My first taste of photography was (seemingly ages ago) while taking an intro to photography course. There we learned the basics of shooting, darkroom development, and print with film. In following years I carried my Cannon AE-1 all over the world taking pictures for fun and memories. Upon an introduction to DSLRs, my devotion to photography exploded given the new possibilities I found for manipulating and personalizing images.
What feeds this passion is the emotive capacity of art – its ability to evoke strong reactions from viewers. I could spend hours sifting through and losing myself in the work of Eugene Atget or Michael Kenna. I absolutely love their long exposures, how textured skies and oceans soften into a quiet haze in which land and cityscapes rest. The tranquility of their work always overcomes me; I’ve often tried to infuse this tone within my own.
Most of my locations are scattered throughout California’s coastal region. Towering cliffs layered by a history of shifting geology plunge dramatically into the sea. Waves smash violently into them easing harsh edges, etching new shapes, crevices and caves. I’m drawn to the evolution of these cliffs; to the changes in their stubborn frames amidst an erratic environment that forever draws new possibilities upon them. I will never tire from visiting and shooting these scenes.
That said, I also love rusty cars, noir-ish city blocks, all landscapes, unusually shaped architecture, and can find something interesting in just about anything.
William Dunigan joined Pixels.com Licensing on November 14th, 2013.
