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The Hilton Head Island resident captures black-and-white images from the Lowcountry to the Mountain West with his 8-by-10 inch wooden folding field camera.
He recently released his first collection of photography, "Vanishing Light," and is showing his work at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina through Jan. 22.
Ham explains why patience is a virtue when it comes to photography.
Question. How long are the exposures for one of your shots?
Answer. Most of my exposures range from seconds to minutes. Sometimes six to 10 minutes. The apertures are much, much smaller on a large format camera, so it requires a lot more time and a lot more light.
Q. Have you ever accidentally bumped the camera when you're shooting?
A. Oh, of course (laughs). You do something stupid after you've been out there four or five minutes. And the light changes so quick. You just have a short window to shoot something.
Q. Why did you decide to go with a large-format camera?
A. My only photographic training is through Ansel Adams books. He shot large-format.
I shot a lot when I was young. I picked it up again 12 to 14 years ago. I didn't realize I'd head down this path.
Q. Where do you go around here to take pictures?
A. I shoot in the marshes. I shoot wherever I can find interesting stuff. I search out a lot of live oak trees. It reminds me of my childhood living in Murrells Inlet.
Q. What's your research process like in finding places to shoot?
A. There's a tremendous amount of scouting involved. I look for things that catch my eye. It's a different process than someone who shoots with a digital camera or something like that. I only expose a few sheets of film when I'm out. And usually only two sheets for one particular scene. I decide whether it is an evening shot or morning shot, when is the light best, what the tides are, what's the wind like. There's a huge amount of scouting.
Q. Have you ever even touched a digital camera?
A. A friend of mine, her husband asked if I would take a family portrait. I shot some pictures of them with the large-format camera, and I thought I might as well get a digital camera for shots like these. I went back and got the Canon 20D. I guess two or three days later I had shot 200 exposures. I thought, "I don't shoot this in a year." I called up a friend and said I'll make you a great deal if you can get this off my hands.
There's nothing wrong with any method of shooting. Large-format is a really contemplative method. You have to decide on the composition before you even pull the camera up. You work differently. I know having that digital camera would change the way I think.
