Witchell was first introduced to photography at the age of 6, as he assisted his grandfather at family gatherings replacing flash bulbs in a Kodak Instamatic. For his 7th birthday, he received his first camera, an Agfa Instamatic and 20 packs of film which he shot and learned how to develop in summer camp. By the time he was twelve, he had graduated to a 35mm camera and was developing and printing his own photographs in his home darkroom. Witchell became more and more interested in the interplay of light and shadow, and the chemical process of photography, and sold his first photo at the age of 13.
A 1983 graduate of Bard College (BFA with honors in Photography and a BA in English, American Literature/Creative Writing), Witchell was challenged by his mentors Stephen Shore and Douglas Baz to explore and pursue his passion for fluency in the language of photography.
In the summer of 1983, Witchell set off on a 15,000 mile/15 week uncharted solo photo tour around the United States and Canada to pursue his dream of travelling back roads and camping along the way. Witchell produced his first body of work, “Roadsides & City Streets”, an exploration of rural and urban environments with and without people, translating his observations of roadsides into the language of photography. The occasional images containing people are intriguing as they either candidly incorporate them into their environment or focus on them to reveal their unmasked self.
After a few independent images from “Roadsides & City Streets” were accepted into several juried art shows and competitions, Witchell was invited to exhibit the entire body of work in a solo exhibit in a museum and a library in Greenwich, Connecticut, and then a bank in New York City.
Other bodies of work include:
“New York City: Looking Up”
(an exploration of light, shadow & contrast of architectural styles)
“Artists of SOHO in the 80’s”
(a portrait study of a variety of intriguing individuals)
“The Melting Planet Series: Above and Below Timberline”
(global warming impact in the Rocky Mountains)
“Coral Reefs and their Residents”
(an underwater exploration of Caribbean Coral Reefs)
“The Essence of Aging”
(A project specially commissioned by Walker Methodist)
From 1984 to 1990, Witchell worked in New York City as a freelance photographer shooting events, products, people, and fashion for advertising agencies, financial corporations, newspapers, and the United Nations.
In addition to commercial assignments which have appeared in prestigious publications, Witchell has always placed a high priority on contributing his talents to charitable organizations. He has donated literally tens of thousands of hours of his time photographing and creating marketing materials for organizations working with HIV/AIDS, Cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, and Dimentia patients, Wildlife Preservation and Protection, and the educational development of children.
From 1990 to present, Witchell has been living and working in the Twin Cities, Minnesota, availing himself to a variety of corporations, groups, and individuals.
Witchell continues to photograph roadsides depicting nature reclaiming itself as illustrated in old fences overgrown and covered in weeds, and barns and farm machinery disolving back into the earth. He is currently working on a few undisclosed projects!