Getting the Shot
Photographer John Scanlan travels the world to capture the essence of a place
Photography: Scott Sine
The Vision
John Scanlan never photographs people. “There is no personality in my shots,” he explains. “You put your own [personality] into them.” As admirers view the jaw-dropping portraits of architecture and landscapes that hang in his gallery, Windows to the World, they understand what he means.
Most of Scanlan’s photographs depict nature that has been altered in some way by man — “something that the human spirit has been motivated to do.” He captures a field of lavender plowed in perfect rows, a cottage window box filled with vivid color and a glassy lake reflecting a historic village. Scanlan says he is fascinated with man’s intervention and intends his photos to be “quiet memorials to the good things about humanity.”
Scanlan believes people hunger for a safe visual haven. “We yearn to be surrounded with beauty,” he says.
“We are overwhelmed with news imagery and bombarded by violent and disturbing visual images. I prefer to bring peace to my photos and focus on a world of hope.” Viewers are mesmerized by the tranquility and precision of his images and find in them a comforting oasis from life’s frenetic pace.
The Photographer
Tall and ruggedly handsome, John Scanlan grew up on a farm in Nebraska and studied marketing and advertising at the University of Nebraska. His future wife Debora got him involved in her hobby of photography and encouraged him to pursue it.
The Nebraska farm boy is often amused that he’s known for his sophisticated visual artistry and international image. Unschooled in any method, he started with a “fresh eye,” learned as he went along, and photographed what pleased him. He began showing his photos at art fairs and soon realized that his hobby could become a full-time profession. Now photography consumes his life to the point where he has a difficult time relaxing while on vacation because he sees photo possibilities everywhere.
True to his rural roots, Scanlan lives on 27 acres in the tiny community of Glenwood, Iowa. In addition to his gallery there, he is building a destination winery and banquet cen-ter on the property, designing every detail of the complex himself. “Everything in my life is an extension of my visual philosophy.”
The Locations
Scanlan explains how he chooses his shooting locations by saying, “It’s about five percent destination and 95 percent what I find along the way.” He tries to find the “significance and power of a place” and deliberately avoids the most photographed tourist destinations. “I drive down every farm road and walk down every little street. I take a long time to get to know a spot.” Of his signature images of doorways, he explains, “Doorways are important. They are the first impression and identify the country you are in.”
Scanlan had no ambition to travel outside the United States until a 1985 vacation to Ireland opened the world to him. Now he takes most of his photos in foreign countries, planning three trips a year to new locales and constantly saving clippings and making notes for future excursions. South America is next on his list.
“Some places are just not photogenic,” he says, while others provide shots everywhere he turns, like the wine shop in Tuscany where he spotted old moss-covered bottles artfully arranged on a shelf. It became one of his most popular images. “You can find beauty in the smallest thing, in shapes, in colors.” Sometimes his “little bit of beauty” is found while he is standing in a parking lot or on a cobblestone street, focusing on a vine-covered storefront or a bicycle leaning against a painted wall.
The Audience
“This is just too perfect!” people say when experiencing a Scanlan photograph for the first time. Many think the photos must be paintings or believe the precision comes from doctoring them in some way. Since photography is one of the most popular hobbies in the world, many people are interested in emulating the finest examples of the craft, including the many professional photographers who have become Scanlan customers.
Scanlan’s travel-savvy fans often comment that “they feel like they are being transported” by his photographs and constantly suggest places for him to shoot. His book of photographs is often used as a travel guide. “I could have a full-time job as a travel agent!” he laughs. Here in the states, he sells work to people from all over the world, including some Norwegian tourists who bought a photograph taken just a few miles from their home.
For 13 years, Scanlan has maintained a gallery in Park City where he came to ski as a boy. He also maintains galleries in Las Vegas and Iowa, in addition to a Web site, scanlan.com. He travels all over the country to art festivals and shows where he loves “the instant feedback and gratification that my work is appreciated.” He is currently in discussions for a television version of a photo workshop that would let viewers shadow his photo shoots.
The Shot
With a camera around his neck and tripod in hand, Scanlan scrambles over a rail fence and wades into knee-deep meadow grass to find the perfect angle for his shot. He sets down his tripod, adjusts his camera and zeros in on his subject. He strives for “a shot that no one else has done.” Sometimes finding the ideal vantage point is a challenge. He’s had several close calls with disaster, like when he perched on the edge of a cliff in Norway to get the perfect shot of a waterfall. He admits to lucky “one shot wonders” — chance photos that are unexpectedly dazzling.
Scanlan usually carries several cameras, including a Pentax 67 and a Fuji 6x17 panoramic “that takes slides the size of dollar bills.” His “simple and expensive” cameras are not digital.
“I am not a high tech person,” he explains. “The camera is just a tool.” He transfers the photos to a drum scanner and stores them in a high-resolution digital file, then completes Fuji crystal archive processing on a Chromera photographic printer. Each shot is printed a limited number of times before it is retired.
Influenced by the artist Monet, Scanlan’s color-saturated images have a painterly look. Known for his expertise with light, Scanlan says, “I understand the light and how much it plays in the emotional reaction [to a photograph].” Waiting for the right light is sometimes an exercise in patience. “You have to chase it,” he says. Volatile weather often results in the best shots, especially before or after a rainstorm. He often waits for the rain to stop “to get the silver lining of the sun.”
In the meadow and satisfied with his angle, Scanlan snaps away, then steps back and smiles. He’s got the shot.
Scanlan Windows to the World • 545 Main Street, Park City • 435.658.3696
Tina Stahlke Lewis worked on the other side of the lens as a fashion model in New York and Paris during the 1960s. Only recently has she picked up a camera to view the world as a photographer does.
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