against that one.  But when I look across my living room and see images that still move me after many years, I have to say, well, maybe there are some creative juices flowing here.

We are at Mother Nature’s scheduling mercy as to what she allows us to capture. Weather, life’s many cycles, lack of  access, and her natural protection instincts make it difficult for us sometimes. However, in that difficulty lies many rewards waiting for those who are patient and open their eyes and ears.

Highlighted Photograph - "Waltz With Me"

This image is the first of a series using photography as a way to parallel the natural world with dancing, in this case ballroom dancing. The idea came by accident and then the floodgates opened. A book will be forthcoming with a full page of thoughts regarding this unlikely but meaningful relationship.

This image represents many clichés about dancing and nature heard many times. Creators of movies, songs, books, etc. have all succumbed to conjuring up romance and emotions by combining nature and dancing. The music and movie industry loves a potent emotional package. A few examples in this particular case would be “Dancing in the moonlight” “Moondance” “Moon River” “Dancing in the night” “Dancing under the Stars” “Cloud Nine” and, the latest, “Dancing with the Stars”.

So in this image you have the whole enchilada----stars, moon, clouds----throw in a mountain or two and you have a type of fantasy dreamscape, which dancers actually feel and experience to some degree when dancing. Native Americans took nature and dancing to another level by performing dances to bring rain and other good fortune.

The photo is actually a sunset in Death Valley at Stovepipe Dunes. If you turn the image upside down you can see it. The black mountains and the clouds are real just inverted. The moon was shot at another place and time but is nonetheless real. When I stumbled on the inversion I immediately thought of the spiritual endorphins dancers experience while doing their thing and how nature references can help to describe or enhance the experience. .

- Rowland Dutcher