There is an empty canoe drifting in the Consumnes River in the Central Valley of California. It’s photographer Roman Loranc’s ride. His way of slipping gently into one of the landscapes he loves.

He is facing away from the escaping canoe, knee deep in the river, with his tripod steadied on the river bottom and his 4 x 5 camera trained on the forms just visible in the distant mist. He hasn’t yet noticed that he is stranded.

It doesn’t matter. He is in another world. A world where he is seeing, smelling, hearing, feeling, and tasting the scene he is photographing. He has lost himself in the moment.

The Essence of Landscape Photography

A good landscape photographer understands composition, quality of light, and the effects of changes in time, weather, and season on the subject.

A great photographer understands all of the above, but also belongs to the scene he or she is capturing—rooted to the place. Connected with all senses.

Roman Loranc is such a photographer. One who understands how to be fully present when capturing a moment on film.

Being Part of the Natural World

“I know that I am a part of the natural order of things,” Roman explains. “I know because I feel it when I am quiet and let myself be a human being rather than a human doing. We are all part of the natural world, although we sometimes forget.”

He describes his time photographing as a process of opening all his senses, not just the visual. “I am present, sensing and feeling, my mind clear, connected to this world, my world.”

He talks of hearing insects buzzing, feeling a cool breeze, smelling the pungency of decaying leaves, tasting the moisture in the air. And because these things are intrinsically woven into his photographs, we feel something too.

His images have a haunting power. Drama and mystery. But, there is also a bit of melancholy, as if the simple beauty of these places is fleeting. Things change . . . and sometimes threaten to disappear forever.

A Photographic Path Across Cultures

Roman’s photographic life began in his childhood in Poland. He received his first camera at age 7 or 8, as he recalls. It broke soon after, but the short time he spent with it was life-changing. The idea of slicing a moment out of time to preserve forever was magic.

At 19, in Russia, he traded a pair of Levi’s for a 35 mm camera and darkroom equipment (a pretty good trade). Mentors and inspirations came his way.

He loved the chemistry (and alchemy) of the darkroom but freely admits that his first prints were horrible. He worked hard to learn despite the lack of materials in communist Poland. These milestones—both serendipitous and fought for—provided an undeniable path to the art of photography.

He left Poland in 1981 in search of freedom, defecting to the United States. Wisconsin at first, and then west. Somehow he knew California would become home.

“I had to leave in order to live, and the U.S. was where I felt I could do that best,” he remembers.

He was rewarded not only with personal freedoms but also with magnificent landforms.

Respect for the Land

He took to the California Central Valley (and later the Mount Shasta area) like Ansel Adams took to Yosemite and the Westons took to the California central coast.

Like all artists who respect the land, he learned that the better you know it, the more its beauty reveals itself.

Statuesque trees, minimalist tule, and misty mornings became his life blood. He admits to feeling a bit guilty when people love his photographs. It is nature that is beautiful, he says. “I get rewarded, but I don’t know if I deserve it.”

He shouldn’t be so humble. He is dedicated to his craft; does everything by hand; and, with vigilance to be envied, makes sure every image is consistent with his vision.

A Technique with Commitment

Although he appreciates technology, having grown up without electricity or running water in the communist era, he is loyal to the traditional approach to photography.

His technique conveys his emotional response to a scene—from his choice of black-and-white film to his dedication to the perfection of prints—photographs where depth and mood are supported by the right palette of tones, the luminescence of the light, and the addition of sepia and selenium tone to provide an additional layer of feeling.

Oh, I See: The Common Thread

Most of Roman’s photos celebrate the natural world via landscape photography, but he has also explored manmade forms. He describes the common thread as “moments of enlightenment.”

Mount Shasta at sunrise or a cathedral or synagogue in Eastern Europe can provide the same sense of the “gift of existence.”

“I understand the interplay of life and its dependency on a vital planet,” he says. “I feel a part of it, not apart from it.”

It is this connection that allows us into his world through his images. And we’re glad to be a part of it.

Roman Loranc’s “Collection of New Work” is at the Photography West Gallery in Carmel, California until March 14, 2015.

Photography West Gallery has also produced two monographs of Loranc’s work—Fractal Dreams and Absolution.

