White Mountains
As part of my Fragmented Landscapes Series, this portfolio is a Photographic Field Study of the White Mountains, first called by early settlers the Crystal Hills of New Hampshire.
Formed over 100 Millions years ago, the White Mountains are located in the Northern part of the Appalachian Mountain System in the White Mountain National Forest. Made mostly from granite and shaped by glacial action, they are now covered with mixed hardwoods at lower elevations and a dense hemlock, pine and spruce forest at higher terrains. These rugged mountains contain countless creeks running along the ridges, ravines and valleys under the strong wind currents that blow above and throughout on a regular basis causing rapid weather changes and extremes. It contains the highest peak in the Northeast, Mount Washington, which at 6,288 feet once held the world record for the highest wind gust at 231 MPH in 1934.
The Native Americans who first lived in these lands felt the region to be spiritual and sacred. Hiking the trails, wandering in the forest, crossing the creeks, pondering the streams, absorbing the surroundings, slowly making one’s way to the summit to see the wide vistas of mountains mingling with the clouds, reflecting the light on to the valleys below, one understands why as they sense the rhythms of nature at play.
These fragmented montages revolve around the idea that the landscape can be transformed into visual melodies with each individual photograph is a note connected by their overlapping imagery. It is my hope that the resulting panoramas are in harmony with the experience of being there, inviting the viewer to meditate on and participate in a closer examination of this beautiful and compelling environment.