JERRY STRATTON photography

Biography

• 1951-55 • Combat Crew Member USAF, Strategic Air Command.
• 1955-56 • University of Washington, Seattle, Engineering major.
• 1957-62 • University of Cincinnati, BS degree in Industrial Design.
• 1962-77 • Founded the Photography program at UC’s College of DAA, where I taught Photography and Design Studio.
• 1977-99 • Transferred to the Fine Art Department and expanded the photo program to include graduate as well as undergraduate photography students.
• 1999-   • Emeritus Associate Professor of Fine Art at the University of Cincinnati, College of DAAP.

During the 1950’s the medium of photography became a passion and over the years I have been fortunate enough to have attended workshop studies with Ansel Adams, Wynn Bullock, Minor White, Brett Weston and Nathan Lyons. I’ve used the medium to aid in my studies of perceptual psychology, learning theory and principles of design. As a member of the Society for Photographic Education I was able to share my ideas and pictures with my colleagues and their students at colleges and universities throughout the country.

During the intervening years, I have led workshops, lectured and exhibited my work in a variety of venues. I’ve shown work locally, at the Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati Art galleries, University of Cincinnati galleries, Thomas More college and Miller galleries among others. I’ve also shown at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Huntington Museum of Art, galleries 123 in Newcastle, Delaware, Rutland Street galleries in Boston, Helsinki Museum of Photography in Finland and many others in a mixture of one man as well as group shows.

I have conducted a variety of workshops such as "The Hierarchy of Picture Components", "Introspection as a Tool for Creativity", "The Creative Audience" and "Visual Dialogue". All designed to give more creative control to the artist. My workshops on Pinhole Photography led to my partnership in the founding of "The Pinhole Camera Company". We designed, manufactured and sold pinhole camera kits, plans to build one’s own camera as well as the pinholes themselves, photo etched into stainless steel. For my personal use, I constructed several different styles of pinhole cameras for both sheet film and large format Polaroid films.

Philosophy

There are essentially two ways viewers see pictures. The first and most obvious, especially with photographs, happens when the picture becomes a window through which the viewer sees a facsimile of a part of the environment. When viewers ask, "who or what is this," they usually want to know who or what was in view of the camera.

The second way of viewing pictures is more intuitive, in that it relies in part, upon the experience, perceptions and individual biases of the viewer. The photographer has designed the picture to bring the attention of the audience to the picture itself. This graphic design of each picture will guide the attention of the viewer within and around the picture format.

These two ways of viewing a photograph are present simultaneously. The subject in view of the camera and the construction of the picture itself work together in a synergistic manner. The effect of this synergy is not always readily apparent, but nonetheless is a powerful part of the experience of viewing pictures.

The picture below, entitled Tailfin, functions as a window through which appears a hand holding a photographic print, while on the right is a shape representing the tail fins of an aerial missile. The upper right corner of the print being held appears to be pointing to the right. As the eye moves in that direction, a darker shape is encountered which directs the viewers attention down toward the brighter cylindrical shape pointing to the left, returning the viewers attention to the print. The print contains a rippled pattern implying movement of the actual missile. Through this visual process, the entire picture has been experienced. While such a description is complex, experiencing a photograph in this manner is almost instantaneous.

It is my intention that my pictures exhibit this combined effect sufficiently to enlighten and entertain my audience.