Joe focuses on creating images that convey the essence and mood of a landscape. He especially focuses on northern landscapes and plant ecosystems. Dolly Sods is a prime example. The central goals of his work are to evoke emotion in the viewer and inform regarding the unique character of a place. He accomplishes this by: developing selective compositions, pursuit of quality light and revisiting particular landscapes often.

His compositions result from applying the principles of visual design. He strives to balance graphic elements in the scene. Joe tends to focus on the exquisite beauty of the flora to the exclusion highly panoramic landscapes. He finds that he spends hours working a subject to understand the view that best conveys my response. Many of the photos here resulted from revisiting the same scene many times over a period of years.

The pursuit of good light is central to the efforts of all nature photographers. Claude Monet devoted much of the latter part of his career to the expressing the “envelope.” By that he meant the interaction of light and atmospheric conditions with his subject. For Joe this means experiencing landscapes under diverse weather conditions as well as different light angles. Drama in photographs is as much about the light and weather as the composition.

Dr. Henry was formerly professor and chairperson of chemical engineering at both WVU and ASU. He lives in Canaan Valley.

Joe will present a gallery talk at the Thomas Education Center in the near future. Check MountainMade’s Facebook page for more details.

With GPS, camera and tripod, Mary Ann has been exploring and documenting the wonders of the West Virginia Highlands, especially Dolly Sods. Her goal is to capture and convey the uniqueness and beauty of this region in all its seasons and moods. She especially likes the interplay of fog and light, being challenge to capture those unique moments which come fleeting and unannounced.

Mary Ann processes her own photographs from camera to prints using acid free materials and pigment ink.

Lady Slippers, Azaleas on Dolly Sods and Pitcher Plants