About the Photographer

Wandering in the wilds, the acts of setting up the camera, composing and creating images are absolute joys and incredibly fun.  The opportunity to be out in nature's magnificence is a treat in and of itself. I went on frequent camping trips during college and when I journeyed out on my first backpack into the Sierra Nevada mountains, I was very much smitten with wilderness and remote locales. That love of incredible landscape has only strengthened with the passage of time.

There is a very strong meditative element to making order out of the chaos inherent in nature. Painters have the ability to include whatever they wish in their scenes. Excluding non-essential and distracting elements to create a vibrant, meaningful and moving composition poses the real challenge for the photographer. This act is the heart and soul of photography and something I find extremely contemplative and gratifying.

I primarily shoot large format 4x5 film (sheets of film 4 inches by 5 inches). Large format provides unsurpassed print detail and exquisite tonal qualities not achievable in smaller formats. It is a lot of fun to bury my head under a dark cloth and look at a scene upside down and backwards on the big view camera ground glass. Recently I added a professional digital camera to my equipment bag, but I use the 4x5 for the majority of my work.

I find profound happiness and peace in the outdoors and wild places. With my photography, I strive to capture the essence of my feelings while in these special places. I hope my images help you connect with the beauty of the world we share.



Harley Goldman
Santa Barbara, CA