Architectural & Landscape Photography

by

Thomas C. Shapiro

When in second grade, it was discovered that I was badly near sighted, and I obtained eyeglasses, I have been fascinated by what I have seen since. I have had a desire to reproduce this into a permanent visual format. This was translated into photography as an art form at an early age and has continued unabated through today.


Both of my parents painted landscapes and my Mother people and buildings as well. As a geologist, I have always been interested by landforms and architectural shapes and their shaping by natural forces and also by association, plants and animals.


My goal is to take photographs in such a way as to draw the viewer into the photograph visually to explore the scene emotionally and/or intellectually. Sometimes this is accomplished by structure. Sometimes by capturing a moment in time that is compelling.


I take mostly 35 mm slides and then scan them on a film scanner. They are cleaned of any dirt or film imperfections in Photoshop and then printed on an Epson printer on archival paper with an estimated lifetime of over 60 years before any noticeable fading occurs. For some work I use a digital camera and the process is related as above except it is noise that is fixed in Photoshop.


Currently I am mostly using the 35mm format because it enables me to hike where I wish to go to capture unique views without excessive weight. My current camera is a Nikon. I also use on occasion a 4 by 5 inch camera and other medium format film cameras.


This site is dedicated to the memory of my mother, Janice Sandler Shapiro.