Can you describe three life moments that made you who you are today?

I grew up on a blueberry farm, and it had a profound effect on who I am today. It created a deep connection with the earth and its seasons, and how to care for the land. My entire childhood revolved around being outdoors and in the fields. Ultimately, I think it’s what led to my interest in the natural world.

When I was 16, my high school photography teacher gave me a copy of The Americans by Robert Frank. I grew up pretty sheltered and had never experienced anything like that through art before. I didn’t realize photography could transport you so completely into another place and tell a deep, complex story. That book changed how I saw the world and was formative in pushing me to want to experience more of it.

Right after graduating from my undergraduate degree, I worked as a research assistant on a leatherback sea turtle and primate study on the remote island of Bioko, off the west coast of Africa. We lived in tents for seven months without electricity or connection to the outside world. It was an experience defined as much by stillness as by work. I spent a long time alone, sitting in trees watching birds, or hiking through the jungle, taking notes on whatever I came across. That time taught me a lot about isolation, but also about attention and how to really look. It also changed my sense of what we’re capable of. At one point, I was chased by a ten foot cobra, and after that, everything else felt a little more possible.

Who or what is inspiring you to make work these days?

I just got back from a trip to Death Valley and found the desert incredibly inspiring. I spent time with a few biologists working to protect an endangered fish, and it was moving to see people quietly coming together to protect a species at risk of extinction.

I’ve also been reading poetry by W. S. Merwin and Forrest Gander, and looking at the work of Hieronymus Bosch. The way he integrates surrealism and symbolism with the natural world is very inspiring.

How would you describe your aesthetic to someone who has never seen your work? What is your eye drawn to?

I’m drawn to the complex relationship between humanity and the natural world. I’m interested in how the human perspective of nature has shaped the way we understand it, and ultimately how we impact it. I find myself coming back to this idea of separation, the ways we position ourselves as outside of these systems rather than within them. That distance is something I’m interested in interrogating through my work.

What went into capturing your winning image?

I was working on my MFA thesis, Armillaria. I was on a walk with my good friend, Race, when we found these old mining caves dug into the side of the Oakland Hills. The sun had just gone down, so I had him run into the cave while I used a strobe with a medium format film camera.

Where do you feel you are at in your creative journey?

I graduated from my MFA last year, and it really expanded my practice. I feel like I have a lot of ideas I want to explore, and I’m constantly working through them. Lately, I’ve been spending time in the darkroom and bookbinding, trying to push my relationship with photography and its materials.

Complete this sentence: For me, photography is…

A way to ask questions about the world.

What’s one piece of good advice someone gave you, and who said it?

My boyfriend and I talk through ideas often, and the piece of advice he always brings me back to is to just go make the work. I tend to overthink ideas, and I’ve learned that the only way forward is to create and see what happens.

What is the most interesting thing you’ve seen, heard or experienced recently?

I’m currently doing a graduate fellowship at the Headlands Center for the Arts. Every Tuesday we have a show and tell where artists share their work, followed by a group dinner. We just had one last night and it’s been really meaningful to hear from artists from all over the world working across so many different mediums. It’s also really inspiring to see how each artist responds to the Headlands as a place and how it impacts their practice.

What is one thing you want to accomplish this next year?

I’m currently working on my first monograph and hope to have it published within the next year.

What is one thing you hope to accomplish in your lifetime?

I’m really grateful to be able to bring together my interests in art and science, and I hope I can continue working at that intersection for a long time.

Jonah Reenders’ Website

Jonah Reenders on Instagram