John Greenler

Art Mediums

• Photography

Biography

For me, my photographs represent the manifestation of intimate relationships; sometimes they are of a place I have come to know well, other times of a person who is close to me.

Over the years this artistic focus has taken me down a path different than that for most contemporary photographers. The more time I spend in the process of taking and working an image, the more satisfaction I gain. At the point of making an exposure, there is the creation of a larger entity, which includes myself, the camera and the subject, and all that surrounds us. When the subject is a person, especially a child, it is key that we are acting as a collective in a shared experience. It is harder to articulate, but the same is true for a traditional landscape subject. Rarely do I find a strong desire to take a photograph the first time I explore a new place, or meet someone new. It is only after I have come to know a place or person, until a friendship or romance has formed, that I find the deeper attraction to an image that I know will provide a successful photo.

The joy of visualizing an image and bringing it to reality transcends the tool. I especially appreciate the abstraction that working in black and white brings. In some ways I am very “old-school”. One of my satisfactions is creating the venerable print – pigment on paper. I am attracted to deep detailing and rich long tonalities.