+1.574.206.4385 • jr.0913@gmail.com

My photography career began as a youngster touting a little 110 camera that I purchased while I was on vacation at the age of 7. From the first, I was fascinated with how film worked and don't remember how many frames I ruined by pulling out that little cartridge in pure wonder and awe. In high school, I had the opportunity to pick it up a little more, but it was really the summer following my sophomore year that I began to see a real future when I joined a mission trip with my church's youth group to Jamaica and brought along my dad's Canon AE-1.

These days I still have that same wonder and awe (but enough discipline to leave the film alone) that I did as a kid. I truly love photography and try to keep an open mind to new projects, new processes, old processes . . . I'm a child of the digital era, so I naturally gravitated towards that as the technology advanced, but I've since taken some steps to return to my film roots. Depending on what project you have, it may be that I work with 35mm - style digital SLRs or it could be that I pull out the 60 year old 4x5 film camera I keep ready to go.

In 2000, I really started to do more serious work and began taking on events and special projects. Over the years, I've had the pleasure of working with a lot of people to capture the memories on their wedding days, birthdays, baby showers and more. In 2006, I accepted a corporate photo job doing commercial work, focusing on architecture, landscaping, interior design and lifestyle. In 2007, I transitioned to overseas work with Youth With a Mission and have been back and forth between that and private work since. With YWAM, I've photographed or taught photography in places like Afghanistan, Germany, France and South Africa.

This adventure has been a whirlwind at times, roller coaster at others, and let's not forget the few moments of calm here and there. I've been fortunate enough to learn from some great minds and experience many cultures, giving me a lot of inspiration to draw from.

If you'd like to know more about my life beyond the camera or want to be kept up to date on exhibitions, check out my blog at www.wheresjonathan.com.