Artist Statement

Ron Kern
Photographer

Artist Statement

I am a self-taught photographer that has studied the art of photography for thirty six years.  My primary influences are Robert Frank, David Michael Kennedy, Minor White and Ed Ruscha.

When photographing I feel and sense the spirit of what I am seeing.  The “design” of the subject or scene becomes an integral part of the final composition.  I examine and present nature’s and/or man’s mark, the combination of which is often society’s response to my subject.  The resulting photograph shows the condition and existence of the subject within a context, literal or metaphorical.

I photograph within the environment in which I find myself.  I do not find it necessary to travel to a specific locale to make photographs that present something exotic, unfamiliar or detached from my day to day existence.  Rather I delve into my surroundings within the realm of where I live my life.

For my Polaroid work I use a vintage Polaroid 420 camera.  I make exposures onto Fuji instant color film.  After recovering a negative it is digitally scanned and converted to a monochrome image in Adobe Photoshop.

For my plastic camera work I use Holga and Diana+ plastic cameras.  Film is exposed in the camera.  The developed negatives are digitally scanned.  All multi-exposures are made in-camera.

The iPhone camera has been an essential tool for much of my recent work.  I use Adobe Photoshop as a digital darkroom for contrast control and dodging and burning.

Prints are made with an archival inkjet printer.