JIM KRANTz
CHRONOLOGY
1965
DAVID BIALAC
I’ve had many influences but none more significant than my first — my grandfather. Working side-by-side with him in his Omaha studio, gave me a foundation of creativity, self-expression, storytelling, curiosity and love of craft that is still with me.
David Bialac (b.1905), Omaha, Nebraska, 1965
David Bialac, Dream Portrait, oil on canvas, 1957
Jim Krantz, Naturalé Reverie no.8 , 2023
David Bialac, Below The Sea, enamel on copper, 1967
Jim Krantz, Interrogatories no.1 ,2024
1974
After suffering a stroke, and his artistic days behind him, my grandfather gave me my most important creative gift of all — his Minolta srt 101. That camera became my creative outlet, my focus, my identity and my connection to the man who meant so much to me. his last piece of advice? Go learn from his Favorite photographer
Ansel Adams
Ripped from the phone book
When I got to Carmel, I ripped Ansel’s address out of the phone book and taped it to my copy of ‘The Negative: Exposure and Development’ hoping he’d sign it.
Ansel had a huge mailbox
Ansel Adams was like my grandfather, both in personality and teaching style. And his Zone System was considered and specific. It was very comforting.
He used to repeat —
‘Technical proficiency leads to artistic freedom.’
Music to my ears.
Ansel Adams (b.1902) Critiquing My Work, Carmel, California,1974
Through the Zone system he taught me that photography was a symbiotic marriage of alchemy and art, that came together in a predictable and predetermined relationship.
I was hooked.
Jim Krantz, Cafe, Ft, Collins, Colorado, 1974
1976
GEORGE TICE
George Tice, Rockport, Maine, 1976
Two years later I crossed the country to take classes from George Tice at the Maine Photographic Workshops.
George Tice, Rockport, Maine, 1976
His innovative use of a view camera to create large-format prints of suburban New Jersey opened my mind almost as much as his considered approach to printing – each print was toned specifically to express his emotional response to the image from his wide palette of toning techniques.
1977
While in Rockport, I met Eva Rubinstein. She was calm, reflective and inspired by Diane Arbus’ pensive calm of humanity.
Eva Rubenstein, 1977
It was Eva’s belief that every image is a mirror of the interaction between photographer and their subject. A courtship I’ve been aware of my whole career.
I’ve always been enamored with Wynn Bullock’s photos. His images had a surreal, ethereal feeling that seemed to breathe with the blur of his long exposures. Especially my favorite image: Navigation Without Numbers, 1957.
1978 Edna Bullock
Negative & print of ‘Navigation Without Numbers’, 1978
Wynn Bullock, Navigation Without Numbers, 1967
I visited Wynn’s wife, Edna, after he had passed. She let me see the negative of that unforgettable photo. Looking at it, I was reminded of something Ansel Adams once said, “The negative is the score; the print, the performance.
Wynn Bullock’s Darkroom, 1978
A special envelope
1980
MY FIRST STUDIO
After graduating as a graphic designer from Denver University, I rented a studio space in omaha and got to work, excited to channel everything I learned from Ansel Adams about the Zone System into my work.
Omaha Studio, 1980
So when I was hired to shoot my first commercial project by a local bank to shoot a cooler, a decorated watering can, and a toaster, I put everything into it. I exposed my negatives and printed various prints in my darkroom, toning them in selenium. I couldn’t wait to see them in the paper the next day…
Until I saw the results.
1980
I went back in Rockport for a workshop when I met
Paul CAPONIGRO
who taught me one of the most important lessons to the art of photography and life in general – slow down and observe the world going by.
Paul Caponigro, Rockport, Maine, 1980
It was this approach that helped him create the landscapes that drew me (and the world) in with a sense of drama and mystery.
1989
Irving Penn’s commercial photography was art. It was simple, the compositions natural and yet still distinctively his. He inspired me.
So I wrote him and included a painting I was working on. This was his reply. This simple, kind act of recognition lit a fire under me.
Hydrangea, silk and resin, 1989
Letter From Mr. Penn, 1989
It’s easy to forget how big an impact it can have.
1991
Lightning strikes
I was traveling the southwest when I met a stranger in his truck. I had a 50mm lens and extension tube on on my Hasselblad at the time. It gave me a wide view with the ability to focus very close.
This was the photo I shot.
I thought it had a cool vibe so I started using it in my promotional materials, hoping the right person would see it. Eventually they did.
Cigarette, Los Cerrillos New Mexico, 1991
1992
TOM FAth
Darrell Winfield and Tom Fath, Mound City, Missouri, 1992
The Originals, Mound City, Missouri, 1992
Tom Fath was a creative director who worked at Leo Burnett, they were looking for something distinctive for one of their biggest clients — Marlboro.
