James Kellar is a photographer living and working in Bloomington, Indiana. James interest in photography began as a young teen when his father taught him how to develop film and then print in a converted bathroom in the family home. After he graduated from high school James worked in the restaurant business for several years until he decided to return to school and pursue his interest in photography as an occupation. At that time he entered the visual communication program at Ivy Tech Community College in Columbus, Indiana. While he never finished his degree James did proceed to turn a two year program into a six year program. In 1994 a local greeting card company, Sunrise Greetings, hired James. James started as a graphic artist but was soon offered the job as corporate photographer. Eventually, Hallmark Cards bought out Sunrise. Hallmark eventually closed down the Bloomington operation and moved Sunrise to Kanas City, Missouri. Not wanting to move from Bloomington James started working as a photographer for Bloom Magazine a local lifestyle publication and other freelance photography jobs plus other odd jobs until his semi retirement in 2016. In his retirement James spends most of his time working on his own photography projects and doing an occasional Bloom Magazine assignment.
Artist Statement
Whenever I am asked about the subjects of my photographs, I always say I am a visual archaeologist. I attribute this to my father, who was an archaeologist. I’m always looking for things to photograph that in some ways have been affected by humans and time. I take a lot of pictures of architecture that has been abandoned, or visually unusual. I’m drawn to photographing things that no one else thinks about taking pictures of.
In the past I’ve done a lot of heavily computer-manipulated photos, while I still use the computer as a tool, I have gone back to a more traditional look with my photography. My wish is that when someone sees my photographs they’ll think to themselves I can’t tell if this was shot on film or was digital. In fact, over the last year I have returned to using a film camera that I inherited from my father. This camera was made the year I was born.
The photographers who have influenced me the most are William Eggleston, Minor White, James Fee, Henry Holmes Smith, and, of course, the likes of Ansel Adams and Edward Weston among other.
