I grew up on a farm in Indiana. Education includes a bachelor’s degree in biology from Hanover College in southern Indiana and a master’s degree in wildlife management from New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico. My 33-year career in the natural resources field began with the State of Indiana in 1968 and the last 29 years were with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in New Mexico and Utah. My family and I have lived in Utah since 1979. Retiring from the BLM in 2001 enables me to devote more time to photography. During college I became interested in photography and over the years it has become a passion with me. I am primarily self-taught.
Equipment and Process
I have been involved with color photography for over 30 years. Traditional transparency (slide) film is still used in some formats but recently a high resolution digital camera has replaced 35mm film and some medium format applications. Photoshop is used to optimize the final image and to match what was seen and felt when the scene was photographed. Photoshop is merely another tool and basically replaces the darkroom when making photographic prints but offers tremendous control over the process. Archival ink and paper is used in a state of the art ink jet printer (giclee) for making photographic prints.
My subjects are varied but most recently I have spent most of my time capturing images of wild mustangs which are found in Utah’s west desert. In addition, images of the natural landscape including trees are a favorite of mine.
Although I prefer to capture images in early morning and late evening light I will capture subjects in all kinds of light and weather conditions. I am always striving for more of an interpretive rendition of the scene through my personal vision rather than documentary images. My photographs vary from bold bright colors to soft pastels. The wild horse images attempt to capture the behavior and interactions expressing freedom, power, grace and beauty. In all of my images I attempt to capture a moment that a viewer will connect with.
I enjoy taking images of less known areas and subjects. It is particularly rewarding to search for and discover scenes to photograph from my point of view and therefore keep the creative juices flowing. Merely copying a scene the same way someone else has photographed it does not represent the artist’s personal vision but tends to give the image a superficial or trite feeling that is expressionless. The notion of making the ordinary extraordinary is what it is all about and requires the artist to look beyond the obvious and reveal the character of a place. Otherwise, it’s just another pretty picture. I believe that the more familiar I become with an area or subject, the more the art will reflect a greater depth of understanding and meaning.
My work can be viewed on my website at www.jerrysintz.com. I can be reached at 801-501-9336 or via email at sjutah@comcast.net if you have any questions.