Michael Frye Photography

Michael Frye is a professional photographer specializing in landscapes and nature. He has written numerous magazine articles on the art and technique of photography, and is the author and photographer of The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite and Yosemite Meditations. He was also featured in the book Landscape: The World’s Top Photographers. His photographs have been published in over thirty countries around the world; magazine credits include National Wildlife, Outdoor Photographer, American Photo, Sunset, and Texas Highways. Michael lives with his wife Claudia and son Kevin in Mariposa, California, just outside Yosemite National Park. Michael has lived either in or near Yosemite since 1983.

Artist's Statement

My 30-year-old dictionary defines photography as “The art or process of producing images of objects upon a photosensitive surface (as film in a camera) by the chemical action of light or other radiant energy.”

I’m not sure about “producing images of objects.” I tell students that we don’t photograph objects, we photograph the light reflected off of objects. A great subject with poor light will make a poor photograph; an ordinary subject with great light can make a great photograph.

But I like the part about “radiant energy.” Although I’m sure Webster’s didn’t mean it this way, I think the radiant energy comes mostly from the photographer, or from the interaction between the photographer and his or her subject.

Some photographers have a uniform, recognizable style. I’m not one of them. To me it seems limiting to only photograph the world one way, so I’ve developed several distinct bodies of work. These include surreal nighttime images, delicate high-key work, and classic landscape photographs.

Despite some obvious differences in style, the subject is always nature, and my main tool is light - that radiant energy. Light is what allows me to create a mood, whether that mood is lyrical, playful, or mysterious.