Viewpoint Gallery Features Members John Hennessy and Richard E. Jones

SVPAC’s members Richard E. Jones and John Hennessy took opposite journeys to the work they will be exhibiting at Viewpoint Gallery from February 18 to March 26. Jones worked in color before switching to black-and-white, while Hennessy migrated from black-and-white to color images.

Richard Jones’s interest in photography was sparked by his fascination with his father’s old folding camera and an interest in chemistry. He read every photography book in the library, experimented with simple cameras, and learned to develop film. In high school he got a 35mm camera and began working with color slides. About seven or eight years ago, he came to develop an appreciation for fine black-and-white images, which he now feels provide a better way to express the things he sees. His serious work has been black-and-white ever since. The majority of the images being exhibited are from a photographic study of the Granite Bay area of Folsom Lake begun in the fall of 2003. They allow the landscape to reveal itself in various lighting and weather conditions, with no expectations or preconceived ideas.

John Hennessy began his photographic journey in the 1960s, using 35mm cameras. Since earning his BA in Fine Art from the University of New Mexico in 1971, he has worked primarily with a 4x5 camera. Initially, he used black-and-white film and made gelatin silver prints. More recently he has worked with color positive film, scanned and printed digitally. His original attraction to digital color photography was for its archival qualities, but he now realizes it suits the way he works more than his black-and-white darkroom. His usual subjects are architecture and landscapes.