CHROMASCAPE
Chroma | 'kröma | noun | intensity of hue; saturation of a color
-scape | skeip | combining form | denoting a specified type of scene: cityscape
Photo by Michael McNair
ARTIST STATEMENT
As a technical photographer who is drawn to beautiful light and color, I find great pleasure in seeking opportunities to blend and abstract found scenes. All photographic effects are captured in-camera while on location combining precisely controlled movement with a single long-duration exposure. These are not post-production Photoshop effects or composites. Many images are created during twilight while nature’s colors change rapidly with the rising or setting sun. I find being present in one place witnessing the morphing intensity and saturation of light and color rejuvenates my spirit. Each photograph holds a memory of a place or person I was there to visit. I craft each Chromascape edition print in my studio perched at 8200' in the beautiful Colorado Rocky Mountains.
~ Marc McClish
EXPLORE CHROMASCAPES BY . . .
NEW WORK
San Francisco Bay Sunrises
This series of Chromascapes was created over 7 days at the water’s edge in Sausalito, CA in January 2026. I was visiting family in Sausalito and each morning I would go to the water’s edge before the day’s first light to create my Chromascapes of the San Francisco Bay as the sky’s colors morphed with the sunrise. I love how the same scene from the same location is so varied over the 7 mornings I was there witnessing nature’s light show.
Wave Series
I have been infatuated by waves since I was a kid growing up in California. My challenge with photographing waves has been how to capture the movement, power, color, and flow of a wave while still creating the linear structure that is fundamental to my Chromascapes. This wave series was created one afternoon at an inlet in Big Sur, CA. I moved with the waves as they flowed through the inlet against a jagged rock wall that provided a wonderful backdrop for the linear movement. I love how varied and lyrical the waves and water are in this series of Chromascapes.
Diptychs
A good photograph should always tell the viewer a story. With these diptychs, I’m literally sharing two sides of the same story. I find these to be a more complete expression of a place and moment in time.
This collection of diptychs represent a new direction in sharing my work and the way a viewer can experience a scene that inspired my Chromascapes.
It is important to know these diptychs are two individual Chromascapes that are paired together. None of these are a single Chromascape broken into two parts.
California Highway 1
In my opinion, CA Highway 1 snaking along the California coast is one of the most beautiful drives anywhere. In January 2026, I spent 2 weeks exploring and making Chromascapes along this iconic drive from Santa Monica to Mendocino. The sound of the surf, taking in the sunrises and sunsets, looking out from massive cliffs, walking on the warm sand beaches, and finding an endless source of inspiration for my art. I’m grateful for the time and the beauty I experienced in this place.