Jon Ortner : Visions of Paradise : American Wilderness
Jon Ortner lives in the Berkshire Mountains on the border of New York and Massachusetts dividing his time between worldwide journeys of discovery and commercial photography assignments. Jon’s achievements as an artist, scholar, and adventurer are especially reflective of a life committed to passionately exploring the wonders and treasures of the natural world, these are reflected in his most recent international fine art publication presented here, Visions of Paradise: American Wilderness.
Jon’s advertising work has been featured in print and online by top international corporations that include Fuji, Kodak, and Nikon. His award-winning images and enlightening narratives have appeared in magazines such as GEO, Architectural Digest, Travel & Leisure, Outdoor Photographer, and National Geographic, and he has presented his work at the Rubin Museum of Art, the Explorers Club, and for the many of the National Parks.
Jon Ortner is the acclaimed author of eight internationally published fine-art books on such wide-ranging topics as the icons and architecture of Manhattan, the beauty of the human form, the sacred places and people of Southeast Asia, and the landscapes and geological wonders of the American Southwest
Ortner’s fine- art book publications include: Visions of Paradise: American Wilderness, Where Every Breath Is a Prayer, A Photographic Pilgrimage into the Spiritual Heart of Asia, Angkor: Celestial Temples of the Khmer Empire, Buddha, Manhattan: Dawn and Dusk, New York and Peak of Perfection.
Website:www.ortnerphoto.co
Book publication purchase::
Website under publications
Images Publishing
https://imagespublishing.com/us/book/visions-of-paradise/
ACC Art Books
https://www.accartbooks.com/us/book/visions-of-paradise/
Patricia Lanza : How did you decide to produce a photographic series from the American National Parks?
Jon Ortner : Visions of Paradise is not about the National Parks, although many of them are extensively featured in the book. More than anything, it is a personal journey of discovery, that represents my deep spiritual connection to nature, and my quest to find some of the most beautiful natural paradises in America. In addition to the National Parks, this book includes many National Monuments, National Forests, Preserves, Native American Tribal Lands, and other protected landscapes, where the stunning beauty and spirituality of these preserved lands remains and can still be experienced.
I have strived to rediscover and reinterpret the compelling beauty of many of my most cherished wilderness locations with portrayals of their sublime, dramatic, tranquil, and transcendent aspects. I have tried to celebrates America’s most humbling natural scenes—from the deserts and canyons of the Southwest to the botanical paradise of the vast deciduous forests of New England, and to the towering, ancient groves of California’s giant redwoods—by unfolding in soul-stirring images and words a spare and elegant story of a shared yet vulnerable national heritage.
In your research for this book how did you select the locations?
Ortner : I have always considered myself a scholar, artist, and adventurer. Since I started my career exploring and photographing in the Himalaya and Southeast Asia. I knew that photography for me was about meaning.
Photography was a way to closely examine reality, to understand it, and then to make art, specifically photographs, which illustrates and somehow explains the essence of what I have seen. Freezing in time, that moment, an exquisite slice of reality that now will last possibly for generations.
I believe you have to be an expert to create really meaningful images. In Asia when I trekked through the high peaks, such as Everest, Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, and spent months in a tent, walking more than 500 miles in a single trek. So as I researched the most visually stunning locations in America, I had the map reading, route finding, strong trekking, mind and body to be able to find, and then immerse myself in the spectacular beauty of the American Wilderness.
Discuss your photographic process for producing the images?
Ortner : All of the images in Visions of Paradise were created with the Fuji GX 617, 6×17 cm Panoramic View Cameras, with three lenses. And the Pentax 67II 6×7 cm Medium Format camera, with an assortment of 12 Pentax Lenses, All images were shot using Kodak T-Max 100, 120mm Black and White Film. All images were shot using a tripod. Because of the weight and bulk of this equipment, great care must be taken with route finding, especially when traversing remote and rugged areas in the fading light of twilight. Packs were often 45 pounds, or more, containing water, food, maps, fist-aid kits, and heavy tripods. Wilderness trails were often rocky, and muddy. Many treks involved locations that were from 12 – 15 miles, which required arriving at the trail head in the pre-dawn darkness, and retuning to the truck, at the end of the day, also in the dark. No cell service is available in the Grand Stairicase-Escalante National Monument, Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, Dine and Hopi Tribal Lands, Capitol Reef National Park, Death Valley National Park, The Bristlecone Pine Forests at tree line, in Inyo National Forest, California. And many other places in Nevada, Utah, Arizona, etc. In many of these wilderness areas, a person must ask themselves, how many spare tires do you have? How many shovels?
Discuss the timeline from the “photography” to how the book publication unfolded?
Ortner : Unexposed film is pre shipped by Fed Ex to our first location, just before we arrive. All the exposed film is shipped by Fed Ex to the labs. For the last 15 years getting film through Airport security has become impossible. Now, we just put all the empty film cameras and accessories through the scanning x-rays with no issues.
Physical contact sheets are made from all the original film negatives. The negatives are archivally stored, and then edited. All negatives are examined and chosen for the correct density and then scanned during the layout process.
What appeals to a book publisher, how many books in this edition and its distribution?
Ortner : Below are the publication specs for Visions of paradise. The book sells for the retail price of $125.00 dollars. It is considered the Top Lead Off publication for the Publisher, Images & ACC Art Books, for this year.
ACC is one of the largest art book distributers in the world. They represent and distribute for more than 100 other fine art book publishers around the world. They are based out of London, U.K. and have offices in Melbourne, Australia, Shanghai, China, and New York City in the U.S. They have now started publishing their own fine art photography books, in addition to their distribution business.
ACC and Images were familiar with many of my previous color, fine art photography books, including Buddha, Angkor: Celestial Temples of the Khmer Empire, and Canyon Wilderness of the Southwest, which was published in three special edition sizes. They were also familiar with my award winning black and white book, titled Peak of Perfection: Nude Portraits of Dancers, Athletes, and Gymnasts.
Recently, they have had great success with their black and white books on Cowboy culture, photographed by Anouk Masson Krantz, and were looking for another black and white photo book, especially one that included Landscapes, Wilderness, and many of the famed National Parks. I have been shooting this book for more than 10 years, and was just starting to show it around to publishers. It seems that I presented the material to ACC at just the right time.
The Scanning of the large format negatives, Processing the scan files, and then layout and design, by Martha McGuire and Nicole Boehringer took a bit over a year. The book was printed in Belgium, by Graphius, and paper was matt finish, with slight varnish.
What are you looking to do with this series beyond the book publication and what are you working on presently?
Ortner : I hope to have Gallery exhibitions of the black and white prints from Visions of Paradise. And I am currently showing publishers images for another black and white book that is already finished. I hope to do another color book on the spiritual traditions in Asia, which is almost finished, but will require some additional photography to various locations in SE Asia.
Visions of Paradise: American Wilderness
Images Publishing Group & ACC Art Books
Printed by Graphius, Belgium,
Hardcover, 312 Pages, 201 Black & White Images, 11.2” x 14.2”
ISBN-10: 1864709715, ISBN-13: 978-1864709711
Copies: 5,000, 3 Four Page Gatefolds. Linen Cover, Embossed
$125.00
Visions of Paradise: American Wilderness
Collectors Edition, February 2025
signed and numbered, slip-cased, with 9” x 11” signed and numbered print,
200 copies.
$400.00
