Features
Featured New Artist: Jennifer Emerling
Jennifer Emerling describes herself as “a documentary photographer often focused on themes related to innocence and deviance. I’m very project-oriented and motivated by my endless fascination of contrasting lifestyles—everything from roller derby and small town teen social circles, to vaudeville performers and nightclub go-go dancers.” A recent graduate from Brooks Institute’s School of Visual Journalism in Ventura, California she has settled in Seattle, Washington.
When talking about her photographic style she explains “I believe that my style helps provide people with another layer of tangibility; the intimacy in my photographs is intended to recreate the connection I had with my subjects so that the viewer might be able to experience it as well. I thrive on working with color and available light, while always maintaining the raw beauty of what I saw.” The development of that style has been a long process, Jennifer says “ The first time I picked up a camera was as a child while on cross-country road-trips with my father. I wanted to have a visual journal of my memories, and I continued that habit for many years, taking classes and constantly experimenting with my “hobby.” It wasn’t until a few years ago when I could no longer deny the impact photography had on me. It had become more than a career goal—it was now my lifestyle.”
Jennifer’s submission is, as she explains, “a collection of images that represents different relationships as explored in some of my on-going projects. Whether the relationship is between lovers, a mother and child, siblings, friends, space or time, they all speak volumes about why we live. While I was working on a travel essay in a small Colorado mountain town this year, I noticed that the teenagers I encountered were so tightly connected—united by their boredom and desperation to leave town. Following a party thrown one night, they all huddled together in a tiny room to watch TV. To see their bodies intricately woven together told me so much about the trust and love they shared with each other. It was clear in that moment that they were more than friends—they were a family. I don’t believe that bonds like that can be faked, so to capture it in a single frame made it all the more special to me and confirmed why I chose this as my life’s work.”
Jennifer Emerling is this week’s Featured New Artist from our friends at Aurora Photos. Aurora’s staff regularly seeks out new, up and coming photographers to highlight on abouttheimage.com. We hope our readers will enjoy learning about these young pro-photographers and seeing examples of their outstanding work. Photographers who would like to be considered for publication as a Featured New Artist can submit their resume and portfolio by email to fna [at] abouttheimage.com.
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