CATSKILL MOUNTAIN REGION GUIDE PHOTOGRAPHY PORTFOLIO

Photographs by John Graham Tucker

Most of the images in this portfolio are what I call ‘still lifes of decay.’ I find each cycle of life in Mother Nature to be equally beautiful, and that certainly includes decay—the sustenance for new growth. Decay can also often have a kind of haunting beauty, which I have tried to capture in these photographs.

A lot of nature photography is dedicated to landscapes and vistas, and that domain certainly offers an abundance of possibility, especially in the abundant pristine beauty of the Catskill Mountains.

For me, however, the particular is at least as compelling as the general. The great modernist architect Mies van der Rohe once said: “God is in the details.” He may have meant that in the context of architecture, but it has a broader meaning for me and has been something of a guiding principle.

The images published here are among the first “serious” images I have taken with a digital camera. Two or three decades ago, my commitment to good photography was exclusively with old-fashioned film—slow-speed 35mm color film in particular. At that time, as many of us may remember, film photography had begun its rapid decline, overwhelmed by the surge of digital photography.

Once digital had essentially replaced film, my interest in photography waned. I was frankly intimidated by what I perceived to be the complexity of high-end digital cameras, which have scores of different settings for every imaginable type of light and environment and desired result. So much to learn and figure out!, I cautioned myself. It’ll take a long time!

Then, about a year ago, I surrendered. I bought a professional quality digital camera and lens, and the process of learning and discovery with this amazing instrument has started. I am happy to say that the most important part of the process—the creative one of finding and composing an interesting photograph—has not changed one iota.

Much of my professional career has been as a photo editor and art director for large-format books on architecture, design, and photography. I am very grateful to all the professional photographers I have worked with who allowed me to guide, critique, and edit their work for publication. They helped train my eye for light and composition, and more importantly, they helped me realize that good photography should always surprise, delight, or deepen our awareness and humanity.

—John Graham Tucker, Bovina, New York