Author Archives: JOHN FORD

About JOHN FORD

The purpose of my photography is to isolate the order and beauty in the chaos of nature and the natural world. My interest in photography extends back to my teen years. The works of Ansel Adams and Edward Weston inspired me to greater depth and meaning. Being a medical doctor by profession, I found photography to appeal to my “left-brain” need for technical analysis and my “right-brain”, where I find self-expression. My earlier work was produced with film cameras. The large format, 4x5in., camera, the one that used a clothe over the head to focus, provided tremendous control and wonderful sharpness and definition. I have eventually switched to the digital camera because it now gives equal quality and greater flexibility. Most images are captured with use of a tripod and cable release for greatest stability and sharpness. I produce both color and black and white images, whichever the subject dictates. For years, I captured images with film cameras-medium format or large format(Linhof 4x5 view camera). The negatives or chromes were scanned and then refined with Photoshop. My recent images are captured with a high quality digital camera. The image is then refined in photoshop. If one asks if the images are manipulated, then I would respond that every image in the public sector you have seen has been manipulated. Ansel estimated that it took him on average eight hours to figure out how to print a negative. The digital negative is no different. Once refined the image is then printed using archival pigmented inks which makes them more archival than most traditional photographic prints.