PHOTOS by Mark Magee

These photos all come from areas I know well and see often. The beach and tree

photos are from the Long Beach Peninsula in Washington State, only a short walk from

my house. The others are from my backyard in Port Townsend, Washington. I mention

this because I tend to shoot in geographically limited areas over long periods, returning

to the same scenes over and over again. Every visit is a slightly different experience

with new opportunities. The light changes with weather, time of day, as well as my

attitude towards all that. This way of shooting works well for me. I like to get to know a

place, and my place in it. That shouldn’t read as anything professing something

profound. When I feel comfortable in a place, I see it in different ways. That’s when I get

the photos I like.

The Salt Pines photo is a good example.  I’ve walked three generations of dogs through

that forest, and it’s only lately that I’ve gone back with a camera. And even then, that

shot sat in the can, as we used to say before digital, undeveloped, as it were, for almost

two years before I bothered with it. These things take time, I guess.

You can see more of my work at www.watermarkstudiopdx.com