Little did I know that would take me from a pool hall in Mound City, Missouri to every corner of the American West capturing these unsung heroes. It was a massive effort for all of us.
And an even bigger adventure.
Editing Kodachromes, Dubois, Wyoming, 1992
1993
Ron Nelken, EVP LEo Burnett
A champion of creative excellence, Ron was one in a million. His ability to be decisive and unwavering in his pursuit of greatness in the work was coupled with an ability to set a tone of positivity and warmth. He was simultaneously demanding and encouraging. The bar he set was high but he made it so rewarding to clear. He is deeply missed by so many.
Ron Nelken, Hudson, New York 2016
1995
The more I got immersed in advertising and commercial photography, the more I wanted to learn from Albert Watson. His dramatic light control and direction to his talent produced such dramatic, luscious portraits.
Albert Watson in Studio, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 1995
This is David krantz, my paternal grandfather. in 1914 he emigrated from belarus to america and settled in omaha.
and, 81 years later, i forced him to be my test subject so i could put my newfound, albert watson inspired skills to the test.
David Krantz (b.1907) Omaha, Nebraska, 1995
1999
My New STUDIO
Chicago Studio, 1999
Omaha was simple and easy. Chicago?
It was Complex and challenging, filled with other amazing photographers. This was the big leagues – both terrifying and thrilling at the same time.
2004
Letter From Mr. Penn, 2004
Jim Krantz, Blue Stain, resin and silk, 2004
I kept working. Irving Penn kept being nice.
2006
Up to this point in my life, I have only focused on photography and creating my own style.
But suddenly people started to try and make it their own.
2007
New York Times ARTICLE
I always dreamt of being in the Guggenheim. This isn’t how I thought it would go…
2009
Antonin Kratochvil
I traveled with Antonin twice to Chernobyl — in foreign, restricted and possibly toxic locations. It was here I got to see how Antonin works, many times without even looking through his viewfinder, to capture raw emotion. Each image a master class on random, spontaneous beauty.
Antonin Kratochvil, Chernobyl, Ukraine, 2009
Through him I learned how he would quickly get inside of each situation, not as an observer but as a integral component of the moment.
PRIPYAT, UKRAINE
It is impossible to visit this abandoned city and walk these deserted streets without leaving changed, not just as a photographer but as a human. It is profound. It is history. And tragedy. But also contrast. Those who inhabit the “Zone” are self reliant and tough. Only the wildlife thrives.
Messages From The Zone, Chernobyl, Ukraine, 2009
I went with one camera body and one lens, a fixed 28mm and had no technical distractions. I had no idea of the powerful stories I would find.
2010
Opening night at Colette, Adam Kimmel x Jim Krantz
COLETTE | PARIS
Adam Kimmel and I had a show together to celebrate his new western-inspired clothing line. More than a few Parisian cowboys were born that day.
Lucie’s home
The Lucie Awards honors photographic achievement. I am very humbled and proud that my work — The Way of the West — was chosen. I was happy to thank everyone who supported me throughout my career, it has always been a team effort.
2015
Nothing can prepare you to share a show with Ansel Adams. Nothing.
DANZIGER GALLERY
NYC exhibition banners
Danziger Gallery installation
Ansel Adams contact prints and chairs
Ansel Adams' “Moonrise Over Hernandez’ and Krantz chairs
2016
SUPREME X JIM KRANTZ
Photographs and textiles are a perfect medium for photographic imagery.
Virgil Abloh liked it too.
2020
HOLLYWOODLAND:100 YEARS / 100 Stories
Hollywoodland developers portrait 1923
Confinement led to boredom led to the portraits of our entire neighborhood. It eventually transformed into a community-building project that celebrated 100 years of Hollywoodland, our home.
It’s the only good thing to come out of COVID.
Hollywoodland’s Centennial Portrait, 2023
2020
I met test pilot Jim “JB” Brown on a Red Bull shoot.
Now I’m the creative director in charge of the build of the Flight Test Museum, honoring the bravery of the test pilots of Edwards Air Force Base.
I guess I really love Cowboys. Even the ones in the sky.
2021
Modernica style meets jacquard textiles meets cowboy comfort.
2021
DANZIGER GALLERY WITH ROBERT FRANK
Robert Frank , I’m not worthy!
2023
FREDERICK SOMMER
Frederick Sommer was a surrealist. Unfortunately, hours before I got there, a tree went all brutalist on his studio, crushing it. But his spirit was still in tact.
Naomi Lyons (Fredericks assistant from 1985-1999) at Studio Crash Site, Prescott, Arizona, 2023
I still learned a lot and it definitely was surreal seeing all the objects that appeared in his seminal photographs strewn about like his compositions.
Lead Cast, Prescott, Arizona
Sommers’ Open Book, “Virgin and Child with St. Anne and the Infant St. John’, Prescott, Arizona, 2023
