This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Surgeon finds peace in photography
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
For retired orthopedic surgeon David Caldwell, MD, surrounding himself among the adobe architecture, burning sunsets and mountain vistas of New Mexico not only helps him to feel at peace, but sparks his creativity as well.
“It was interest in the wilderness and being outdoors in nature that drove me out of the operating room and into the mountains of Santa Fe,” said Caldwell, who left the OR to become a full-time photographer last year.
Working as a practicing surgeon in Santa Fe for 17 years, Caldwell pursued photography as a hobby, until he decided to retire last March. Now, instead of analyzing X-rays, he captures landscapes and wildlife with his lens. He also does executive portraiture for his local hospital.
Caldwell earned both his bachelor’s degree in 1974 and medical degree in 1977 from Dartmouth College.
|
Courtesy of David Caldwell |
“I was a fellowship-trained spine surgeon. I did the risky stuff,” Caldwell said. He chose to specialize in the spine because of its connection to psychology.
“I think it was because I was probably more interested in psychology than a lot of orthopedists are, and of all aspects of orthopedics, I see the spine being closest to the psyche,” he said. “If you think about it — it’s literally connected to the brain, for one thing — and you carry your burden on your back.”
Despite spending more than a decade of his life hard at work in the OR, Caldwell is enjoying his retirement from orthopedics.
“Surprisingly, I don’t miss the surgery. I thought I would, but I have enough things that I do with my hands,” he said. “The only thing I miss is the personal contact with the patients.”
For Caldwell, the leap from orthopedic surgeon to photographer wasn’t as far as one might think.
“Photography has much in common with the creative aspects of orthopedic surgery, such as pre-visualization, precision, working with tools, balance and adventure,” Caldwell said.
Photography involves the same mental construction and visualization processes, Caldwell said. He compares it to looking at an X-ray — looking at a two-dimensional image and trying to visualize something that has depth — but instead he’s looking at something three-dimensional and trying to visualize it as a completed photograph.
An early start
Born in Boston and raised in Los Angeles, Caldwell fell in love with photography as a teenager. Growing up, Caldwell was introduced to the landscapes of the Southwest through the Boy Scouts and backpacking trips through the Sierra Nevada mountain range.
Although he didn’t always have the time to focus on photography because of his medical career, he began taking it more seriously in the mid ’80s. He constructed a darkroom in his home and began taking workshops with photographers such as Robert Glenn Ketchum. In 1992, he obtained a degree from the New York Institute of Photography.
Caldwell’s work has been exhibited in many galleries, including the Klebau Photography Gallery, Randall Davey Audobon Center and the Picture Gallery..
He likes to use a medium format camera so that he can photograph rapidly changing light and weather conditions. Using medium format also allows him to enlarge his prints in high quality to show a lot of detail.
Working for the perfect shot
Although he will often just step out of his home and start snapping away, he also travels in search of the perfect photograph.
|
|
“I am inspired by certain colorful landscapes which I photograph repeatedly,” Caldwell said, such as fall aspens in Colorado, red rock in Utah and spring rosebuds in Virginia.Caldwell tends to work in color almost exclusively.
“For me, it’s more of an emotional response. I’m attracted initially to the colors of images,” Caldwell said.
By far, the deep reds, browns and yellow hues of fall intrigue him the most — leading him to concentrate most of his work in the autumn months.
For Christmas, Caldwell was proclaimed the family photographer for his family’s get-together in Hawaii.
“I’m willing to be the family photographer and the family medical consultant,” he said, laughing.
Lately, Caldwell has also found an interest in capturing the images of birds.
“I think birds are really elegant. They are just beautiful to look at,” he said.
Caldwell often visits wildlife refuges in search of birds to photograph.
“There’s a wildlife refuge near here called Bosque del Apache — it’s about two hours south of Sante Fe — and it’s a wonderful place to view wildlife, particularly birds,” he said. “I went down there and I was amazed by the birds and I’ve been going down there ever since.”
He has also gone to the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, a preserve in Florida and the Audubon Center in Santa Fe.
When shooting birds or portraits, Caldwell tends to use digital cameras, he said.
Soon, Caldwell will be heading back outdoors, camera in hand, in search of more scenic beauty. This time, he’s going to Antarctica.
He will be taking a photography tour cruise with his daughter and parents. Caldwell said he is looking forward to capturing the colors of the Antarctic ice with his lens.
“I’ve heard the color is incredible,” he said.
But for Caldwell, nothing beats a great photo of a majestic Southwestern landscape.
“It brings me closer to my sense of God and spirituality,” he said.