Works
Overview
"I know myself enough to realize that I have little to no idea when I have an interesting image. That comes later when I see the negatives." - Michael Kenna
Michael Kenna's quiet approach to the environment provides a glimpse into the provocative and subtle serenity of landscape photography. Michael creates dream-like scenes by combining innovative and traditional photographic techniques. The results are soft, stark, enigmatic views of gardens, industrial sites, land, and seascapes from around the world. His photographs suggest contemplation and a poetic vision.
Biography
"I think the whole analog process exudes calm. For me, it’s a meditational journey. I’m absolutely sure that I could be a photographer without film, without images. I could go through the whole process: travel to places, look for situations and scenery, spend hours exposing, looking at subject matter, and not have a result. It would be frustrating in some ways because I couldn’t make a living, but it is a wonderful process to work as a photographer. I just love what I do from start to finish." - Michael Kenna
Michael was born in 1953 in Widnes, Lancashire, in the industrial northwest of England and studied at the Banbury School of Art and the London College of Printing, graduating with distinction in 1976. In London, Michael undertook advertising photography while pursuing his personal work-photographing the landscape. In 1977, he moved to San Francisco, where he met Ruth Bernhard and became her assistant and photographic printmaker for eight years. Michael is equally dedicated to the darkroom and makes his own prints ensuring a subdued, intimate atmosphere in every image. In 2000, the French government honored with the award of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters.
Publications
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Easter Island
Michael Kenna Michael Kenna , 2001hardcoverRead more
Publisher: Nazraeli Press
Dimensions: 12.5 X 13.25 Inches -
A Twenty Year Retrospective
Michael Kenna Michael Kenna , 1994Hardcover , 130 pagesRead more
Publisher: Treville
Dimensions: 11.5 X 12 Inches -
The Rouge
Michael Kenna Michael Kenna, 1995HardcoverRead more
Publisher: Ram Publications
Dimensions: 11 X 13 Inches -
Japan
Michael Kenna Michael Kenna, 2003Hardcover, 108 pagesRead more
Publisher: Nazraeli Press
Dimensions: 12.5 x 13 inches
