 What
sets Wassmann's photography apart is not only the spectacular locations
that he chooses to shoot but his keen eye for using composition and
color to lure the viewer into the scene. Years of studying painting
have given him a different perspective on the photographic process.
"Talk about f-stops and shutter speeds make my eyes glaze over,
says the artist. I'm only interested in the final image as seen by
the viewer. I use only the most basic techniques to create my images."
This attitude is not surprising when you learn that his training was
as a painter, not a photographer, when in school at the Pennsylvania
Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia. "It was my search for spectacular
compositions for my paintings that led me to learn photography".
While his technique may
be basic, the camera he uses for most of his images is anything
but. One thing viewers comment on the most is the extraordinary
clarity of his pictures, even when enlarged to mural size. This
is the result of shooting with a "View Camera" that uses
a film size of 4x5 or 8x10 inches, many times the size of the standard
35mm film that most people use.
The large film size allows
even minute areas of a scene to be recorded in perfect detail. This
comes at a price however in time and money. It takes Wassmann at
least 15-20 minutes to set up the camera and each sheet of the film
needs to be individually processed unlike regular roles of film.
His images of Easter Island and Antarctica, places where most won't
go to the trouble to take the bulky view camera, are astonishing
in the depth of color and detail. There are moments so fleeting,
however, that there isn't time to set up the 4X5. In these cases
Wassmann relies on the Canon A2 35mm camera. This camera has been
the portal for some of his most famous images such as surfing dolphins,
rainbows and spectacular lightning strikes over the Pacific ocean.
Wassmann's limited edition
supergloss prints can be now found in collections around the world.
Since 1996 when his World Wide Web internet site went up more and
more individuals and businesses have discovered his unique talents.
"Many of my more artistic images that I had trouble selling
in my local area do very well when exposed to a world wide audience"
remarks Wassmann, busy rethinking his business strategy now that
the market for his work is growing exponentially. "It's pretty
mind-blowing how big this might get" he muses, as he pops another
slide into the scanner.
For the past 10 years
he has been traveling to the places that linger in our imagination,
Easter Island, Chichen Itza, Chaco Canyon, the lost civilizations
and sacred sites that pull us in for reasons we can't explain. "Perhaps
it's an ancient memory trying to awaken. Maybe the fact that we
will soon enter a new millennium with all the predictions of the
end of civilization being hawked by Y2K alarmists and religious
groups is having an influence on me. It's not hard to imagine our
civilization collapsing the way so many others have in the past.
When I wander alone though some of these ancient ruins I can feel
the ghosts of those that came before. While many fantasize about
UFO's building pyramids and utopian societies that fell apart due
to earthquakes or catastrophic natural disasters, I feel only one
overwhelming feeling radiating out of the broken monuments: failure.
All these civilizations, at their pinnacle, couldn't see it coming,
Will we?"
Well, until that happens
Wassmann continues on with his work. Although he no longer works
in his gallery, those wishing to view his original works can do
so at his gallery's Dana Point, CA location:
Wassmann
Fine Arts
34118 Pacific Coast Hwy.
Dana Point, Ca 92629
MAP
Mailing
address:
Wassmann Photography
34145 Pacific Coast Hwy. Suite #127
Dana Point, CA 92629 USA
(888)-ArtSeek - (888- 278-7335) US toll free
(949)-240-8721
fax: (949)-489-4989
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