Ron Henry Photography

Ron Henry's Photography Proves To Be One Cool Aesthetic

Ron Henry is that rare photographer who is able to capture the raw, honest moments in between. Even more impressive, he does so flawlessly and without imposition. Therefore it is no surprise to learn that spontaneity, sincere emotion, and candid elements are what drive his unaffected art. Yet ironically, his final product is of such high quality that it seems to suggest otherwise, giving off the impression of precision styling and calculated manipulation- the very antithesis of a guy who's laidback approach is to "catch you in the moment and keep it real". Ron approaches photography through this unique vantage point of photographer as observer, rejecting static images and embracing moments.

What strikes me the most about Ron Henry's photography is the way he aligns creative and technical elements in, what I would define as, a cool aesthetic. Color filters of blues and greens or romantically rich black and white juxtaposed with striking contrasts and rich pools of light, which are often artfully blown out and diffused, seem to slow down the pace of the moment in an effort to live in it rather than rush through it. The tones are so perfectly proportioned they evoke the eye to linger a bit longer, in an effort to process the beauty before it.

Whereas traditional photography produces still lifes, this documenter creates images that are anything but. Ron's photography embodies flow. The physical and emotional energy that surround the events and subjects Ron approaches become heightened as they are universally translated by his cool aesthetic. And, within the underlying dualities of the aesthetic itself (the ethereal and the dynamic) crisp images emerge. With a polished irreverence, Ron brilliantly disguises the quiet tension created by such dual entities by presenting them as "pretty", allowing the plasticity exhibited in the original, spontaneous moment to reveal its self only after the initial beauty of the image has been processed, where a picture begins to transform beyond a thousand words. A visceral experience framed (and even haloed at times) by Ron Henry's cool aesthetic.

"The artist must be in his work as God is in creation, invisible and all-powerful; one must sense him everywhere but never see him." -Gustave Flaubert