Biography
Photo © 2008 Elena Black

Born in Washington, DC and raised in DC and Virginia, Justin pursued his undergraduate studies in Fine Art Photography and Art History at George Washington University, where the maturity of his work was recognized through awards in graduate-level juried competition. A promising career as a photographer and licensing specialist led him in 1999 to Galen and Barbara Rowell’s Mountain Light Photography in Emeryville, California, where he managed marketing and licensing of the Rowells’ image collection, assisted Galen, and taught seminars on nature photography.

Justin Black with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Washington DC, September 2003.

In April 2002, the Rowells consolidated their business in the Owens Valley town of Bishop, California, at the base of the 10,000-foot escarpment of the majestic Eastern Sierra, and Justin joined them there as General Manager. He continues to run the successful gallery, image collection, and workshop program following the Rowells’ tragic passing in the crash of a chartered airplane in August 2002. Their profound influence and inspiration has pushed Justin’s work in new directions, driven by the search for extraordinary qualities in the dynamic landscape.

Artist’s Statement
Justin ice climbing near his home in the Eastern Sierra. Photo © 2003 Linda Shen.

“Since I was very young, I have always loved exploring nature. Summers spent hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains of the Virginia countryside and wading in tidal pools along the Atlantic coast made me profoundly aware of the interconnectedness of the natural world. I recognized early on that there is as much beauty in the polished stones of a stream bed as can be found in a grand vista. Awareness of these various scales of nature promotes deeper visual engagement with the landscape.

“In photographs that seek to capture the compelling sense of movement and depth inherent in every merging of earth, atmosphere, and water, I attempt to develop a strong sense of intimacy with the subject. My work tends to prioritize the aesthetics of motion, form, quality of light, and atmosphere, making use of texture to develop a sense of the tactile qualities of nature.

“Much of my landscape photography seeks to maximize detail and tonal subtleties through the use of large format cameras, and I continue to use a 4x5 view camera and color transparency film for most of my work. For formal landscape photography there is simply no better tool than a view camera loaded with film. I have also embraced digital cameras for the incomparable level of spontaneity and creative freedom that they encourage. For street and travel photography, I will often grab a compact medium format rangerfinder camera loaded with color negative film. Ultimately, choice of format and medium is simply a matter of selecting the best tools to capture the image I have in mind—or of using whatever equipment I happen to have in my pack when the light is right.

“Modern digital printing techniques, in which top-quality archival photographic paper is exposed by red, green, and blue lasers from high-fidelity image files that I have personally mastered in the digital darkroom, ensure optimal qualities of color, luminance and contrast in all of my prints.”

Affiliations
Galen and Barbara Rowell Memorial Committee
Rowell Fund for Tibet, Advisory Board Member
Editorial Photographers, Moderator
American Society of Picture Professionals
American Alpine Club
Sierra Club
Friends of the Inyo
CLICK HERE to see the contents of Justin’s Camera Bag
Acknowledgments