MacKnightM. Dirk

About the Artist

I have been creating images for over 30 years and continue to find photography rewarding and exciting. I share my time between my commercial assignments and photographic trips into the natural world. In my commercial photography, my clients include large corporations, small businesses, magazines and private individual requests. Although I do have a studio, most of my photography is done on location. My photographs have appeared in newspapers and magazines around the world including, National Geographic - Adventurer, National Wildlife Federation - Ranger Rick, Men?s Journal, Snow Country Magazine, Sierra Club, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, Boston Magazine, GEO and The Nature Conservancy, as well as textbooks for New Zealand & Germany. As an environmental photographer I try to convey my passion for the natural world through my photographs. As I travel I photograph what strikes me, not trying to intellectualize the process. My images are created as a result of stopping and spending time exploring what caught my attention, then trying to convey this through my photography. My hope is that through my photography others will also take pleasure in the beauty of nature and be compelled to stop and explore. I started creating photographs in seventh grade when I was cast as a photographer in my middle school play. I needed a camera for a prop and picked up my Dad?s 35mm Voitlander and began taking photographs and haven't slowed down since. Over the years I have used small, medium and large format cameras both in a studio setting as well as in the field. In 2000 I began shooting with 35mm SLR digital cameras and currently capture about ninety-percent of my images digitally. In the digital darkroom I am able to have greater control over creating prints that better reflect what I saw and felt at the time I took the photograph. Another important reason for my getting away from the use of film and traditional processing is to reduce the impact on the environment. I can capture and edit my images without creating any film or paper waste. There is also a significant reduction in chemicals and paper used in the production of finished prints. My environmental photography is very traditional and reflects an honest representation of what I see. I do not digitally manipulate my images bringing in elements from aother place or time. My photographs are currently exhibited in private collections throughout the US as well as in The Pennacook Gallery, Rumford. I also enjoy teaching photography and have worked with many apprentices over the years and have taught workshops to professional photographers as well as to amateurs and students.