The Artist Statement of Paul F. Gill Photographer – Nature, Wildlife, Landscape, Outdoor, Fine Art Photography – Santa Rosa California, Sonoma County

For most of my life I have been influenced, appreciated and inspired by the magic of taking a photograph.

Early in my life I was exposed to photography by my father who always had some sort of camera around the house.  I can remember the smell of the fixer and the mysterious glow of the red safelight in my dad’s darkroom.

As my love of nature and experiencing the outdoors grew as part of my being, the combination of creating pictures of the natural world while experiencing the natural world became a constant in my life.

Through the years I began to study and emulate photographers who also found this combination of photography and being in nature inspiring.

Ansel Adams, Galen Rowell, Edward Weston, Eliot Porter, and Ed Cooper have always been mentors for me as a photographer.  Henri Cartier-Bresson, although not defined as an Outdoor Photographer, also inspired me to capture the moment.

Black and White Photography was a foundation for me.  Studying Ansel Adams and experimenting in the basics of Photography in a Black and White darkroom taught me about exposure, technique and processing the image.

Color photography with Kodachrome and Fuji Velvia film opened up a world of color, saturation and contrast.  Film taught me again about technique and getting the image done correctly in the camera.

Digital Photography allowed for tremendous experimentation.  With Digital Photography I was able to branch out into the world of Wildlife Photography.  Modern cameras with their precise focus tracking brought the fun challenge of photographing Birds in flight.

Capturing the natural world for me is a meditative practice.  Whether it is photographing an Eastern Sierra sunrise, a sunset on the Sonoma Coast, or an Eagle in flight; it is always a meditative practice for me.  Experiencing and capturing the moment, living in the present and with the click of a camera shutter creating a photograph of something that will never happen again.