Jerry Uelsmann

Jerry Uelsmann

 

Jerry Uelsmann was fascinated with photography at a young age. Going to school in Michigan he got poor grades as a lad but still manage to graduate high school. Later he became a wedding photographer so support himself as he moved towards higher learning.  He went to various schools but eventually graduated with a masters in fine arts at Indiana University. This allowed him to teach photography at the university of Florida at the beginning of the 1960’s.

What sets jerry apart form the rest of photographers is that none of his art is done with a computer. Hiss surreal landscapes and magical depictions are created using over a dozen enlargers in a dark room and vast quantities of time. Also, he refuses to do commercial jobs and survives off of teaching and grants.

However he does not view the advent of computers as a bad influence on photography as many would expect him to. “I am sympathetic to the current digital revolution and excited by the visual options created by the computer. However, I feel my creative process remains intrinsically linked to the alchemy of the darkroom.”

Today you can see some of his work on the cover of death metal albums and in the opening sequences of the “outer limits” series