About Jack Brauer
I live in Ouray, Colorado, in the heart of the mighty San Juan Mountains. Though my passion for the mountains long preceded my passion for photography, I have found that photography often provides the motivation to explore places I might not usually hike to, in weather I might not usually prefer to hike in, at times of day that I might usually rather be sleeping. The result is that my photography takes me to spectacular scenes I might not witness otherwise, and I hope to share these scenes with others through my photos and prints.
I make most of my photographs in remote wilderness areas, usually backpacking for many miles and oftentimes bushwhacking through the woods to explore places where no trails exist. For me the joy of photography is intertwined with the joy of immersing myself in nature, and the challenges of photography are inseparable from the challenges of traveling through the mountains on my own two feet. When I'm in the mountains sometimes I capture that pre-envisioned image I was hoping for, other times I am surprised with something totally different, and often I come back emptyhanded. But I am rarely disappointed, because being out there is already the reward.
The earth is a big place with lots of variety, but in my opinion it doesn't get much better than relaxing next to an alpine lake, surrounded by towering mountains and wide views. One goal of my photography is to record and communicate some of those moments of paradise in nature. Also more generally, I want to show the purity, grandeur and unique character of mountains and perhaps inspire people to appreciate and respect the remaining wilderness for themselves.
I first started playing with cameras while I was in college at the University of Colorado in Boulder, where I graduated with a BA in Fine Arts Printmaking (mostly intaglio, but also lithography, woodcuts, and screenprinting).
Please visit my blog to read more about my latest adventures.
You can also read more about me and my photography in the following published interviews: Switchback Travel, Photo Bards, Cowboys & Indians, and ELFPA.
I also wrote an extensive article on PhotographyLife.com called Originality in the Grand Landscape, in which I explain my motivations and strategies in mountain photography.
About Jack's Camera Equipment
For years I exclusively used a Tachihara 4x5 large format film wooden field camera, with fixed focal length Schneider and Nikkor lenses. You can learn more about the large format camera and see examples of its high resolution here.
However, my current camera system is a Canon 5DII 21mp digital SLR with Canon tilt/shift prime wideangle lenses and a Contax/Zeiss zoom lens. This camera system offers the convenience of digital workflow while still offering the optical precision of lens movements that I am used to with the large format camera, along with excellent image quality and resolution. At less than half the weight of the 4x5 system, this camera is now my go-to camera for backpacking trips when it is unhealthy to carry the 20+ lbs. of large format equiment.
For hiking, snowboarding, and other "action" photos, I use a Panasonic GX1 micro 4/3 camera with 20mm pancake lens.
In the past I have also used Olympus E-420 and E-620 digital SLRs with Olympus Zuiko 7-14mm, 12-60mm, and 70-300mm lenses.
Beyond the camera gear, you can also see a list of my backpacking gear here.
About Jack's Fine Prints
My prints are pigment-based ink prints, sometimes referred to as "giclee" prints. These stunning, museum-quality photographs are printed on Crane Museo Silver Rag, a luxurious heavyweight semi-gloss paper, using Epson K3 Ultrachrome inks, resulting in incredibly vibrant colors and high archival ratings.
I also offer several unique archival display options, which are clean and modern-looking alternatives to traditional framing. Duraplaq mounting is my most popular display option - an affordable, glass-free, wood-mounted and UV laminated style which greatly reduces glare and is easy to clean. Another option is my Acrylic-glass mounting, which offers the ultimate in image clarity and vibrancy.
Check out the prints page for more information about the prints and mounting.