Artist’s Statement

My first memories associated with photography were looking over my dad's shoulders in his home-built darkroom in the basement of our home in Buffalo, NY. Of course, as a young kid watching, I was alternately bored and fascinated by the magic of seeing an image appear on paper seemingly from nowhere. But looking back I now realize that my love for photography began there and over time, and given the right circumstances, led me to my eventual devotion and fondness for the photographic arts. Our family eventually moved to South Florida in 1957 where I have lived, off and on, ever since.

My first real opportunity to develop my skills came much later when I was stationed with the Air Force in (West) Germany and gained access to a well-stocked darkroom and a great mentor who showed me my way around a dark room, to the extent that I became quite familiar with the process of black and white photography, from pressing the shutter on the camera to ending up with a mounted print. I also benefitted from being stationed in the middle of Europe, which allowed me to get in a lot of travel time and lots of practice shooting pictures.

Due mostly to the issues of lack of time (sometimes) or money (sometimes) or a combination of both (most of the time) I wasn't able to really invest my energies back into photography in any meaningful way until around 2007 when I decided to take the plunge into digital photography with the purchase of my first camera – a Nikon D80, which I still have at present. Since then I have bought three more camera bodies and four lenses, a modest collection compared to many photographers.

Along with taking digital imagery is, of course, the need to become acquainted with various types of editing software. I started with some of the earlier versions of Photoshop Elements (which I still go to on occasion) and now rely on Photoshop Creative suites and some editing plug-ins.

Having traveled in Europe and southern Africa and a bit of South America, I've in recent years decided to catch up on a neglected part of my travels, and that's here in North America, particularly (but not limited to) the American and Canadian west. The vistas of the mountains and the deserts offer unlimited opportunities for any photographer. Having said that, I would describe my approach to photography as being rather eclectic, and an idea for a subject can come from taking an image of the space station transiting the sun to blacklight photography on a tabletop.

In addition to supporting the cause for the Center For Great Apes, going on ten years now, and having my images displayed during the various exhibits associated with the Art4Apes fundraising campaigns, I have exhibited at other venues around south Florida: the von Liebig Center in Naples, the Corning Art Museum in Delray Beach, Studio 18, and the Glass Gallery in Pembroke Pines, the Schachter Museum in Plantation, the Ann Kolb Gallery in Hollywood, as well as other venues around the area. In addition, I have published three articles in the Photographic Society Journal in recent years.

A message to the viewer

The images I have selected reflect my concern for the continued existence of the species pictured here. The fate of these beautiful creatures echoes our planet's ecosystem and serves as a predictor of the near, and far, term future. And on a more visceral level, it sickens me to see so many animals hunted for the sake of sport or providing some magic ingredient for a primitive cure or potion.

I have been entering the Endangered contests for going on for ten years now, and it has been an enjoyable and enlightening experience – albeit with a very serious purpose behind it. It's been demonstrated innumerable times in the past how much of an impact the visual portrayal – via film, video, and still photography – of life in the wild can influence public opinion and governmental policies regarding efforts to correct past environmental damage. I hope that, in my own small way, I can add to the story.

In particular, I have only admiration for the efforts of the Center For Great Apes in central Florida and their attempts at rescuing members of our closest family and giving them a safe space in which they can live out the rest of their lives.

See more of Jerry’s work and get in touch with him, by clicking on the links below:

Website: www.pixbyjerry.smugmug.com