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Short Biography And Artist's Statement Jerry Buley, Ph.D.
I spent the longest portion of my life as a university professor (Arizona State University – Communication). Photography has always been a part of that career.
I have always been very concerned with preserving images of the beautiful things I have experience. I have also always been concerned with producing realistic as opposed to abstract photographs. Though, occassionally , even I, cannot avoid the abstract.
Most photographers have a style that guides their work. One of the ways I narrow what I photograph is by being what I call a “roadside photographer.” At base, a roadside photographer is a landscape photographer. Unlike many landscape photographers who feel impelled to trek off to the photograph things others have never seen, my goal is to create highly saleable, high-quality, fine-art photographs of beautiful landscapes others, even millions of others, have already seen and probably photographed themselves. I want people be interested in my work because they recognize the subject matter and prefer my pictures of it… over their own.
Another way I narrow my photographic range is to value beauty over truth. Yes, I use Adobe Photoshop. Yes, I know the use of photo-editing software has been controversial in some circles. And, Yes, I have mused long and often regarding the use of such software to edit my photographs. After researching the subject of photo manipulation over the years, I have found that every successful fine-art photographer has manipulated his/her photographs - sometimes heavily - between the snap of the shutter to the final print. Ansel Adams, one the best known American landscape photographer, was in the heavy manipulation category, often spending weeks, even months in his darkroom creating the final print of one of his photographs.
Adams, well known for his spectacular black and white landscapes, has left books ( Examples: The Making of 40 Photographs, and, The Print.) and considerable documentation as to the hundreds of hours and many steps in the darkroom he took to create each of his final prints. Consider one of Adams' master pieces Winter Sunrise, Sierra Nevada, California (1944). In The Print, p. 126, Adams describes the many ways he manipulated the negative to create his final print. More telling was what he said about the same photograph in another of his books: The Making of 40 Photographs:
Though I want my photographs to be as realistic as possible, I am not a journalist. A journalist gives truth priority over beauty. I am, instead, a fine-art photographer. My goal is to make my images as attractive as possible. If that means removing a distraction from an image, so be it.
Another guiding force behind my photography is my love of birds. It takes special knowledge and passion to be able to photograph them in the wild. I am unconscious of the world around me when I have, for example, a Great Blue Heron centered in my lens. I am excited when the bird allows me to come close, and ecstatic when I can capture the bird rising from the cold water, with droplets falling from its talons and the early morning light reflected from its wings.
Still another defining characteristic of my work is that most of it is done in at dawn. I prefer the cleaner light of the early morning, oblique sun . Many of my best pictures have been taken just before, or just after sunrise. There are several good examples in this portfolio. The two pictures of snowy egrets and the picture of a street sweeper in San Marcos Piazza. Those who have been to Venice, are usually puzzled by the fact that there is only one person in the photograph. When I know how beautiful the scene will be, getting up early is easy. I have a series of photographs I call The American Farm. Many of which required time exposure of a scene just prior to the sun coming up. The horizon is already bright from the sun, yet, the moon, stars, and barn-yard lights are what lights much of the scene.
Finally, another defining characteristic of my photography is that I continue to experiment with new technologies. In 2007 I began working with high dynamic range photography. Now my portfolio contains several pictures using this cutting edge technology. More recently, in 2009, I began using Adobe Photoshop to create background for elements of photography. I call these pho-toons because the drawings are often cartoonish in character. A few pho-toons have now entered into my portfolio.
In another essay I describe my foray into combining text with fine-art photography. There are many reason for doing so, yet many pressures from other artists not to do it. I have tried many different ways to meld text and image without doing an injustice either. None of these has been successful, in my mind, though I continue to experiment.
I control every part of the photographic process, with the exception of the framing. I leave that to professionals, I want my works to last for many generations. For that reason, I use the latest print technologies, inks and acid-free materials. I create large- and small-format prints on a wide variety of media, including glossy and matte papers and canvas.
Finally, at this stage of my life I have chosen to, as much as possible, give back to my community. In this regard, I continue to do pro bono photography for various 501c3 (non-profit) organizations. Below you will find the many activities in which I am involved. These include being on the Board of Directors of the Sedona Visual Artists Coalition, being selected to head the 2011 Keep Sedona Beautiful's Capture the Wonder Photo Contest and assisting in the creation of a for-profit professional group of artists in Sedona called Sedona Area Guild of Artists.
Finally, a portion of the profits from the sales of my photography also go to my favorite charity: The Oasis Sanctuary located near Benson, Arizona.
C U R R E N T V I T A
SAGA Shows March 1 1 - 19 SAGA Winners Show, Studio Panache April 15 - 22 SAGA Premier Event, Initial Exhibition of SAGA Founders.
