The Light Stalker

What manner of man is this, this fellow Marty Knapp? In another era he might have been a mountain man or perhaps an explorer. then again, He could have been a coon-skinned frontiersman or maybe even some swashbuckler. You would surely not have found him clerking in the general store or otherwise occupying a desk. Nature would have been habitat.

-Jack Welpott

ABOUT MARTY

I've lived at Point Reyes, California since 1973. In 1986, I began photographing the landscape. Since then, I have made fine-art photography my life's work. I've used cameras for thirty years, but didn't put one on a tripod until 1985. I remember my first camera...a 35mm rangefinder my grandfather gave me for my eleventh birthday. The dials with etched numbers amd the velvet-lined leather case that protected its jewel-like lens were irresistible. That a small tin can could hold the world in it...well, perhaps only 36 pieces of the world...was magical for me! The magic has never died. I still love cameras, both old and new. I can't resist taking pictures. It is what I do, and I never wanted to do anything else.

The dramatic, clear beauty of Ansel Adam's photographs inspire me. I seek to bring the clarity I find in his work to my expressions of the landscape. I spend countless hours walking the trails, ridges and beaches of this precious world. Every once in a while, I'm blessed to see and record a moment of light that fills me with wonder. I hope these moments will do the same for you.

My photographs are owned by individuals and corporations worldwide. Editions are in the permanent collections of Fireman's Fund World Headquarters, Fair Isaac, and the National Park Service. Photographs have been featured in numerous publications including Gifts of the Spirit, Kaufman & Zaleski, 1997, and The Natural History of the Point Reyes Peninsula, Jules Evens, 1994. I was recently named honored artist, representing the 6th Senatorial District, California State Senate, in the 1999 California Contemporary Art Collection. Monolith, McClure's Beach hung for one year in the State Senate building.

Enjoy the view! Look around at the online catalog. When you find something that moves you, go ahead... order it from me online. I know you'll find it moving to have original, creative art of this magnificent land in your home.

Send me an email marty@martyknapp.com and let me know what you think about the photographs and the website. I'd love to hear from you!