I was born in St George, Utah, amid the red rocks and lava flows that make the southern part of the state so unique. Through numerous travels across the states and summers hiking the buttes on a high desert ranch, I came to an integrated sense of the west. Over the years, I was strongly influenced by many hours of flying over the stunning geography of the Colorado Plateau. That interest has matured to include everything with a western flavor, from the deserts to the coast.

My desire to capture these private observations, for myself and others, found expression through photography. For me, the power of black and white images to capture both the scene and its intellectual impact is especially important. I use medium format film for most of my monochrome images. I’ve recently added color images to my portfolio, through the use of Cannon EOS-20D and -5D cameras and digital processes. The challenge is to recreate the tones that were inherent in the better fiber papers from the 60s and 70s. Which means that even after 40 years of work in the field and darkroom, photography continues to demand new technical and artistic creativity.

It is my desire that you find two themes in my work. First is form—the curve and line in a natural scene that can generate a sense of wonder. “The Wave” is an excellent example. The second is the enduring human spirit. An artifact like an anasazi ruin or old and intricate machinery express this perfectly.

Although I have a small studio and enjoy portrature and figure studies, most of my work is done in the field in my Airstream that has a small darkroom capability.

Roger Moseley / Mind's Eye Photography