$\"Landscape$

Homeward Bound II (Mount Shasta, CA)
\u00a9 Roman Loranc<\/p><\/div>\n

Roman Loranc: Rooted in\u00a0the California\u00a0Natural World<\/h2>\n
There is an empty canoe drifting in the Consumnes River in the Central Valley of California. It\u2019s photographer Roman Loranc\u2019s ride. His way of slipping gently into one of the landscapes he loves.<\/p>\n
He is facing away from the escaping canoe, knee deep in the river, with his tripod steadied on the river bottom and his 4 x 5 camera trained on the forms just visible in the distant mist. He hasn\u2019t yet noticed that he is stranded.<\/p>\n
It doesn\u2019t matter. He is in another world. A world where he is seeing, smelling, hearing, feeling, and tasting the scene he is photographing. He has lost himself in the moment.<\/p>\n
$\"Landscape$
The Phantom Canoe. Roman turned “being stranded” into a work of art
\u00a9 Roman Loranc<\/p><\/div>\n
The Essence of Landscape Photography<\/h4>\n
A good landscape photographer understands composition, quality of light, and the effects of changes in time, weather, and season on the subject.<\/p>\n
A great photographer understands all of the above, but also belongs to the scene he or she is capturing\u2014rooted to the place. Connected with all senses.<\/p>\n
Roman Loranc is such a photographer. One who understands how to be fully present when capturing a moment on film.<\/p>\n
$\"Landscape$
Belonging to the place (Oak, Carmel Valley, CA)
\u00a9 Roman Loranc<\/p><\/div>\n
Being Part of the Natural World<\/h4>\n
The canoe episode reveals much about how Roman lives his life.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that I am a part of the natural order of things,\u201d Roman explains. \u201cI know because I feel it when I am quiet and let myself be a human being <\/em>rather than a human doing<\/em>. We are all part of the natural world, although we sometimes forget.\u201d<\/p>\n
$\"Landscape$
A connection with all senses (Skyline Forest, Monterey, CA)
\u00a9 Roman Loranc<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
He describes his time photographing as a process of opening all his senses, not just the visual. \u201cI am present, sensing and feeling, my mind clear, connected to this world, my world.\u201d<\/p>\n
He talks of hearing insects buzzing, feeling a cool breeze, smelling the pungency of decaying leaves, tasting the moisture in the air. And because these things are intrinsically woven into his photographs, we feel something too.<\/p>\n
$\"Landscape$
Road to Mauna Kea
\u00a9 Roman Loranc<\/p><\/div>\n
His images have a haunting power. Drama and mystery. But, there is also a bit of melancholy, as if the simple beauty of these places is fleeting. Things change . . . and sometimes threaten to\u00a0disappear forever.<\/p>\n
A Photographic Path Across Cultures<\/h4>\n
Roman\u2019s photographic life began in his childhood in Poland. He received his first camera at age 7 or 8, as he recalls. It broke soon after, but the short time he spent with it was life-changing. The idea of slicing a moment out of time to preserve forever was magic.<\/p>\n
At 19, in Russia, he traded a pair of\u00a0Levi\u2019s for a 35 mm camera and darkroom equipment (a pretty good trade). Mentors and inspirations came his way.<\/p>\n
$\"Landscape$
Roman Loranc, a part of the natural world
\u00a9 Bob Reade<\/p><\/div>\n
He loved the chemistry (and alchemy) of the darkroom but freely admits that his first prints were horrible. He worked hard to learn despite the lack of materials in communist Poland. These milestones\u2014both serendipitous and fought for\u2014provided an undeniable path to the art of photography.<\/p>\n
He left Poland in 1981 in search of freedom, defecting to the United States. Wisconsin at first, and then west. Somehow he knew California would become home.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had to leave in order to live, and the U.S. was where I felt I could do that best,\u201d he remembers.<\/p>\n
He was rewarded not only with personal freedoms but also with magnificent landforms.<\/p>\n
$\"Landscape$
Santa Lucia Highlands
\u00a9 Roman Loranc<\/p><\/div>\n
Respect for the Land<\/h4>\n
He took to the California Central Valley (and later the Mount Shasta area) like Ansel Adams took to Yosemite and the Westons took to the California central coast.<\/p>\n
Like all artists who respect the land, he learned that the better you know it, the more its beauty reveals itself.<\/p>\n
$\"Landscape$
Tule Raft (Central Valley)
\u00a9 Roman Loranc<\/p><\/div>\n
Statuesque trees, minimalist tule, and misty mornings became his life blood. He admits to feeling a bit guilty when people love his photographs. It is nature that is beautiful, he says. \u201cI get rewarded, but I don\u2019t know if I deserve it.\u201d<\/p>\n
He shouldn\u2019t be so humble. He is dedicated to his craft; does everything by hand; and, with vigilance to be envied, makes sure every image is consistent with his vision.<\/p>\n
$\"Landscape$
Crucified Landscape (Central Valley)
\u00a9 Roman Loranc<\/p><\/div>\n
A Technique with\u00a0Commitment<\/h4>\n
Although he appreciates technology, having grown up without electricity or running water in the communist era, he is loyal to the traditional approach to photography.<\/p>\n
His technique conveys his emotional response to a scene\u2014from his choice of black-and-white film to his dedication to the perfection of prints\u2014photographs where depth and mood are supported by the right palette\u00a0of tones, the luminescence of the light, and the addition of sepia and selenium tone to provide an additional layer of feeling.<\/p>\n
$\"Landscape$ <\/a>
Craco, Italy
\u00a9 Roman Loranc<\/p><\/div>\n
Oh, I See: The Common Thread<\/h4>\n
Most of Roman’s photos celebrate the natural world via landscape photography, but he has also explored manmade forms. He describes the common thread as \u201cmoments of enlightenment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mount Shasta at sunrise or a cathedral or synagogue in Eastern Europe can provide the same sense of the \u201cgift of existence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand the interplay of life and its dependency on a vital planet,\u201d he says. \u201cI feel a part of it, not apart from it.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is this connection that allows us into his world through his images. And we\u2019re glad to be a part of it.<\/p>\n
$\"Landscape$
Valley Before the Rain
\u00a9 Roman Loranc<\/p><\/div>\n
Roman Loranc’s “Collection of New Work”\u00a0is at the Photography West Gallery<\/a> in Carmel, California until March 14, 2015.<\/em><\/p>\n
Photography West Gallery has also produced two monographs of Loranc\u2019s work\u2014<\/em>Fractal Dreams and <\/em>Absolution.<\/p>\n
To see more of Roman’s work, visit his website.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n
Comment<\/a>\u00a0on this post, or inspire insight with your own\u00a0OIC Moment\u00a0<\/em>here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":null,"protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":21576,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[171,199],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21582","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-photography-creative","category-usa-mappoints"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21582","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21582"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21582\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40745,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21582\/revisions\/40745"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21576"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21582"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21582"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21582"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}