Juried Shows 2nd Place: February 2007 Sedona Art Center Members’ Show, Professional Division. Six pieces accepted, Awarded second place for A Ring and Flowers
February 2008 Sedona Art Center Members’ Show, Professional Division. Two pieces accepted.
December 2008 Sedona Art Center, Sedona Sons, Show. Two pieces submitted and accepted.
3rd Place: January 2009, Keep Sedona Beautiful – Preserving The Wonder of Sedona, “Double Rainbow Over Uptown Sedona,” accepted for a traveling show. Awarded third prize in the Professional Division.
1st Place: February 2009 Sedona Art Center, Members Show, Professional Division, Two pieces accepted. One, “Foggy Docks” awarded first prize in Photography.
2nd Place: March 2010 Sedona Art Center, Members Show, Professional Division, Four pieces accepted. One, "Bye, Bye French Fry" awarded second prize in Photography.
3rd Place, February 2009, Sedona Visual Artists' Coaltion First Juried Show, Two pieces accepted. "Skimming Egret" won third place across all art forms.
Theme Shows October 2008, Sedona Visual Artists’ Coalition Fall Theme Show at Tlaquepaque. HDR photograph of Sedona
October 2009, Sedona Visual Artists' Coalition Fall Theme Show at Tlaquepaque, Rusting Tractor with story. October 2010, Sedona Visual Artists' Coaltion Fall Them Show, "Fallen Tree," or "The Dance of sugar Plum"
Gallerie Representation Galaria Luis Y Gaby. Zaragoza #10 Y Circunvalacion. Puerto Peñasco, Mexico
Studio Panache, Tequa Plaze, Village of Oak Creek, Arizona.
Hardcopy Publications 2006, The Need for Rescue and Sanctuary in the 21 Century, www.the-oasis.org/theneedforrescue.pdf – Picture of several African Gray Parrots feeding.
May-June 2007. Rocky Point then…1946, Rocky Point now…2007. Rocky Point Times. May pp. 28, 32, and 38; June pp. 68 and 77. an article and photographs spread across two issues.
July 2007, Oasis 2008 Calendar. Contains 28 photographs of birds taken at The Oasis Sanctuary for parrots.
November 2007, Cannery Row, Photograph in the academic journal Emeritus Voices, Volume 1, Issue 2, Spring, 2008.
July 2008 Oasis 2009 Calendar. Contains 24 photographs of birds taken at The Oasis Sanctuary for parrots.
August 2008, It’s Older Than I am. Photograph in the academic journal Emeritus Voices, Number 3.
November 2008, Diptych, Good Fences Make Good Neighbors I and Good Fences Make Good Neighbors II . Two Photographs in the academic journal Emeritus Voices, Number 3, October 2008.
November 2008, Lifes’s a Beach – When You’re Young. Backcover Photograph in the academic journal Emeritus Voices, Number 3, October 2008.
October 2008, It’s Older Than I am. Front Cover Photograph in the academic journal Emeritus Voices, Number 3, October 2008.
June 2009, Great Blue Heron Taking off. Front cover Photograph of the academic journal Emeritus Voices, Number 4, April.
Summer 2009, Great Blue Heron Taking Off. Emeritus College Newsletter, Volume IV, Number 3, page 3.
August 2009, Series of three pictures of the Sedona Community Farmer’s Market, published in the Sedona Times Newspaper
November, 2009, Bright Autumn Leaves, Front Cover Photograph of the academic journal Emeritus Voices, Number 5.
November, 2009, Illinois Summer/Fall Transition, in Interludes of the academic journal Emeritus Voices, Number 5, 138.
Spring, 2010, Eight Photographs included as "Interludes", most are "storied pictures" in the academic journal Emeritus Voices, Number 6,
Published Articles on Art November, 2009, Sedona's Heroes, An eyewitness report and photography of battling Arizona wildfires. In the academic journal Emeritus Voices, Number 5. 73 - 80.
Spring, 2010, Essay on 'Photography as Art,' Posits the idea that "Photography will never be allowed into the fine arts until it is allowed to lie." In the academic journal Emeritus Voices, Number 6, 229 - 238
On-Line Publications 2005 to present, http://jerrybuley.com. Contains fine-art photographs soley created by Jerry Buley, Ph.D.
