www.fatali.com
I highly, highly recommend checking out his website. In addition to fantastic photographs, made the old fashioned way, Fatali posts field notes for all his work so you can get an idea of the trouble he goes to to get some of these fantastic images.
His field notes include the amount of time he waited for just the right light. This, I have finally learned (after all these years) is the great secret of all great landscape photographers: patience. My own shot of Sahallie Falls was something I conceived of months earlier and waited until I could get up there while there was still snow on the ground and I had clear sky for good light down in that canyon. And, I've made several trips up into the three sisters wilderness to a spot I've already staked out in hopes of getting the perfect shot of a rising moon over the sisters at sunset. So far, it has elluded me. Photographers like Fatali and others who preceded him (Ansel Adams, for example) understood the importance of planning and patience. Yep, sometimes you get lucky. But the truly great photographers know what they're looking for before they start looking.
This image is Angel Arch and was taken in the canyon lands of Utah where Fatali lives. It was taken with an 8x10 view camera on Extachrome and printed by hand on Lifochrome paper (what used to be known as Cibachrome.) He makes prints up to 30" by 40" or bigger by request, in limited editions. It took two days for the light.
This next image is called Living Dunes and was also taken in Death Valley. For this shot, Fatali waited 5 days.
And this image is Spirit Stones, also Death Valley. 3 Days waiting.
His field notes on his work are one of the things I find particularly appealing about him. Many photographers, including Fatali, will list their film choice, exposure records, darkroom notes, etc. But he is one of the few who keeps track of how much time he invests in waiting for just the right shot.All of Fatali's work has a soft, dreamy quality to it. Most are shot at sunrise or sunset, during that brief window of opportunity when the light is just right. Often, that window is only open for a few seconds.
I was not familiar with his work, Mitch. Thank you for sharing that. I think the most interesting thing that you commented on, based on a few conversations, was the mention of the time he takes. Often an overlooked aspect of photography, it can be one of the most important.
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