#snow

"Driving alone in Hokkaido, some twenty years ago, I was startled to see an attractive fence, climbing up a snow-covered hillside. I stopped the car by the side of the road and photographed it. Later, I would need a truck driver to tow me out of the field of snow where I had inadvertently parked, but that’s another story. Almost every year since, I have returned to Hokkaido and have continued to photograph this fence and the hillside. The minimalism and sheer simplicity of the scene transforms three dimensions into two, and the sparse elements involved seem to make the print more like a Sumi-e ink painting than a photograph. One might think that little could change, year in year out, in such a scene. Yet, each time I revisit, I find that it is different. Perhaps a new pattern and configuration has appeared, an arrangement of forms changes, distance seems to contract or lengthen to become ambiguous, perspectives may shift, snow levels always vary, and the light is never the same. I am so appreciative of this location. It is a gift which keeps giving."

~ Michael Kenna

“Japan has a long and rich tradition of reciprocal gift giving. I have been the grateful recipient of so much over so many years in Japan, and I know that I will never be able to give back in equal measure. I hope this work can be seen as a small token of my desire to do so. I also hope this work can be viewed as a homage to Japan and that it will serve to symbolize my immense ongoing appreciation and deep gratitude for this beautiful and mysterious country”

~ Michael Kenna

"A good picture knows how to communicate the emotion that created it."

 

~ Willy Ronis
( 1910 - 2009 )

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“I knew my destiny when I first experienced Yosemite”

 

~ Ansel Adams
(1902-1984)

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"What I can’t believe is how much I love photography even after all these years, it’s still brand new to me even though, you know, I started working the dark room at thirteen, it’s been my only job, whether I was teaching it or making it."

 

~ Cig Harvey

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“Everything around us, dead or alive, in the eyes of a crazy photographer mysteriously takes on many variations, so that a seemingly dead object comes to life through light or by its surroundings....to capture some of this - I suppose that’s lyricism.”

~ Josef Sudek

“Nothing is ever the same twice because everything is always gone forever, and yet each moment has infinite photographic possibilities.”

~ Michael Kenna

"I traveled the world, when it was a different time. I have been from A to Z, from Alaska to Zanzibar, Mongolia, you name it. It’s outstanding to think how much the world has changed in my lifetime, isn’t it?"

~ Sheila Metzner

“Driving alone in Hokkaido in 2002, I was startled to see this attractive fence, climbing a snow-covered hillside. I stopped the car by the side of the road and made photographs of the fence and hillside. Later I would need a truck driver to tow me out of the field of snow where I had inadvertently parked, but that’s another story. Almost every year I have returned to Hokkaido and have photographed this same fence and hillside. I was there just a few months ago in February of this year 2023. One might think that little would change in such a scene - it is just a fence and a hill after all. Yet, each time I revisit, I find that something is different - a new pattern and configuration might appear, an arrangement of forms could change, distant contacts or lengthens to become ambiguous, perspectives alter, snow levels vary, and the light is never the same. The minimalism and sheer simplicity transform three dimensions into two, and the space elements involved seem to make the print more like a Sumi-e ink painting than a photograph. So far, I have made and printed eight studies of this fence, and I fully anticipate a new study form this years’s visit. This location is a gift which keeps giving.”

~ Michael Kenna

"The wandering photographer sees the same show that everyone else sees. He, however, stops to watch it."

~ Edouard Boubat
(1923 - 1999)

“Everything inside the frame is equally important”

~ Pentti Sammallahti

“Crowds of skiers were waiting to catch a glimpse of the elegant former First Lady who was on holiday with her children. You could tell it was her from a mile away, even in a ski mask with the signature sunglasses propped on her head. You could still see her eyes - those eyes like no others”

~ Harry Benson
(b. 1929)

“For all of us, the Earth sustains our existence. In an otherwise in hospitable known universe, our little blue planet provides us with absolutely everything. I’ve never understood why our societal and spiritual priorities as a species do not overwhelmingly demonstrate our gratitude by placing our planet at the pinnacle of the reverential order”

 

~ Jeffrey Conley