Photographer & Artist

My background in theater and visual arts influence my photography. I consider the frame within my viewfinder to be my canvas or stage, and I always strive to create the composition within its specific parameters. “Chiaroscuro – the bold interplay and contrast between dark and light” – this has always been my signature method of seeing and photographing.  In fact, I will spot meter my exposures to the brightest light in the frame to capture this interplay between dark and light or the lack thereof.  My favorite times to shoot is in the cool contrasts of the morning, low contrast and atmosphere of a misty day or the warm drama of the evening light.

Photography for me is like a meditation on the natural world. I am captivated by its variety, complexity and character. I use my camera to explore different ways of looking at the everyday.  The dramatic light, a simple line, a pattern, a color, mood or natural form are all tools, in my toolbox used to tell the story and paint the final picture.

Perspectives – alongside light, color and timing – is a fundamental building block of photography, and I’m always looking for new ways to alter mine. Always searching for new representations of the physical world. Most of my photographs were taken around my home in Park Rapids, Minnesota.  (The area is known as a resort town, the land of 10,000 lakes, sleepy in the winter with bustling summers.) But sometimes I venture father a field. And while the terrain is familiar to me, I can rarely predict what kinds of compositions I’ll walk away with. Nor do I know what my subject will be. Finding ongoing sources of creative inspiration is a challenge for any artist.  More than anything, though, making photographs has become a daily practice for me – one that often feels like a form of visual meditation. 

 My recent work ranges from the macro and micro landscape, waterscapes, travel and portraiture. In my latest exhibition, “Underwater”, I was inspired by water and its transformative nature, a mesmerizing and evocative series of portraits taken of my family members underwater at our family cabin on Strawberry Lake, explore my inner struggle of isolation and feelings of being “underwater” during the COVID lockdowns. My work is available on Paper, Metal, Canvas, and Giclée Fine Art Prints.

Artist / Co-owner                                 Studio 176

Photographer / Owner                       Lean 2 Studio

See more of Jeremy's work here.