Photography Club Facilitator

Hello Reader,
I'm Kieran Johnson, the HVA Photo Club Facilitator, a working class artist from Brooklyn New York who believes you don't need the newest camera, the most expensive equipment or a large budget to make great pictures.  My teaching philosophy has always revolved around one thing; It’s not the equipment that makes the piece, it’s the artist. This is particularly true when it comes to photography.  All you need since photography's inception has been a light sensitive material, a black box and a hole with some sort of "shutter."

My classes are structured around helping students recognize their eye. Using a camera is easy, its seeing your image that is hard. With guidance through historical and contemporary artists, we will look at what the class considers strong images and discuss why. We will use language not based on mega pixels but the elements of design that transverse all areas of art, bringing the conversation to a broad understanding of art and design in today's culture.

I would describe my work as constructed reality. I build by hand what I can't find in nature, and then photograph the objects within my small studio (see the image above, that's my studio). Most images are constructed with paper, small scale models and paint (and lots of tape). Using small tucks, cuts and wire I construct scenes and scapes. The final sculptural image is then shot and the final output is a photograph.


My works have been shown locally, nationally and internationally in galleries in Chelsea, Greenpoint, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Tokyo. I am an active member of The Society for Photographic Education.  Most of all I am a family, friends and community oriented person. Those always come first in my life.


That is me in a nut shell. Feel free to contact me by email, Kieran@kieranjohnson.com, or post here on the site. I look forward to sharing what we do throughout this semester and hope you enjoy following along. It’s going to be a fun club.


_Kieran Johnson

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