Here’s my father, as a birdwatcher and adventurer. He has been a very kind model as I figure out how to use my wooden 4x5 camera. I’m sick that I messed up the second image by pulling the dark slide out too soon while processing film at home.

These photographs capture remnants of an ancient apple tree and its life support system. The first photograph was made quickly because the crew was working fast and almost done when I arrived. So I setup my camera in just a few minutes and took the shot quickly.

I had to pull over when I saw this burned-out house. It was long abandoned and had trees growing through it. Nobody was around, so I took a little more time than normal to practice my technique. I have been learning that I prefer more of the photograph to be in focus, so trying to use the middle of my aperture ring more often.

I’m always drawn to photographing workers because of how they interact with their environment in dynamic ways and because they don’t seem self-consciously vain. I want to return to this theme in the future, but right now my focusing technique is too slow. For portraits I prefer a shallow depth of field, but when trying to capture a dynamic pose, camera movements are really necessary.