Ghiacco and Acqua (Ice and Water) 2020-2023
13 images Created 5 Mar 2023
This series of photographs was made during the Covid Pandemic and in a collaboration with two other photographers, Tom Cookston and Arnold Zageris. Together we had many wonderful outings to rushing rivers during the colder winter months. Our purpose was to gather photographs separately and then enjoy a beer over lunch and conversation. Some of the location In Ontario visited included: Egan Chute, Eels Creek, The Gut Conservation Area, Peter’s Woods Nature Reserve, Presqu’ile Provincial Park, and Buttermilk Falls. We learned from each other as we shared our results frequently and worked hard at making difficult water and ice photographs that retained detail yet had an artistic abstract beauty.
This was the first time I had worked so closely with other photographers in the field, especially with such good master photographers as these two gentlemen. Unfortunately, Tom Cookston passed away in late 2022 having been stricken with pancreatic cancer. His ability to see small intimate details of a bigger landscape will always stick with me. It was a great privilege to have known him and worked with him in the field. His knowledge of photography elevated me, and his bravery to keep making photographs despite his battles with cancer will always stay with me. This series of photographs is dedicated to him, as well as master photographer Arnold Zageris who I have the privilege of still working with and who continues to influence my work for the better.
The structure of natural Ice is changing and is rarely the same from day to day. It is a product of atmospheric conditions such as temperature, rain, snowfall and the flow of water. Its presence when discovered is like a temporary jewel, fragile yet beautiful. Photographing in the winter also has a feel of purity. Snow and ice simplify landscapes, yet they create subtle and exquisite nuances when combined with the lower light levels. As snow blankets the landscape, ice forms on rivers, lakes, puddles, and the edges of rocks, its temporary presence a challenge to capture. Each photograph made of ice reflects a moment in time and a unique sculpture of elegance. I wanted to experience the world in this colder time frame and capture it’s beauty. The coming change to the environment thru warming seasons made it important to document these natural structures of beauty before they become reduced.
This was the first time I had worked so closely with other photographers in the field, especially with such good master photographers as these two gentlemen. Unfortunately, Tom Cookston passed away in late 2022 having been stricken with pancreatic cancer. His ability to see small intimate details of a bigger landscape will always stick with me. It was a great privilege to have known him and worked with him in the field. His knowledge of photography elevated me, and his bravery to keep making photographs despite his battles with cancer will always stay with me. This series of photographs is dedicated to him, as well as master photographer Arnold Zageris who I have the privilege of still working with and who continues to influence my work for the better.
The structure of natural Ice is changing and is rarely the same from day to day. It is a product of atmospheric conditions such as temperature, rain, snowfall and the flow of water. Its presence when discovered is like a temporary jewel, fragile yet beautiful. Photographing in the winter also has a feel of purity. Snow and ice simplify landscapes, yet they create subtle and exquisite nuances when combined with the lower light levels. As snow blankets the landscape, ice forms on rivers, lakes, puddles, and the edges of rocks, its temporary presence a challenge to capture. Each photograph made of ice reflects a moment in time and a unique sculpture of elegance. I wanted to experience the world in this colder time frame and capture it’s beauty. The coming change to the environment thru warming seasons made it important to document these natural structures of beauty before they become reduced.
