Featured Instructor

Jonathan Michael Johnson

Summary of Expertise:

Jonathan attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) and Columbus College of Art & Design (CCAD) before receiving a Bachelors of Arts from Miami University in Ohio in 2002. After graduating, a search for inspiration and culture led him to Chicago. Involved with the local music scene, much of his work was collaborative. Jonathan's artistic development grew as he experimented with technology and became a resource to those around him, shooting and producing music videos, album art and promotional materials. He soon found photography. It was attractive because of it's universal effect – a photograph could be immediately empowering – needing only an instant to be seen, it may be remembered forever – bridging gaps in culture, language and age. But, perhaps most attractive to a young, independent artist, photography offered a tangible product that could readily be reproduced, marketed and sold – a fine art print.

Recognizing that fine art production can be a successful path to a career, After School Matters helps Jonathan share his talents with a younger generation. He empowers his apprentices to think critically, independently and creatively. He currently teaches Darkroom Photography at Chicago Academy High School.

For his work, Jonathan has earned a 1st Place award at the South Loop Neighbors Photo Show, a Summer Scholars Grant from Miami-Ohio, an Eva White Scholarship from North Central College, and The Big One award from the L.E. Don Gratuitous Giving Project. He has been featured in Wired Magazine, the Architect's Newspaper, the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Public Radio and the Chicago Journal.

Program: Darkroom Photography

Darkroom Photography is an art production program fostering professionalism & self-reliance for teens interested in self-expression. Teens build effective communication skills via creative exploration of their environment. Issues of community, family, nature, self & politics empower teens as they market and host a final showing of work.

Sample Work:

The following images celebrate the diversity and beauty within our city. They are only the first layer of information in a larger project to document and celebrate the diversity and history of Chicago.

Jonathan's work is a marriage of science and art. Each image documents Chicago in a way that promotes exploration. From the unique vantage points, to the vivid colors, to the way space is defined - his images empower the viewer to look closer at the beauty around them.

 Largely self-taught, Jonathan utilizes four photography techniques:

• Multi-Exposure - Combining parts from many film exposures, these images are have amazing detail.
• Digital HDR - Compressing information from many digital exposures, this technique can average anomalies until they disappear. It can also concentrate color and texture.
• Re-Construct - Poorly recorded toy camera images are painstakingly reconstructed, distilling the moment of capture from the myriad of imperfections. Lens distortion is corrected, uneven exposure is adjusted, and frames are recropped.
• Long Capture Cycle - Over the course of a day, as many as 200 exposures may be taken, keeping the camera absolutely still. These exposures are then combined - distilling the collective energy of a day into a single image.

Visit Jonathan's Web site at http://planckstudios.com