Cave Imagery Gallery 1

CAVES

"The world underground offered an infinite field of activity
no less interesting than that of the top surface.
We were going into it,
to reveal the mysteries of its deepest, most secret, caverns."

Felix Nadar, 1900, on his 1862 photography of the Paris catacombs
From 'To Photograph Darkness', by Chris Howes

I photograph caves so that the non cavers among you all can see their beauty. Cave are not always the small, wet, muddy, horrible places they are imagined to be (though there is a lot of that to be had!). These images represent nearly 20 years of cave photography. Many people have assisted me over the years, either by setting off flashbulbs, carrying equipment, or tripping the cable release. Most of these images were produced using an Olympus OM-2s and 24 mm lens. A 90 mm macro lens was used on most close up shots. Some were produced with a Pentax 90 lens shutter camera. Lighting was provided by either electronic flash, or flashbulbs that range in size from tiny M-3's to giant Mazda Type 75 and Meggaflash 330 flood flash bulbs.