About the Photographer

Wandering in the wilds, the acts of setting up the camera, composing and creating images are absolute joys and incredibly fun. I do it because I have such a great time at it. 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