About | Jim Messer Photography

Tao The Corvus Family Going to School in Morning Sun Last Light/First Light Ponder Gateway To The Cosmos The Path In Monochrome The Path in Color Chroma - Compositions of Color State of Being (No Mind) An Exploration of Eucalyptus The Eastern Sierra's Magical Aura (Ongoing) Nature In Monochrome California's Central Coast Ocean and Sky The West The East

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Biography

I grew up on a farm in Western New York, close to Lake Erie. Immersion in the world of crop fields, woods, creeks, domestic and wild animals, plus the state’s grand vistas of mountains and lakes have contributed to an enduring love of the natural world. Photography provides an opportunity to create and share images of that world that, hopefully, communicate the deep sense of beauty and peace I’ve been so fortunate to experience. Additionally and fortunately, the process of craft mastery involved is challenging, energizing, and forever ongoing.

To date my photographs have made their way into calendars, CD covers, promotional videos, and a variety of personal and corporate collections. Collectors include Kaiser Permanente, Old Republic Title Company, The Medical Center of Central Georgia, and a host of law and other professional offices. My work has also been seen in such exhibit venues as Center For Photographic Art, Carmel, California, The Triton Museum, Santa Clara, California, The Elemental Arts Gallery, Los Gatos California, The Work of Our Hands Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia, The Macon Arts Gallery, Macon Georgia, and The Valley Art Gallery in Salinas, California.

Starting in late 2014 and into 2015 my efforts have been directed to exploration of new areas of photography, especially the realms of abstraction, monochrome and pictorialism.

Artist Statement

“The eye traffics in feelings, not in thoughts.” Walker Evans

The motivation for my photography is rooted in a fulfilling sense of peace and calm derived from an involvement with Eastern philosophy, particularly Taoism and its emphasis on experience beyond the confines of the mind.

My intent is to make photographs that show an intuitive “before the mind” response to a moment, then share that captured moment so that others may respond however they might.

Recent Activity

April 2019 - "Paicines Countryside" selected for inclusion in Center For Photographic Art's Members Juried Competition

November 2018 - "Intrusion" selected for gallery exhibition in Center For Photographic Art's International Juried Competition

June 2018 - "Sandstone Calligraphy" selected for inclusion in Center For Photographic Art's Members Juried Competition

June 2017 - "Point Lobos Path At Dusk" selected for inclusion in Center For Photographic Art's Members Juried Competition

November 2016 - Image "Sentries" selected for inclusion in Center For Photographic Arts International Juried Competition

July 2016 - Juror, Padre Trails Camera Club "Pictorial" Competition

June 2016 - "Going To School In The Morning Sun" selected for inclusion in Center For Photographic Art's Members Juried Competition

December 2015 Image "Trees Perched" cover photo on Point Lobos Magazines's Winter Edition

November 2015 - "Morning Fog Point Lobos" selected for inclusion in Center For Photographic Art's International Juried Competition

October 2015 - Became a member of ImageMakers, Monterey, California

March/April 2015 Center For Photographic Art Volunteers Exhibit "Short Stories", Redwood City, California

October 2014 - Juried participant, Carmel Visual Art's "Heart of Steinbeck Country" Exhibition

January 2013 - "Trees Perched" selected for inclusion in Center For Photographic Art's International Juried Competition

October 2012 - "Across The Cove" Best in Category Landscape, Carmel Art Institute's "Magic of Point Lobos" Exhibition