Embracing A New Life In the World Of Photography With Jack Kearney

 Hello and welcome to another installment of our featured photographer blog, where we showcase talented artists from all over the world and have them answer a series of questions to learn about their photography journey!

 In this post, we're going to travel along beautiful landscapes with our featured photographer, Jack Kearney, who has special moments captured from a variety of beautiful places in the US, Iceland, and Ireland. Continue reading below and find out more about how Jack is able to capture these spectacular moments while also learning about some of the challenges he's overcome during his travels as a photographer.

Question 1: What ignited your passion for photography?

 Passions grow and fade due to circumstances we may never be able to see coming. However, beautiful creations can be made during the moments we decide to live through our new interests and explore them deeply enough to have them impact our lives greatly. 

 Jack's passion for photography began due to his love of traveling to beautiful and unimaginable places such as Ireland and Iceland. He became keen on capturing their unique landscapes compared to the ones he was familiar with living around daily. His goal was to freeze their beauty in time so he could transport himself back to those wonderful moments and reminisce about the time he spent in each place.

 Unfortunately during 2020, while the pandemic was reigning over the world, Jack's passion for music had to be briefly put on hold as his band had to begin canceling shows and they we're unable to rehearse on a normal routine schedule. This had left him with a hole to fill in order to express all of his creative freedom so he began seeking an outlet. 

 Once armed with just a cell phone to capture these incredible scenes, Jack  decided it was time to invest into a new companion and picked up a Canon t6i. From there, he spent countless hours watching tutorials by likes of Nick Page, Thomas Heaton, Mads Peter Iversion, Adam Gibbs, and so many more.

Afterwards, he took out into the field and began practicing his new found knowledge and experimenting with all these tools in order to develop an eye for composition. As you can see below, he's doing quite well with his newly acquired skillset! He framed these endless layers of autumn colors inside Shenandoah National Park perfectly!

 Since then, his passion for photography has only grown stronger and it has become one of his main focuses in life. He stepped down from his job at Apple after 15 dedicated years and moved to rural Connecticut to start a new career as a photographer. This monumental step has given him the opportunity to begin living a more fulfilling life as a father, husband, and an overall better human.

Question 2: What's a memorable moment or experience related to your photography journey you'd like to share?

 The beautiful part of this wonderful art form is the creation of memories outside the photographs themselves. Often enough, the pictures themselves aren't the most memorable part of the journey, it's actually the journey itself we all fall in love with.

 One of the best moments of Jack's photography journey thus far was during a time he set out to climb Mt. Marcy, which happens to be the tallest mountain in the Adirondacks inside the state of New York. I don't know about you, but climbing a mountain in general sounds like an extraordinary feat to tackle, and Jack decided to go on this voyage in the peak of winter season!

 It was a 16 mile journey from 6 in the morning through 6 at night. 12 hours of enduring freezing temperatures and challenging terrain became a humbling experience nonetheless. It had been the first time Jack had ever experienced the wilderness in such a raw and untamed state. Moments before reaching the summit, Jack decided to stop and catch his breath. He gazed out into the beautiful scene and fell in love instantly. Knowing this was the composition he had set out to capture. 

 He took out his tripod and intervalometer, to perfectly balance out the frame, and captured a moment in time he has since used frequently as a vivid reminder of his goals and focus as a landscape photographer. The  composition is layered with an endless sea of mountain tops fading into the distance as far as the eyes could see. A single frame forever encompassing a journey Jack we'll be able to cherish forever. Take a moment and gaze into the masterpiece for yourself below.

Question 3: Can you describe your signature style or preferred genre of photography?

 As you all know by now Jack's go to style of photography revolves around capturing landscape masterpieces hidden throughout our beautiful world. The landscape photography niche allows him to embrace all of the diversity our planet has to offer and he enjoys surrounding himself with all the natural elements. Being in nature also creates a sense of healing to calm down feelings of anxiety, as he becomes lost in the present tense of the natural world and it slowly begins to relieve all the stresses from the day to day life.  

 The moment he walks into a beautiful and natural scene, Jack is able to soak in all the elements, and then attempts to bring all of them into a single frame. Capturing the essence of the environment fuels him to further explore the world around him, whether it's wide angle vistas or intimate woodland photography. He truly finds himself in all of the landscapes he encounters. 

Question 4: Who or what serves as your primary source of inspiration?

 Being a landscape photographer brings in a larger sense of purpose and appreciation towards our environments and preservation of our beautiful planet. Jack pulls inspiration from the life of his 3 year old daughter and focuses on capturing these beautiful photos so she can grow up appreciating and protecting our planet even more so than he has. It's imperative to him that she focuses on the real beauty of life versus becoming trapped in the imaginary lives created from internet trends and fads.

 Jack believes that capturing images of captivating places helps him bring people together and encourages them to visit these locations, understand their beauty, and be inspired to protect what is vital to our existence on Earth. Through his photography journey, he aims to provide a visual path for others to follow, especially for those who might not have the opportunity to experience these elements themselves. Jack feels it is his duty to share the beauty that many of us take for granted each day.

Question 5: What challenges have you overcome as a photographer and what lessons have you learned from them?

 Comparison can easily become the thief of joy. In today's online world it is incredibly easy to login and see the best of the best when scrolling through your Instagram feed and allowing yourself to become overwhelmed with someone else's work compared to your own. A friendly reminder from Jack is for everyone to remember what they've set out to do, to capture, in their photography filled journeys. 

 While out and about Jack keeps in mind he's out there for himself. He's out there to take photos of things which feel interesting to him, and to capture moments he truly loves. Yes, he gets enjoyment from sharing his favorite photos with others just as the rest of us do, but he doesn't allow himself to get discouraged when seeing the great work of others. In fact, he reminds himself that he is forever learning in this artform. He is constantly trying new things, experimenting, no matter how much he knows his camera or how much experience he has under his belt. 

 It's imperative to showcase the beauty you're surrounded by even if at times it doesn't match up to the beauty of somewhere else in the world. There's hidden gems and stories everywhere that are waiting to be captured and told. As photographers, it's our job to seek out those moments and share them with the rest of the world!

 Our love for photography expands each and every time we get the opportunity to feature and showcase incredible photographers from all over the world. It was pleasure to learn about Jack and his journey as a photographer thus far and share it with all of you. We hope you found entertainment as well as some inspiration through his words and perspective on life. Take some time and check out his Instagram so you can view his full gallery and stay up to date on all of his adventures. We'll provide a direct link to his Instagram below after these last two beautiful images.

Instagram: @landscapesbyjackkearney

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