August 2008, Diptych, Good Fences Make Good Neighbors I and Good Fences Make Good Neighbors II . Photographs in the Online version of the academic journal Emeritus Voices, Number 3. http:// www.asu.edu/provost/ emerituscollege/EVoice3/Emeritus%20Voices%20n3.htm
August 2008, , Lifes’s a Beach – When You’re Young. Backcover Photograph of the academic online version of the academic journal Emeritus Voices, Number 3. http://www.asu.edu/provost/emerituscollege/EVoice3/Emeritus%20Voices%20n3.htm
November 2008, It’s Older Than I am. Front Cover Photograph of the online version of the academic journal Emeritus Voices, Number 3. http://www.asu.edu/provost/emerituscollege/EVoice3/Emeritus%20Voices%20n3.htm
April 2009, Heron Dance – A story in pictures. In the online version of the academic journal Emeritus Voices, Number 4.
November, 2009, Bright Autumn Leaves, Front Cover Photograph for the online version of the academic journal Emeritus Voices, Number 5.
November, 2009, Sedona's Heroes, An eyewitness report and photography of battling Arizona wildfires. In the online version of the academic journal Emeritus Voices, Number 5. 73 - 80.
November, 2009, Illinois Summer/Fall Transition, in Interludes of the online version of the academic journal Emeritus Voices, Number 5, 138.
Donations March 2007 18”x36” Fanny Fandango(1” Gallery Wrapped Giclée Canvas). Donated to The Oasis for their yearly fund-raising auction.
March, 2007. 13”x19” Gray Stepping Into Flight (On Pearl Paper matted in polybag). Donated to The Oasis Sanctuary for their yearly fund-raising auction.(sold for
4”x6” cards (100). Twenty-Eight photographs of Oasis Birds. Donated to the Oasis sanctuary for sale in their gift shop.
March 2008, 10” x 24” Seagull Straight On, (1” Gallery Wrapped Giclée Canvas) Donated to The Oasis Sanctuary for their yearly fund-raising auction.
March 2008, 24” x 36” (2” Gallery Wrapped Giclée Canvas)Resting Great Blue Heron, Donated to The Oasis Sanctuary for their yearly fund-raising auction.
March 2008, 24” x 36” (2” Gallery Wrapped Giclée Canvas) Two Feeding Snowy Egrets, Donated to The Oasis Sanctuary for their yearly fund-raising auction.
September 2008 Donated two pieces to Verde Valley Senior Center.
April 2009, Donated two gallery wrapped pieces to the Oasis Sanctuary (Hovering Seagull, and Parrot Conflict) for their yearly fund-raising auction. The Second Piece sold for $700.00.
April 2009 Donated 24” x 35” piece (“Fishing Boats in Old Port Harbor”) to the 6th Casa Blanca Charity 18 Hole Putting Golf Tournament for the Penasco Children’s Foundation.
May 2009, Donated printing of four large posters for the SVAC 2009 Open Studios Tour.
August 2009, Donated one giclee (Red Thumb under Stormy Clouds), to The Sedona Film Festival.
October 2009, Donated one Giclee (Flying Cockatiel), to The Oasis Sanctuary, Fall Auction.
April 2010. Donated one Giclee (Bodega Bay With Flowers) To Red Rock State Park Silent Auction to help keep the park open.
April 2010. Donated one Giclee (Fighting Parrots) to The Oasis Sanctuary, Spring Auction.
Invited Shows 2009, October-NovemberCanyon Moon Theater, Two person show, with photographer Jim Peterson,
2009, "Inspired09" Hilton Sedona Fine Art Show and Sale Nov 27-28. 30 of the best artists in Sedona
Editorships Editor /Photographer: Oasis Sanctuary Quarterly On-Line Photo Magazine. Summer 2006 to 2008. Photographs and stories relating to the Oasis, birds and ecology.
Editor/Photographer: The Oasis Calendar (2007 - 2010)
Open Studio May 2 & 3, 2009, Participated in Open Studios sponsored by the Sedona Visual Artists Coalition.
Professional Memberships 2005 to Present, Member, Sedona Art Center.
2008 to Present. Member of the Sedona Visual Artists Coalition (SVAC).
Programs and Events Directed September 19, 2009, Sedona Community Fair SVAC Art Sale Table at the Sedona Airport
September 26, 2009, Image Editing Workshop for SVAC Members
October 24, 2009, Yavapai Community College – Sedona Campus, SVAC Art Critique Event,
January 2010 Accepted Chair responsibilities for the Keep Sedona Beautiful's Capture the Wonder Photo Contest for 2011.
Responsible to organize the 2010 Keep Sedona Beautiful's Capture the Wonder Retrospective. An exhibition of all 2010 and all prior winning photos from the contest, held at the CEG June 17 - 23.
Chair, Keep Sedonda Beautiful's http://sedonacapturethewonder.org Photo Contest Web Site Committee. Under my direction, this committee created the web site that takes the local contest to an international level.
2010 SVAC Programs for which I have been responsible for creating
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