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| Self portrait in Belize | Diving in Cayman Brac | Our car in the British Virgin Islands | Krista in Chchicastenango |
My Name is Duncan Graham and I am a native of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I began taking pictures in the spring of 1998. Over the past few years I have continued to refine my photography with the help of a few select people: my girlfriend, Krista Spencer, who presents me with many opportunities to see the world; my parents, though reluctant at first went on to give their unquestionable support; Jon Stuart and Mary Downey who own Mountain Camera Supply, attempted to impart as much knowledge on me as they could while I worked for them; and Dan Cosentino, who always gave it to me straight when critiquing my photography. A prime example is when he gave me his thoughts of one of my exhibits by simply looking at the photographs and saying, "Yes" or "No". Most recently Steve and Carolyn Clawson, who seem to never tire of the questions that I pose to them about underwater photography.
During my time photographing I have made some basic decisions about the way that I photograph. Some of these decisions regard the materials that I have my images printed on, the style of the photographs that I take, and most importantly image enhancement. I choose not to use a computer or filters to alter my images, so all of my images are as close to the original scene as I can manage given the materials that I use for my prints. The only filters that I use are neutral density filters and polarizers. I use these two types of filters to correct for a lack of exposure latitude in modern films but they do not add or remove color from the photographs. I do believe that the use of filters, digital photography and manipulation of images in the computer have a role in modern photography, however, I believe that if these tools are used it should be noted by the photographer. I think this is important because when I spend countless hours trying to get a shot I hope that people look at it and are impressed that places and images of the sort truly exist and are not simply a digital creation. Much of what I shoot is landscape and wildlife, and most recently I have taken up underwater photography. Most of my underwater images are macro shots of corals, sponges, and underwater creatures. All of my color photographs are printed as reversal prints, a process which takes the prints directly from a slide versus a negative. My black and white images are printed on varying materials which best suit the photograph.
I hope you enjoy these photographs as much as I have enjoyed taking them.