Featured Artist of the Week...Charles Hedgcock

Equally at home photographing in the studio or in the field, Charles "Chip" Hedgcock has been a professional photographer for more than 20 years. He is a member of the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP), the Stock Artist Alliance (SAA) and is a Registered Biological Photographer and Fellow of the BioCommunications Association (BCA).

"I have a deep interest in natural history that has led me on photography and research projects in the American southwest and Sonora, Mexico.

For my personal art work I prefer the classic tools of my trade; film and archival silver gelatin prints. My images often focus on arthropods (insects, arachnids, crustaceans, millipedes, centipedes) and herps (reptiles and amphibians). What I like to call the “Charismatic Microfauna”.

His award winning photography has been called "beautiful in its precision." by the Austin American-Statesman. It has appeared in an eclectic mix of publications including; Spin, Ranger Rick, Cell & Tissue Research, BBC Wildlife, Outdoor Photographer and the Journal of Biological Photography. A gifted fine art photographer, his work has hung in numerous galleries as well as natural history museums and botanical gardens.

Brooks Jensen, editor of Lens Work, had this to say about his work:"Chip is to bugs what Weston was to peppers!"

"I enjoy photographing animals in the studio because of the control it affords me. Control not just of my subjects, but perhaps more importantly, control of the light.  Photography is “painting with light” after all, and I feel that working in the studio allows me to paint with a fine brush. This helps me to bring out the sculptural and luminous qualities of my subjects. All subjects are photographed alive and when possible, released back into the environment from which they came unharmed."

More of his work can be seen at

http://charleshedgcock.com/index.html