Native Americans referred to it as a magic moment, a place of Good Medicine (Healing to the Spirit). You may see it around the next bend in a river, or on the other side of the next ridge. It could be the way the light passes through the trees, or how it falls on the forest floor. It may be just as simple as a single leaf floating on the puddle in your path. This feeling taken in from the scene before you may well be tranquil, harmonious or even euphoric; it may transpire differently from one person to the next. Nevertheless it is considered Medicine to the Soul. This medicine has inspired songwriters, poets, artists and photographers alike, and has been an inspiration to me from the time I was a boy.
I consider myself very fortunate to have grown up a country boy in a place like Colorado. As a boy my dog and I would spend most of our spare time hiking and wandering the country side. I had to see the view around the next bend in the river or what it looked like over the next ridge. Often I would get in trouble with my parents for going too far or staying out too long. However, as I grew older I was allowed to go farther and stay longer. Soon my spare time turned into backpacking and camping trips.
In 1976 I traded my motorcycle for my first 35mm SLR camera, a used Mamiya/Sekor 1000TL, with a variety of lenses. When I looked through that viewfinder, a whole new world opened up for me. Now I could isolate and capture the scenes before me, so I grabbed some film and headed for the hills. But when I processed the film, there was something missing! I didn’t get that same feeling I had received from the natural scene! Some shots were overexposed, others underexposed; depth of field and color was poor; and there was no impact! I had to find out why! So I headed to the library, returning with piles of books and an inquisitive mind.
Slowly things began to change. The more I learned, the more I had to know; and the better the shots seemed to get; but there was still something missing! Then one day I opened a book by Ansel Adams, “Yosemite and the Range of Light” - I found a hero! The way he was able to not only captured light, but also express and compose with it. I found his work captivating (Healing Medicine to the Spirit)! I soon found myself studying his work and the work of many other photographers; and I still do.
All photographers have their own style and manner of expression. My goal is to liberate “visually”. To release the spirit of a scene on to an image, in a way that can stimulate the soul in a soothing recuperative way; as how I witnessed and experienced it for myself. I hope you will find an image on this site that speaks to your spirit, one that will bestow you with “Good Medicine”!
Thank you for visiting my portfolio!
Michael VanBeber
