Bruce Behnke has been taking photographs since he was eight years old, when his grandmother gave him an old box camera. While studying at Taiwan National Normal University he had the opportunity to photograph Asia extensively. He received his Master of Arts degree from Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, California. For the past decade he has photographed the natural beauty and wildlife of the Hawaiian Islands, Polynesia, Japan, Mexico, Canada, and China.

Bruce makes all of his own archival quality prints in limited editions of ten to twenty-five copies.

He considers Honolulu, Hawaii his home.

I am primarily a nature photographer interested in the abstract.

I only use natural light. I believe that natural light, especially the light of early morning or late afternoon, provides the most gentle and subtle balance of color, more interesting shadows and unique angles of illumination. I especially like to capture the unusual in the play of light found in the juxtaposition of various natural elements; the solitary ray in a forest illuminating but a single frond; the setting or rising sun backlighting the waves of the Pacific Ocean or leaves in a forest; or the dance of reflected light and refracted light on plants in the mountains of Pacific Islands.

The use of only natural light requires patience and persistence. It is often necessary to return to a spot many times before capturing exactly what I am looking for. Natural light can also present serious photographic challenges related to depth of field, contrast and loss of sharpness due to natural motion.

I have been asked if I shoot some of my photography in a studio. I do not. I use only the arrangements nature provides. I don't think I could improve on the opportunities provided in the wild.

Most of my shots focus on a single element in a natural setting. It is my intense interest in this element which I hope to convey to the viewer. We all move through life too quickly, with too much noise around us. It is my hope that by highlighting some of these elements, it will entice my audience to stop a little more often and look at the world around them and see, really see what is there.

Bruce Behnke Artworks

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