What sets Wassmann's photography apart is not only the spectacular locations that he chooses to shoot but his keen eye for using composition and color to lure the viewer into the scene. Years of studying painting have given him a different perspective on the photographic process. "Talk about f-stops and shutter speeds make my eyes glaze over, says the artist. I'm only interested in the final image as seen by the viewer. I use only the most basic techniques to create my images." This attitude is not surprising when you learn that his training was as a painter, not a photographer, when in school at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia. "It was my search for spectacular compositions for my paintings that led me to learn photography". While his technique may be basic, the camera he uses for most of his images is anything but. One thing viewers comment on the most is the extraordinary clarity of his pictures, even when enlarged to mural size. This is the result of shooting with a "View Camera" that uses a film size of 4x5 or 8x10 inches, many times the size of the standard 35mm film that most people use. The large film size allows even minute areas of a scene to be recorded in perfect detail. This comes at a price however in time and money. It takes Wassmann at least 15-20 minutes to set up the camera and each sheet of the film needs to be individually processed unlike regular roles of film. His images of Easter Island and Antarctica, places where most won't go to the trouble to take the bulky view camera, are astonishing in the depth of color and detail. There are moments so fleeting, however, that there isn't time to set up the 4X5. In these cases Wassmann relies on the Canon A2 35mm camera. This camera has been the portal for some of his most famous images such as surfing dolphins, rainbows and spectacular lightning strikes over the Pacific ocean.

Mailing address:
Wassmann Fine Arts
34145 Pacific Coast Hwy. Suite #127
Dana Point, Ca 92629

email
(949)-291.6718