Here’s what Dennis had to say about his renewed passion for photography in later life, tough working conditions and stopping to appreciate the small details of a landscape.
LG: Have you always taken imagery of beautiful landscapes? Where did it all start?
DF: I pored over endless photographs in National Geographic, Sierra Club, Audubon and others, almost forgetting to breathe. I thought this kind of photography was unattainable for the average photographer.
At age 14, after saving for a long time, I purchased my first camera. Full of youthful exuberance, I took pictures of nature and scenic subjects in my small world. I was so disappointed with these early photographs! If I couldn’t dazzle people with my pictures like the ones in National Geographic, it wasn’t worth the effort, I thought. I gave up, put my camera in the closet and went fishing.
In college, my passion raged on for the natural world. I studied landscapes and ecology and received a master’s degree in these areas. Later — over thirty-five years ago — I felt compelled to revisit my love of photography. I was fly fishing in Montana and in between catching brown trout on the Madison River, the thought came to me, almost as if by divine communication: “When I get home from this fishing trip, I’m going to start shooting pictures professionally.” I know this sounds like the old “it came to me in a vision at stream side” story, but I’m not making this up!
I’ve always yearned to bring emotion to my life and to that of others. Photography allows me to do this. Now, with a staggering amount of work, my photographs have made the pages of National Geographic, Sierra Club, and Audubon. They have brought emotion to art directors and audiences worldwide.
I take great pride that I have been able to help my clients look good. I can’t say “I’ve arrived”, but I can tell you I feel immense satisfaction that my work touches the lives of others.
LG: What motivates you to keep on making images and being creative?
DF: When on location, I usually look to shoot the whole scene first, but lately I’ve been looking to also photograph just parts of a scene. There are so many images within the main image, and I find it most satisfying to seek out these more unique kinds of pictures. There are images everywhere, including many macro compositions, you just have to slow down and look for them.
LG: When do you know you have a good picture?
DF: It’s really intuitive. It’s an emotional experience, not an academic evaluation of all the factors that make a “great image”. I just know when I love a scene. I often visit the same location many times until I get the image I’m after.
I usually know when I come upon an emotionally powerful scene because while creating the image, I literally begin to shake, and start babbling about how great the scene is — even if no one is listening. I’m so absorbed in the process that I have on occasion, accidentally cut or bruised myself on a rock or piece of equipment, and haven’t even been aware of it.
I photograph the drama of nature, and my goal is for my audience to experience a little of this when viewing my photographs — minus the cuts and bruises of course!
LG: Tell us the story behind your most difficult shot
DF: Each day during our visit to Torres del Paine National Park, we awoke at 3-4 a.m. to travel to a location in the park. Travel times were up to one and half hours one way. This particular scene was only 45 minutes away and a short 10-minute hike.
It may look calm and serene, but the real story here was the intense wind. It was a challenge to stay standing while capturing this scene.
We were told the next day that two hikers on this trail were blown to the ground, suffering broken bones. At times in other places here, we had to photograph while sitting or lying down to avoid getting blown over. Winds reached 80 mph during the windiest part of our trip. It was definitely “combat” photography.
Torres Del Paine National Park, Chile, Patagonia
LG: Have you any tips on editing?
DF: The first thing you should ask yourself is, “what do I want this image to say?” not “what editing tools do I need to use”, or which editing program would be the best here. Decide what look you want first, then decide what filters and tools you need to accomplish the look you are after.
There is a danger that with all the tools available to process a photograph, it can lead one to overprocess an image. Subtle changes are better for most images.
Check out Dennis’ stunning collection on Alamy, and his
Be sure to check in next month for the next contributor spotlight.