About the photographer

    Many photographers proffer a list of well know photographers (or other people) that influenced their work, but I prefer to keep that list to my self. I have had many influences over the years, and some have had considerable impact on how I see, but I fell that my photography is my own vision and as such I will leave you to decide if you will who might have influenced my creative endeavors if you are so inclined. Instead, I will offer a brief insight into who I am and why I photograph.

    I have been taking pictures since I was 8 years old, when I got my first Brownie Starflash camera, and during those many years photography has always been a major influence in my life. I remember the excitement of learning how to load film in the camera for the first time, and always thinking hard about what to photograph, and when the roll was at its end, waiting anxiously for the pictures to return in their little folders. While I now use medium and large format cameras, and process my negatives and prints by hand in my own darkroom, that feeling of involvement and excitement is still alive and well!

    I prefer to photograph things that make some connection to me when I view them rather than making scenic or pictorial photographs. Often I cannot explain the connection a subject makes in words - it is more something that strikes a chord deep inside, calling to me. Sometimes it is the underlying form of a subject, while other times is the sense of wonder and mystery of some found object whose past have now been lost in the mists of time and whose present call to me as I pass. Objects that offer mystery always catch my eye, and I find that those are the subjects to which I devote the majority of my time, both in and out of the darkroom.

    I feel that I should also make small mention of what I offer to others as a photographer as a final note before you depart. I have always felt that hand-made works created by skilled craftspeople and artists offer a value that cannot be matched products born of automation simply because a good part of the craftsperson goes into everything they make. The efforts of their personal labor reflect all of the care and skill involved in their creation. As a craftsman, I understand this relationship and it is for this reason that I am proud to be able to offer you these hand-crafted prints. Every care has gone into their creation, from the selection of the subjects to the mounting of the finished prints in their mats. I humbly thank you for taking the time to view my work today, and I hope that you are able to take as much from my prints as I have put into their creation. I may be reached via email by sending to if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

- Randall E. Ellis

Professional Associations

APUG Gallery

Ridge Art Association

Photographic Society of America

Analog Photography Users Group

Amateur Photographic Exchange Club III