TITLE: Hard Light: Visions of Southern California

Leading into the winter months, before the rains and floods and storms that ultimately shape the land, the light of Southern California is particularly sharp and contrasted. This leads to some remarkable storytelling and photographic discoveries. On the outskirts of Los Angeles, before you reach the high desert, along seemingly nameless roads, you can almost hear the land recalling those who have come before--those who have succeeded in something and those who didn't. The hard light hides nothing; the blazed, stony canyons reveal a history written in stone, sand, succulents, and bleached bones. Southern California is a hard place to reach and when you get here, it's a hard place to at once stay or leave. Either way, the remarkable landscapes afford breathtaking vistas that reward those who call this place home.

AUTHOR: Thomas Morgan (United States)

It's been a life-long experience, this road I've been on with my various cameras. I learned on medium format, having gotten my first camera as a high school graduation gift from my parents. It was a glorious Yashica MAT 124G, the style of which wasn't too popular or even known that much anymore in the mid-80s. But the results were amazing, and I've been developing my eye ever since.

Digital presents new freedoms. I'll thrilled with and amazed at the current technology, and I can't wait to see where it leads us. I do imaging a time when analog or print photography will continue to be the format on which photographers learn the craft. There's something to be said with how it demands that we slow down an observe the world so as to not miss the details. In doing so, we create our own personal signatures. Everyday is another chance to see something new or something in a different way.