M A R Y
G O O D R I C H
My home is Volcano Village near the Volcanoes National Park on the island of Hawaii.
The beautiful and harsh environment of the Big Island provides plenty of diverse subject matter for my photographic work.
I am often asked about my working process, and how the inspiration for images comes to mind.
Describing the process gets a little fuzzy in that it doesn’t seem to want to be nailed down or too definite, but here goes.
When something catches my eye I want to detach from identifying the object or scene with its name or category so that I can look at it differently.
There may be something that seems familiar but I like seeing it in a new way.
I don’t set things up or have an expectation about the end result.
(Let the muse be…)
The initial image capture is done with a sense of free association, but the post-production operates with more left brain specificity.
My photographs have always been about seeing and awareness of the feelings evoked when I observe the forces of nature around me.
I like to notice the impact time, wind, lava and water has on the environment as well as on man-made objects.
The way certain forms, lines, light and dark, arrange themselves naturally and artfully, delights my senses.
Art-making has always been big for me.
I painted watercolors and made pen and ink drawings before pursuing photography.
There has always been a sort of magic about capturing time with a camera and seeing it in a print.
As a child, I had a fascination with the photographs in our family albums, some dating back to the early 1900’s.
Books, magazines and artist friends have all contributed to my photographic knowledge and I participated in a few weekend photo workshops.
A lot of my photo education evolved from just trying things out.
The images that I like the best are probably the abstractions, catching the light at odd moments, and discovering some small wonder that no one else will see unless I show it to them.
My enthusiasm for photography extends to the Hawaii photography workshops my husband and I offer.
We work with photographers in the field and with Photoshop, focusing on the areas of photography they want to learn about.
From personalized courses for beginners to location shoots for pros, all tours are limited to just one individual or a small group.
www.hawaiiphotoretreat.com.
Prints are available by contacting me through this website.
Visitors are welcome to come to my studio sale in Volcano, Hawaii, held each November on Thanksgiving weekend.
www.volcanovillageartistshui.com .
April, 2012
