#6 Which places have been your favourite shooting sites so far and why?

This is a tough question for me because I really haven’t been able to travel to many exotic locations to shoot. I would say the area between Astoria, Oregon and Cannon Beach, Oregon. There are many different subjects for waterscapes along that route such as sea stacks, bridges, rocks, posts, beaches and the like. I’m drawn to the water it seems so the majority of my images tend to be waterscapes but lately have been trying to branch out a little more and discover other possibilities.

#7 We can see your photographs only in black and white, why have you chosen to present them in this form?

Black and white images represent the essence of the subject for me where color tends to be a bit distracting. Monochrome forces me to pay particular attention to composition, shapes, lines, light, shadows, and tonal ranges. It also tends to be more malleable where I can create an almost otherworldly appearance. There are many photographers who work beautifully in color, and I enjoy their images very much, but I personally prefer to work in black and white. I enjoy producing photographs that can be serene but also have added drama to them while utilizing minimalistic compositions much of the time.

#8 Could you please tell us something about your technique and creating process?

The majority of my images thus far have been made with an entry level DSLR and B+W neutral density filters. I did, however, sell all of my digital gear recently and purchased a medium format film camera and working with black and white film exclusively. I self develop the film then scan the negatives into Lightroom where the majority of my post processing takes place. I’ll utilize Photoshop CS5 on the rare occasion if I need a specific tool. For prints I prefer to use Hahnemuhle Photo Rag paper printed with an Epson 3880 that my good friend is kind enough to let me use. I’m currently printing the majority of my images at 10×10 inch squares. I enjoy a bit smaller of an image and not convinced that my work would look good printed large. Not that I won’t ever give it a try but for now I’d rather invite the viewer in than take up a large amount of real estate on a wall.

#9 What do you do in your life besides photography?

I work in a hospital as a critical care Registered Dietitian so I try to keep up in the field by reading journal articles and other nutrition related sources. Cooking and fitness used to be a big part of my daily routine but it seems that photography is taking up much of that time. Now it’s a quick workout, grab a bowl of cereal for dinner, then onto working on photography. A dietitian probably shouldn’t disclose such information. I have a wonderful wife who is a crazy cat lady so I enjoy spending time with them as much as possible.

#10 What future plans do you have? What projects would you like to accomplish?

The change from digital to the film process has been a challenge but wonderfully satisfying. I want to continue to focus on honing my skills at this every moment that I get. I would also like to explore night photography more using extremely long exposures. I tend to enjoy “bad” weather photography so during the upcoming summer months when it’s sunny most days, I plan on pulling some all nighters by moonlight instead.

Michael Salmela portfolio:
www.michaelsalmelaphotography.com