For me, photography is spiritual practice, a contemplative act.  I prefer "intimate landscapes" -- finding extraordinary beauty in the ordinary and familiar, the up-close rather than the far off. 

I made this photograph while out on Vinalhaven while attending a Maine Photographic Workshop taught by Alison Shaw.   Strolling along the waterfront, I came across this fisherman's shack. Stepping inside, I noticed that  the walls of the shack were covered in neon-colored paints, a kind of unintended but exquisite palette, left by the fisherman after cleaning out the brushes he used to paint lobster pot buoys. I ran up to the house and knocked on the lobsterman's door.  "Sir, may I please take some pictures in your workshop?" I blurted out when he opened the door. "S'pose so..." he said.  It was a very hot and humid July day on the island.  I lost track of time as I worked. This was my favorite image -- a painted knot hanging by a nail on the wall.  In gratitude to the lobsterman for allowing me to take pictures in his shack, I left a note of thanks on his workbench.  That day truly was a gift

David Heald has been taking photographs and selling his work for the past 10 years.