Kennas work is really stunning as he captures some beautiful landscape imagery from some of his favorite photo destinations in which he frequents and as you can see, they definitely yield some amazing photographs.
Growing up in Lancashire, England, Michael Kenna entered a seminary school at the young age of eleven. With art as his strongest subjects, instead of becoming a priest, he applied to an art school, advancing onto studying photography at the London College of Printing. Though it wasn’t until the mid 70’s when Kenna moved to the US and started to discover that he could make a living from his passion for photography. Known for his breathtaking black and white landscapes, Kenna prefers to revisit his photo locations rather than simply going from one place to another. Among them are China, India and perhaps most importantly Japan, where he travels regularly.
“Imagine being out at night, alone, under starry skies. Listening to silence, watching the world slowly move, all senses alive, thinking, imagining, dreaming. The camera is recording, creating, documenting, seeing what the eye cannot see – cumulative time. Or the sensation of being in a field as the snow falls on a single, exquisite tree. White all around, just the sound of snow falling.”
Check out Michael Kenna Photography
AWARDS:
2003 – Honorary Master of Arts, Brooks Institute, Santa Barbara, California, USA
2000 – Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters, Ministry of Culture, France
1996 – Golden Saffron Award, Consuegra, Spain
1989 – Institute for Aesthetic Development Award, Pasadena, California, USA
1987 – Art in Public Buildings Award, California Arts Council Commission, Sacramento, California, USA
1981 – Imogen Cunningham Award, San Francisco, California, USA
The list of PUBLISHED BOOKS AND CATALOGS is very impressive. From it, I mention he’s “A Twenty Year Retrospective” publication from 2002. Publishers: Nazraeli Press, USA (English edition) and Editions Treville, Japan (Japanese edition). Reprint of 1994 Treville book. Essay by Ruth Bernhard. Introduction by Peter C. Bunnell. 130 photographs.
