Welcome to my website, an assemblage that  I have created over the last twenty-five years. I live in New Mexico and I harbor a very special affection for the state’s unique character, so my “New Mexico and Santa Fe ” collection is a large part of my portfolio. 

Photography is often called the “Art of Seeing ” … learning how to capture something special that is there in the environment.  A favorite oracle of mine, Joseph Campbell, once described composition as “the placing of a frame around a collection of objects.” Placing the frame “just so” creates a new object that, in and of itself, conveys a completely original dynamic, feeling, insight or aesthetic.

I call the discovery of that special placement of the frame the Ah.

I became passionate about hunting for the Ah, whether in landscapes, portraits of people, cultural events or abstract patterns. The Ah is everywhere and anywhere – whenever the light, the subject and the seer converge.  Seeing a composition in the viewfinder that speaks the Ah to me is a genuinely emotional experience.  I think this is what drives most photographers, whether they recognize it or not.  

Experiences are everything in life. Capturing a great photo embellishes and enhances our experiences, and a picture often becomes the kernel of the memories which we  emotionally archive and reflect on later. Carrying a camera always heightens my ability to look more expectantly and thoughtfully at any situation. Moreover, those Ah  photos can embody an archetypal, underlying beauty that transcends the moment and resonates with our inner-knowing.  Discovering this truth led me to a lifelong passion. 

Although I began my career specializing in photos of gardens and plants, I soon became aware that I was a photographer interested in gardens rather than a gardener interested in photography.  I love gardens, but I love images of gardens even more. Now, I relish the opportunity to make memorable  photos of any subject and I am always exited to discover some new facet of photography which expands my sense of wonder.

Charles Mann
January 2020