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Some know me as an equine photographer, while others know me as the guy who rides a mule (Future Hope) in dressage competitions.  Many also know me as a teacher and author.

While equine and nature photography is one of my passions, my real "day job" is at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids Michigan, where I teach graduate social work with a doctorate in sociology. So, what does this have to do with equine and nature photography? Plenty. It’s what got me started.

When my wife bought her first horse, I became fascinated by the herd hierarchy. Like a good sociologist, I sat for hours observing horses interacting in their pasture and around the barn.  Before I knew it, and with the help of a mule named Future Hope, I was hooked. Within months, my wife and I left the city and bought a farm. For a life-long city boy who didn't own a hammer, this was a major culture shift. 

Immediately after relocating, I began soaking in the beauty and peace that surrounds us every day, things I took for granted for most of my life. Beyond building fences, horse chores, and riding my mule and zorse, I searched for ways to capture those moments in nature that left me awestruck. That’s when I began taking my photography more seriously.

I love the creativity and expression in photography. I have been a photographer for many years, but found my photographic eye when I began working exclusively with equine, animals, and nature.  With mother nature's creations as my subjects, I find an eye for movement, color, natural lighting and just the right angle.

My photography is real – nothing is staged. I don’t use special lighting or Photoshop "tricks" to create an image.  My work flourishes in natural settings – flowers in a garden bed or a field, horses playing in the pasture and cats and dogs being, well, cats and dogs.  Animals and nature drives my artistic energy and enriches my soul. 

This is the intimacy that I strive to capture, especially through unique close-up photos and in the eyes of horses.  I hope you find, through my lens, the same serenity, peace, and glory that I find in nature.

To learn more about my “real-job”, visit www.jerryljohnson.com

Retail Outlets

West Michigan customers can find my photographs and greeting cards at the following locations:

Gallery 154
1456 Lake Drive SE
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506
www.gallery154.com

Jackson’s Western Store
1110 West Superior
Wayland, MI 49348
www.jwstore.com

Millbrook Tack and Trailer
510 68th Street SW
Grand Rapids, MI 49548
www.millbrook-tack.com

Family Farm and Home

US 131 @ the Wayland Exit

Wayland, Michigan

University Bookstore--Downtown Campus

Grand Valley State University

US 131 @ Pearl Street

Grand Rapids, Michigan

University Bookstore--Allendale Campus

Kirkhoff Center

Grand Valley State University

Allendale, Michigan

If you own a gallery or retail outlet and would like to carry my photography, please contact me at jjphotography@hughes.net

or by telephone at 616-250-0349.