Store Gallery for August 2024: Zack Aurand

About the Show

Artist Statement:

I’ve had an appreciation for photography since I was a kid. My uncle was an accomplished hobby photographer, predominantly focused on wildlife, and we always had a few of his pieces hanging on the walls. I really started pursuing it on my own in high school when I used my dad’s EOS 650 to take pictures of random things, mostly my friends and whatever we were getting into. I bought point and shoot cameras over the years but, like most, my phone was my go-to. That was until I started getting into photography seriously in early 2021 after buying a camera to have a friend shoot my wedding.

I started taking pictures of the dogs, then started experimenting and found a passion reignited. Street photography, landscape shots when camping, pets and random birds in the backyard turned into waking up at 3:30am on weekends to get out and scout for spots to take pictures of local wildlife. Spending the early morning hours walking around downtown. Driving out to scenic spots. Walking around the city at night experimenting with light. Being the introvert that I am, I came to realize that it was the perfect excuse to avoid the crowds and hyper focus on a hobby that could be taken anywhere. I would see a shot driving into work and obsess for the rest of the day about how, “if I only had my camera I could have gotten the shot.” I started bringing it with me daily and would skip out on work as soon as I could. It became an obsession. It’s how I see the word now. I’m always framing shots in my head… Thinking what focal length to get the composition I see. What aperture to get the right depth of field to isolate my subject. What shutter speed will get me a tack sharp image of the animals I’ve been watching for hours but still leave the motion blur of the rain soaking me to the bone as I sit and wait. Over the last year I’ve been drawing a lot of color grading inspiration from films for my edits; experimenting and trying to artistically evoke a mood with a single image.

Project Statement:

Experimenting with color and light in the natural world.

Equipment Used:

Canon R5 and R6II. RF 100-500, RF 135 1.8, RF 24-105 2.8. Rentals from the Pro Photo Rental Department including the EF 600 f4, EF 400 2.8, Nikon Z9 and 800 6.3.

Stop by the Store Gallery this August to see these images up close and in high quality. See More of Zack's work here.

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