Beth Trepper Photography- powered by SmugMug

Photography Galleries

WELCOME : Artists are often asked, "What inspires you? Why do you do what you do?" The latter I find an odd question. To put into words why I am a photographer is to risk sounding nebulous and pretentiously "artsy". Better left unasked, better left unanswered.

The former question, however, I find exciting! How many ways there are to embrace inspiration, and how varied the response from artist to artist! The keen relationship between the "before" (the vision) and the "after" (the visuals) is sacred and personal to each artist.

I create images simply because I am motivated to do so, on a fairly regular basis. It is as natural to me as breathing.

Viewers may find my photographic style quite simple; this is intentional. As computer technology takes us further and further away from the original photography masters such as Alfred Stieglitz, Gertrude Kasebier and Paul Strand, I find myself more determined than ever to continue my work emulating their style: I prefer to shoot in natural daylight and to not be concerned with razor-sharp focus. My intention is to conjure a mood, not merely an image. And though I am happily embracing my leap into the sea of digital photography, I will continue to emphasize the traditional tools of film. After all, I thoroughly enjoy being in my darkroom, bringing forth each photograph by hand.

But executing the photographs is only half the pleasure; the real kick is simply becoming aware of the images in my imagination or in my viewpoint, or capturing a fleeting moment unexpectedly.

Making photographs is intoxicating, and I intend to imbibe all I can.

Island : Island

We may spend a lifetime in search of that elusive region where our heart and soul feel most at home. I call this a “Sense of Place”. I am fortunate, in that I discovered my Sense of Place in early adulthood. Indeed, I discovered two places: the mountains and canyons of northern Arizona, and the deserted beaches of a
tiny tropical island. For many years now, I have divided my time between the two. Both places have shaped who I am and have brought to me the feelings of peace and solitude so vital in nourishing my artistic spirit.

These photographs are a celebration of my one Sense of Place, the island. Bathed in muted pastels, a tiny sanctuary delicately balanced in the vastness of an enormous turquoise sea. My home, my haven. Island.

De-Lovely : “De-Lovely"

I’ve always believed I was born in the wrong era. I suppose many people feel a tie to another period in time other than the present. For me, it is the early Twentieth Century through the Jazz Age and Great Depression, when all my creative heroes were busy producing their masterpieces - on paper, on canvas, on film and in song.

Alfred Stieglitz had just introduced Americans to the world’s most innovative artists - Picasso, Cezanne, Rodin, Georgia O’Keeffe,and Edward Steichen, among others. Scott and Zelda held court, with Cole Porter as King. There was such a beautiful, uncalculated freedom of expression emerging for the first time among equally free-spirited artists and musicians. Images of these early years continually dance in my imagination - grainy, soft, ethereal - and it is not so much from any one particular artist that I derive inspiration for my work, but rather, from the excitement of fresh, uninhibited creativity, newly discovered.

These images celebrate my own personal Sense of Time, incorporating passion, humor, independence and beauty ~ my lifeblood as a woman and as an artist.

NEW IMAGES! : NEW IMAGES!

After many years of frustration living on such a gorgeous island and never having anyone to model for me, I was recently fortunate enough to find three lovely young women - all artists themselves - who agreed with me that it would be loads of fun to drag a duffle bag filled with vintage dresses and hats and vamp it up on the beach. Thank you to Amie, Sann-Sann and Jessica. I look forward to future photo shoots. There's no end to where our collective goofy imaginations can take us!

The Body Electra : The Body Electra

Nothing is at once as electrifying and innocent as the human body, unclothed. Our body is our vessel, our own personal time machine traveling on our lifetime journey. Not one of us is exactly like another. I view the human form as a bodyscape, with various shapes and textures, changing and evolving as we are exposed to the elements. But it is also our armor, our fortress, our secret. Depending upon how we move, where and when we let others view our naked form, how much of it we share with others. Our body, then, is our Sense of Expression.

The Body Electra

People You Won't Recognize : People You Won’t Recognize

Though I photograph unknown everyday people we all pass on the street, I am especially drawn to those individuals who have a unique Sense of Self and, therefore, stand out in a crowd. Supermodels and celebrities are someone else’s invention; I focus on people like us, whose signature style is a combination of confidence, style and personal creativity. This is what makes a person attractive, and these attributes come in all shapes and sizes, young and old, and cross the cultural landscape. In the midst of anonymity, our similarities are recognizable.

I am especially grateful to all the amazing, colorful and creative people of Flagstaff, Arizona who allowed me to interact with them with my camera, many of whom are featured in this gallery.

People You Won't Recognize

Connemara and Beyond : Connemara and Beyond

If it's possible to be as deeply and passionately in love with a place as with a person, then Ireland is my true paramour, land of my family roots. It's not just the breathtaking landscape of patchwork greens and jaw-dropping, rugged vistas, nor the stirring traditional music that so profoundly touches my soul. It's the people of Ireland who warm my heart with their gentleness, their inherent strength and staunch work ethic, their modesty, optimism and faith - all despite their country's tortured history. When I'm in Ireland, I can take a deep breath, exhale and say, "Ah, this is life as it should be lived. This is community. This is peace."

Connemara and Beyond

Land of Africa : Land of Africa

Isak Dinesen wrote, "Once you have caught the rhythm of Africa, you find it is the same in all her music". Indeed, it is impossible to walk in the fields of Africa or sleep in the bush beneath a thousand stars and not have all of one's senses electrified by the sheer magnitude of Africa's powerful rhythms. The wild night eyes of the hyena gazing out from total darkness, the sweet scent of the ocher earth, the haunting songs of the schoolchildren, the feel of delicately woven fabric in the marketplace, the taste of exotic curries simmering in a clay pot on an outdoor fire - in Africa, it is possible to taste the rich soil without actually imbibing it, and to feel the kinetic drumbeat throughout one's entire body. To experience Africa is to know true sensory Nirvana.

People You Might Recognize : Years ago, upon graduating college with a degree in Photojournalism and still exploring what avenue of photography I wanted to pursue, I found work freelancing for several music magazines and well-known concert venues. I eventually ended up as Graphics Director for a leading Reggae recording label in Washington, DC. My Dad had always wanted me to be a nurse or a veterinarian; instead, I found myself the only woman on a concert tour bus with 17 Jamaican Rastafarian recording artists - as the Publicity Agent, not as a groupie! I am grateful for those years traveling the country, sitting in at recording sessions, shooting album covers, making sure the artists showed up for their radio interviews and buying them matching socks; But I'm just as glad that I am now a grownup and back on the consumer's side of listening to music - all sorts of music.

People You Might Recognize

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