Twenty-four years as a painter and illustrator, thirty-eight years as an ocean lifeguard and the last six years as a photojournalist, my training demanded developing an intuitive visual acuity I now capture photographically.
The foundation of my work and artistic strength is my painter’s visual sense of composition with a designers aesthetic, framed through my viewfinder, composing cinematic stories with light and color.
My passion rivals my vision. Whether pre-shoot strategizing, mapping locations and plotting the sun or moon’s position, rising at 3:00 am to be on location by 5:00, exploring new destinations and cultures, through post-processing, printing and framing, my attention is to detail, I do whatever it takes to get the shot and tell the story.
“To me, photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, the significance of an event, a decisive moment.” ~ Henri Cartier-Bresson
Just as a treasure hunter drives to discover and unlock history, my passion is fueled by discovering my own “decisive moments,” where I intuitively fuse subject, light and composition.
My photography has been published in Digital Photo Magazine, Photographers Forum Best of Photography, Laguna Beach Magazine, Montage Magazine, Orange County Coast Keeper Magazine, Laguna Beach Independent Newspaper, Wall Literary Journal, Grizzly – Official Newsletter of the California National Guard and Red Rock Review.
My images have been recognized in Outdoor Photographer’s Mystical Adventures Photo Contest, World Wildlife Fund Life Grows On It Contest, California Coastal Commission Photography Contest, Laguna Bluebelt Photo Contest, My Laguna Photo Contest, Saddleback College Photography and Student Shows, as well as an exhibitor in the Festival of Arts.
I love working with commercial and private clients and commissioned work is welcomed. My full portfolio may be viewed on Flickr at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mitchridderphotography/albums