Michael Cahill’s aim in photography is to capture and share with others the marvelously exciting, yet reassuring impact he experiences when he discovers the “right scene.” Cahill finds “right scene” to be often indefinable. Sometimes it is a breathtaking display of nature, the dynamics of the composition, the beauty found in some of human’s creations. Other times it is a magical quality of light on what would otherwise be an ordinary subject – or some combination of these. In many cases his image are clearly evident at the moment, while in many other cases, he’s sure he’ll have to wait or revisit the scene later for more interesting weather conditions or better lighting. Whatever the case, the image is there – just waiting to be captured and appreciated. Cahill together with his wife Pat travel to many parts of the United States and other countries in their quests for perfect scenes.
They find the combination of exploration of new places and photography, making any vacation or road trip doubly enjoyable. Cahill’s toolkit includes traditional film cameras – both 4″ by 5″ and 35 mm – but he mostly deals with digital capture. He now does nearly all his image processing and printing digitally and therefore has in the recent past that his beloved darkroom has been essentially retired. His prints are produced using inks, archival papers, and matting materials, on state-of-the-art high-res digital printers. He’s continually intrigued by “Old stuff” – vintage aircraft and cars, old buildings, doors, always beckon. All these act as sources of inspiration to him.
