About me and my work

I also have several extended galleries of photographs online at www.pbase.com/nirvanh If you wish to purchase any, please refer to the Photo Prices page of this website. Please inquire about licensing for use.

Second, here are a few generous comments that you've shared about my work: "really spectacular", "breathtaking", "gorgeous", "exquisite", "stunning", "totally intense". And from one, "Maybe I should just throw away my camera!". Another woman wiped away a tear.

I've fielded enough compliments to float my ego like a helium balloon. My response is a big "thank you", and the compliments should be directed to the source of my pictures, the Earth.... And advice for the woman suggesting she should throw away her camera: "Don't!" Use your camera, and use it often!

Nature has been a blessing in my life, a source of deep healing and renewal through beauty, magic and mystery. I attempt to share some of that through my work, with praise and gratitude for the wonders of the natural world.

All of you, visit mountains, forests, woods and gardens and explore streams and wild river banks. Grow flowers. Grow trees. Listen to river sounds and smell what a bee smells when she enters a blossom. Hike. Float. Wander. Lose yourself in nature!

I want my pictures to inspire, whatever way that means to you. Take a trip into the Olympics, the Cascades, to a park, add a photo as a window of escape on a wall of your office or home. Bring color to your life on a gray winter day.

Most of the photos were taken in Northwest Washington, many on the Olympic Peninsula around where I had the good fortune to live for several years. Occasionally I'll visit a tropical greenhouse on a gray day to remind myself of exotic places around the globe. And I do love Oregon beaches!

I take the photos with either a Canon EOS Digital Rebel SLR or a point-and-shoot Olympus camera with good results, perhaps from the gift of my 'eye', perhaps from years as a painter prior to becoming hooked on photography, and perhaps from the combination of settings I use on my camera. People ask if I 'play' with the images on the computer. I sharpen or brighten an image if necessary, and I often (but not always) use the crop function. I might adjust or saturate the color to give a more aesthetic feel to the mood of a picture. It's very subjective. Editing is an essential part of a writer, photographer or artist's work. If you like what I do, that's what matters!

I print my photos on an Epson photo printer with Epson enhanced matte photo paper for best results. I can print most shots up to 12" by 16" although one or two are better at smaller sizes. I take the shots at high resolution setting on my camera. The printer uses pigment based Ultrachrome inks which give an estimated lightfastness of 75 years when used with matte photo paper.

Most Sundays

I also sell at other markets and fairs throughout the year, so please email for the most up to date information on where you can find me around the Puget Sound area.