Saylor - Photographer

I was given my first camera for my 17th birthday. I still own my  Pentax K1000 and it is in good working order though most of what I do  now is digital. I currently travel with a Canon 5D Mark ii which means I  have had to collect super light backpacking gear to compensate for the  weight of my camera gear.

I spend most of my free time outside, hiking, camping and working.   Wherever I go, I take my camera. There is never a reason to leave it at  home. It is my faithful companion. I shoot every week, every chance I  get despite the fact that I work and I’m a full-time student. I find the  moments in between to do what I love best.

I have a serious obsession with the weather and I always have an eye  on the radar. I follow the Arizona Monsoon storms throughout the summer.  When everyone else is excited about a mild, clear day, I’m anxiously  awaiting a storm.

I am imperfect therefore I minimally edit each of my photos in order  to retain the soul and mood of the composition. I would rather leave an  “imperfection” than I would alter it through technology.

The thing that has shaped me the most besides being an artist is  being a Midwesterner. The thing the people I grew up with value most is  hard work. I enjoy working hard to find and capture the photos I take.  I  want to present my “audience” with something familiar but unique.

Much of what I do is done in harsh environments and extreme weather. I  seek places and subjects that are rarely viewed and I work to frame the  “ordinary” in an extraordinary way.

My photos represent more than a fraction of a second, recorded while  the shutter is open. They are composed of the day’s events or even years  of settling into a landscape. Sense of place is the single most  important element of my being therefore it is the most important aspect  of each photograph.