Rick Bringolf began taking pictures in 1969. In 1973 he attended an Ansel Adams workshop in Yosemite National Park where he saw photographs of amazing beauty and technical perfection. As an intern at the Friends of Photography in Carmel he met additional artists who also inspired him with their mastery and dedication. In photography there are two priceless essentials: great photographs to study, and great photographers to learn from.

The Friends of Photography had both. Founded by Adams, it brought great photographers from all over the world to Carmel. In workshops and lectures these artist/teachers were accessible, and very generous with their time. The staff and board members also comprised exceptional photographers who gave themselves tirelessly, and became lifelong friends. There was a reason.

As a young artist Adams had experienced his share of closed doors and rejection. He determined to extend to others the grace he had been denied as a beginner. The workshops in Carmel and Yosemite overflowed with a spirit of openness and sharing. “No Secrets” was the motto, and speakers freely shared formulas, processes, and most importantly, their experiences, with everyone. This was new. Photography abounded with secrets. It was, after all, one’s livelihood. No matter. Now, any idea or discovery that helped others make better pictures was shared.

Working alone one artist will make a few discoveries over a lifetime. If hundreds of artists share their discoveries, the gain for the individual is enormous. No more reinventing the wheel. Any technique in the collective repertoire of many world class artists was available, along with their advice and counsel. This attitude of acceptance, encouragement and discovery, more than anything else, led Bringolf into photography.

In 1979 he photographed the growing Seattle waterfront in the West Coast tradition. At the time it was common to portray construction as a kind of urban blight, but he found beauty in the new streamlined docks and crane gantries. Wide vistas created by container technology opened up new perspectives on the city, and still offer some of the finest views of Seattle. Pictures from this series were exhibited at the Seattle Art Museum, the Henry Gallery of the University of Washington, Equivalents Gallery, and used in a publication of the Museum of Modern Art.

In the same year he produced a portfolio on Peru, also exhibited at the Seattle Art Museum and Equivalents Gallery.

In 1980 he married and began raising a family. He put the cameras away for awhile. Five children have graduated from the University of Washington and one earned wings at the Air Force Academy. For twenty four years he has taken portraits of the members of West Side Presbyterian Church in Seattle.

He is currently at work on a series of photographs of Mt. Rainier National Park.