Talent hwilliam

Channels:

Photography and Writing

Genre:

Nature / Wildlife

Roles:

Photographer, Writer

Specialties:

Nature Photography from West Michigan's Acker Woods

I began taking photographs many years ago when I was a kid. My Uncle owned a couple of Leica 35mm cameras and once or twice he let me take pictures with them and that was when my love for photography began.

Since that time I have owned many cameras of all types and sizes. Along the way I spent almost two years at Lansing Community College, majoring in photography. I learned to "make" photographs and not just "take" photographs. Since that time I shot for several weekly newspapers, real estate magazines and did freelance work. I shot people, places, things, sports and more. However, I never really found the passion for one particular subject.

In February 2003 I married my school sweetheart, retired in October and moved back to Michigan to her beautiful little A frame, nestled on two acres, in a northwest Michigan woods, near a private lake. After living in Florida cities for the past twenty-five years, I was in heaven.

I have now found a real passion for photography, the woods. It is a magical, mystical, ever changing place with something new to photograph every day. Each morning the dogs and I head out for an hour or so in the woods surrounding our home, not only for the exercise we all need, but to see what there is to photograph. And every day we find something new. It may be the way the light falls on a leaf, the little "black and white" stripped kitty that has managed to spray Brandi Sue a couple of times. It could be the way the branches sweep together in a pattern I never noticed before. Whatever it is, it is exciting, fresh and new.

These photographs are my way of bringing "my" woods to you. Maybe you have never walked nature trails in a natural woods. Maybe here you will find a photograph or two that speaks to your heart. Maybe this is just a place to go to for a few minutes now and then, away from the hustle and bustle of the city, a place where you can just experience the joys of nature. Whatever it is, I hope these photographs help.

My Photographic Philosophy:</font></center><br></bold><font face="Arial" size="1" color="#000000">
The environment had never been a great concern of mine, that is until I discovered our "Acker Woods." It was always something for someone else to be involved with and as long as it didn't affect my world, then folks could say or do what they wanted about it. I guess I was secretly amused by those who saw the way we live as an endangerment to our planet. But, then, early this year, I started my daily walks in the woods. Our new little Lab pup needed excercise and the trails in the woods were the logical place to walk him, along with our other dogs. I remember our first excursion off our "two-track" main road into the deeper part of the woods. I was on a path I'd really never experienced before. The were sights I was seeing for the first time in over 40 years. It was an experience I'll never forget. It was then I knew that I needed to do my little part to show "our" woods to others. To let them see the beauty, the splendor and the majesty of this environmental treasure. So, the next day I took one of the cameras with me and started this photographic collection. Some day this natural environment may be gone. And when it is, then the foxes, the deer, the racoons, the sknuk, the birds and all the other creatures we treasure will be gone with it. I can't document the whole world, but, I can and am documenting "The Acker Woods." It is the one thing I can do. And maybe that is what we should all do, seek to preserve the environment where we are, today. And if we all do that, then the danger to our planet will be reduced.<p>

The two biggest influences on the way I see photography have been the late Ansel Adams and today's premier black and white nature photographer, Clyde Butcher. Though most of my photographs are in color rather than black and white and are much smaller images than most of their prints, I want to convey the same message they have, "this is the way it was." They were and are purist in every sense of the word. And from them, I have learned to be that way also, for the most part.

HP 945 and Nikon 5400 Digital cameras, Lica IIIc 35mm rangefinder camera, Minolta 7000i. Dell PC computer, Dell Laptop computer and an OLD Mac G3 laptop. Adobe Photoshop CS and SilverFast DC Pro Studio.

After each photographic session each digital image is loaded into Photoshop for sizing, final resolution, touch up and other enhancements that would be made to the image if it were being processed in a "wet" darkroom. At that time, I rely on my interpretation of the scene to create each photograph. This manipulation is the same as has been used by all photographers in the past. Even Ansel Adams, Edward Weston and others burned and doged in the "wet" darkroom to produce prints that exibited their unique vison of the scene. In the digital darkroom of today, I do the same. Maybe the sky needs to be somewhat darker, maybe the background needs to be lighter, maybe the main subject needs to be a little brighter or maybe a filter was used, but in no way does this change the concept of the photograph. Everything is as it was when I saw it.

My website does contain what I call "manipulated" photographs. They are located in the "Creative/Abstract Gallery" and are my whimsical attempt to take the viewer into "The Looking Glass," a world that exists only in the mind.

Editor's Choice on several photographs from BetterPhoto.com.

Nature Photography from West Michigan's Acker Woods

Clyde Butcher, who I interviewed for an article in the Sarasota Weekly in 2003. Ansel Adams, DeWitt Jones and others who have given us their wonderful insights on our disappearing nature and wildlife venue.