I’ve always had an affinity for West Marin and the Point Reyes area in Northern California. Having spent my early childhood years in Inverness, I have a special connection to the area. I learned about Marty Knapp after receiving one of his framed black-and-white photographs as a gift – and shorty after I approached Marty and asked him if I could do a short profile film on him.
Personal projects are important for many reasons and this turned out to be a magical experience. Spending time with Marty and learning more about his commitment as a photographer and artist has been a real gift.
After retuning from one of our filming sessions I decided to take a quick detour and show Marty one of the two houses where I grew up as a young boy in Inverness. As we turned the street corner and looked up at the house, Marty told me that he had lived in that very same house as well. We were both amazed by the coincidence of living in the same house at different times of our lives. I knew I was drawn to Marty’s work on an emotional level and this revelation certainly explains part of it.
Marty made a photograph at that house titled “Inverness Porch” – a photograph he considers a signature piece and he told me “that it was perhaps the first truly excellent photograph I ever made”. As someone who is interested in making images and also has deep appreciation for Northern California I can honestly say that I was on an emotional high for several days after this discovery.
A few quick production notes; I shot this piece on my RED camera and edited the project in Final Cut Pro X. The edit was done in native 4k (.R3D) and I mastered the project in 4k resolution. The music was composed and scored by the amazing and talented Dexter Britain.
Marty is extremely generous with his time and knowledge. The most rewarding part of this project for me was the time we spent hiking and chatting together, all loaded up with camera gear out on the rugged coast of the Point Reyes National Seashore. I’m happy to be able to call Marty a friend.
Here’s an insight that Marty shared with me; “When I pick up my camera I hope that it’s intuitive, so I can be free from any technical distractions and focus on the beauty that surounds me”. I can only hope that I get to that point one day.
If you find yourself in the town of Point Reyes Station, go to the Bovine Bakery for a morning bun, then make your way over to Marty’s Photography studio and discover the beauty and charm of this wonderful part of the world.
This is a personal project. I hope you like it.
