Who I am

Many of my images are photographed using a beautiful wooden 8x10 Canham field camera and Ilford HP5 B&W film. The very nature of large format photography makes it necessary to slow down, employ a more methodical approach and really “see” what you are looking at before you photograph. I believe this process helps me feel more connected with my subject matter. My favorite images are of things that “speak” to me and fill me with an almost urgent need to photograph whatever it might be. Hopefully my photographs will evoke feelings for the people viewing them as well.

Much of what I photograph is old - objects or places that may be preserved and restored, but more often show their age and the consequences of time. This type of subject is very emotional for me. It is my way of honoring the past and the place it had in life; perhaps it’s relation to a person(s) existence. When I look at an old building or a classic car/truck, I can’t help but wonder who lived there, worked there, or drove that car off the lot for the very first time... Nothing lasts forever and I feel a strong need to record these images before it’s all gone.

I live in the beautiful small town of Ramona, California with my husband and our two yellow labs: Samantha and Harley. We have two grown children: Lexi and Grant.

I can be reached by email: Tori@ToriNelson.com