Today we’d like to introduce you to John Burrow.
Hi John, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, let’s briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
My story as a photographer began when I was very young. I remember seeing my father or an aunt/uncle using a camera at family gatherings in rural Tennessee. I always wondered what made that gadget work and how one could use it to produce the memories we all cherished. By the mid-1990s, I had coaxed my family into allowing me to purchase my first camera – a simple point-and-shoot that took Advantax film. I remember taking it with me on our family vacations to the mountains or the beach. During an elementary school art contest, I submitted one of my images of a waterfall and won! I couldn’t believe it. While nothing more than a small elementary school art contest, the affirmation that I had some skill in envisioning a shot in my head and making an image stuck with me. Life took over shortly after. I pursued sports and school and forgot photography altogether. I do remember picking up a small amount of interest once more during my master’s program in the 2010s, but it never solidified into the purchasing of equipment. Rather, it sparked an interest in the image itself. That made the beginning of where I sit with photography today: it is about the image, not the equipment. During my Ph.D. work in the late 2010s, I needed a camera for my research trips, and I finally bought an interchangeable-lens camera. I am a historian by training, and my research took me to London for several months. Up to this point, my interest in making images had led me to focus on smartphone image-making. And many of my friends and family enjoyed my images. But, now armed with a camera that could make high-quality images and change lenses, I had high aspirations. Rather than simply taking photos of documents for my research, I began to explore how to utilize the features of my new device. This led me down the path of discovering the art of photography and the various genres therein.
Being in London, I took up street and urban photography. I expected to produce amazing images now that I had a “professional.” I envisioned making Instagram “bangers” every time I walked from the archives with my camera out. That was foolish thinking. Instagram and social media had their hooks on me, and I wanted to be known. I realize now that I was chasing the production of “content” rather than images at the time. But, this interest in learning about my camera led me down, wanting to learn about anything and everything about photography. This included learning how to best work with post-processing software. I tried all sorts of workflows, methods, etc. I wanted to make images that gained recognition just like all others online. But what I learned surprised me. Of all the tricks and workflow styles I knew, nothing can turn a bad image into an amazing one. That happened outside of the computer. It happened even outside of the camera.
I turned my attention to photographers I admired. I wanted to emulate their style and look. In doing this, I found a style and genre of photography that I loved and still hold dear to this day: black and white photography. In particular, I found Sir Don McCullin and Sebastião Salgado. Their photography spoke to me with its style. But, the more I delved into their work, the more their true genius appeared. The style was simply a veneer to the amazing stories they were telling. Black and white wasn’t simply a style they adopted for an aesthetic – it lent something to the story they were telling. And, this fact, this idea that their photography was great not because of style or aesthetic, led me to a self-discovered truth: great photography is more than the sum of its parts. It goes beyond aesthetics. It arrests the viewer because it is so much more. And, this was the art of photography and what makes, to me, a photographer an artist: it was all done deliberately. The photographer composed, lighted, stylized, post-processed, edited, etc., consciously to produce that arresting effect beyond the mere elements that make a photograph. I had now come full circle. I understood then, as I do now, that the art of photography wasn’t about the gear, the computer, or even the rules. It was about envisioning and making it a reality, just as I had done so many years earlier when I won that little school contest. But, rather than coming to this realization all on my own, I, of course, had my wife to guide and support me. She, more than any other person, has encouraged my journey down the path of photography and led me to understand better how I view and use the art form. As much as McCullin’s and Salgado’s work inspires me, my wife’s continued love, encouragement, and fostering of nature do so much more. It inspires and helps shape my eye and my answer to “Why the hell do I even do this?”
So, where am I today? I moved here with my wife this year (2023) from our small town in Mississippi. But, I have managed to bring my shaped eye, my desire to learn, and my genuine interest in the power and beauty of the image with me. And I want to continue growing and developing these things here as I have since I won that little school contest many years ago.
I’m sure it had its obstacles, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Simply put, it hasn’t. Choosing a career path, being in school, attempting to complete a Ph.D., facing COVID-19, and moving are just some of the obstacles I faced that caught my attention. However, one thing that took attention away from photography was 1000% worthwhile and enhanced my life so much that I cannot explain it: meeting my now wife.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As stated above, I am a photographer, historian, and writer. I specialize in both black and white as well as color photography. I often make images of urban and street scenes. I am most known for my black-and-white work with dramatic cloudscapes. I produce limited fine-art prints of every single image I make. I also produce volumes of work from time to time. But, I am most known for my black-and-white fine-art images. I am most proud of my ability to use contrast to a desired effect. When working in black-and-white photography, contrast is king. A good use of contrast stops me from flipping a page, scrolling, or walking past an image. I pride myself on doing that. I can hold someone’s attention to one of my images longer because of contrast. Once I do that, the rest of the image (the composition, the story, the subject) can begin to be noticed and play with the other elements. As I always intend, the result is to create an image that is more than the sum of its parts. And, with that effect, make someone feel something. What sets me apart? So many photographers produce content for follows, likes, or sales. The work I produce is of interest to me first and foremost. It is from me, it is for me, and I am the intended audience. This means that I don’t seek affirmation. Instead, I seek joy from doing my work. And that is rare these days.
How do you define success?
My vision of it defines success to me. It isn’t set by others (or, rather, it shouldn’t be). Success is what I choose it to be and look like. However, I need help setting a final image of what that looks like. I am constantly moving the goalposts for myself as I continually seek to perfect my craft. So, success is the ever-continuing and evolving pursuit of what I deem great. If I am striving toward success rather than some endpoint, I am being successful.
Pricing:
- Small Fine Art Images (1 of10) – $150.00
- Medium Fine Art Images (1 of 10)- $200.00
- Large Fine Art Images (1 of 10) – $350.00
Contact Info:
- Website: https://burrowjohnr.wixsite.com/jrbphotography
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jrburrow.photography/
