ABOUT THE SECESSION SERIES:

At the very beginning of the 20th Century, Alfred Stieglitz unilaterally promoted a 'style' of photography he called "Photo Secessionism" named after the "Secession" movement of German and Austrian painters, he was joined by Clarence White, Gertrude Kasebier and Edward Steichen and many other top photographers. They sought to legitimize photography as an art form by manipulating the images, and to bypass "That wealth of detail which was admired in photography's early days and which is still loved by the great general public".

This flew in the face of the widely held idea that the creation of a photo was accomplished at the "moment" the shutter went off, and that one should not crop or interfere in any manner with the 'pure' image. The "Photo Secessionists" manipulations were achieved in many ways, soft focus, texture overlay, filters, dodging, burning, or by the use of various printing methods such as, carbon, platinum, gum bichromate, albumen, ambrotype, as well as the use of pin hole cameras.

I have been making images for more than 60 years, over that time I have explored many styles or periods, where I would produce images of a particular style for several years and then go on to explore another style.  Recently I have been responding to the images I create as if each requires a different treatment, so I enhance certain qualities and reduce others, I no longer care to be limited by a cameras limitations or it's abilities, some images I leave as they are, some I make in black and white, some I solarize, and to others I apply varying degrees of sharpness reduction. Digital photography and Photoshop have refined and simplified these processes.

Is it not a principle, that, "In Art one eliminates the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak".  (Hans Hoffman)