I make personal photographs near my home. Often I photograph within walking distance of my house; seldom do I venture more than an hour’s drive away. The central part of Pennsylvania has been my photographic subject for the past nine years, and in it I find a place in transition. It may be a woodland turning into a farm field, a farm field into a roadway, or a flooded stream changing into a lake. In places where people often see loss is sometimes an emerging and ephemeral beauty. In my photographs I see a truth about the world around me, and in my interpretation, truth about myself.
The wilderness landscape is gone here, but another kind of landscape exists in Pennsylvania: a landscape of subtle reminders. Quiet, lyrical reminders of a world that is slowly disappearing yet still present enough to resonate in me. There is a sense of loss in the world as places change, with little attention to the new places that come into existence. The beauty never disappears; it changes shape and form and continues to exist. I find myself searching for those places and things.
I have been influenced by the work of Keith Carter, John McWilliams, Josef Sudek, and Edward Weston. Each photographer is known for their relentless examination of their personal reactions to the world they lived and worked in. As I photograph, I search for places that resonate the simple qualities of a changing landscape. Often I am struck not so much by what we have lost, but rather by what is springing forth. During moments of recognition, a sense of calm comes over me, along with a great gratitude for being alive and walking on the earth. I grow aware of my place in the world. I understand that there are powerful places in the landscape when I cease to simply look and begin to see.
I am exploring the expressive possibilities of the fine print in order to tell a subtle, quiet story about the places in Pennsylvania that are forgotten and unseen. A large format camera allows me to make images that render form and texture in surreal sharpness. The fine gelatin silver print allows the viewer to also experience these images of overlooked places. And working digitally makes possible views and representations impossible with film.
My desire is to explore changing places in and beyond central Pennsylvania. I have a desire to make those places intimate. It is necessary for me to spend extended periods in an area to be able to see beyond the facades of conventional prettiness and into the special character that exists in all places.
A group of painters working during the mid- 19th century in the Hudson River Valley spoke of sacred places in the land. Those places exist today in Pennsylvania: hidden, unseen, disregarded, and rejected. As I walk the landscape I look for places that nourish my spirit and remind me of why I am here. That is why I continue to photograph.
Steve Williams
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