Artist Statement
Photo by Prem Turner
I Love What I Do
I told my wife I’d be back in a month. I had no idea where I was going or what I would do. My fantasy was to get up every morning for the next 30 days with the absolute, unmitigated freedom to do whatever struck my fancy.
It was a magical time. I left my home in Sacramento and drove more than 3,000 miles. I marveled at sweeping plains in southeastern Oregon and wilderness in the middle of Idaho, where I nearly bumped into a bull moose. I bucked hay on a ranch in Montana and kayaked on alpine lakes in British Columbia.
I took photographs. Most suffered from camera shake. In those days, I didn’t know a tripod from an ipod. Some of my shots were OK though, and a couple were really good. I was hooked. There was something about recording an instant of natural history that struck me as a vital act. I returned home safely, kissed my tolerant wife and began a seismic professional shift from the daily conflict of law practice to the meditative process of nature photography.
The lesson I have learned is a simple one: I don’t want to miss the beauty of this planet because I’m too busy. The art and science of photography has invited me to see beyond the obvious, to discover beauty in all forms and colors, and to appreciate the intricate collaboration among earth and its water, its flora and fauna and the life giving light of our sun. I believe Nature is God’s art in action. Recording this tapestry and sharing my reverence for our natural world is a delight beyond description.
I’m busy doing what I love to do.
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