Annual Art 2015

Artist Profile: L.R. Jasper

Cape Cod Art  /  Annual Art 2015 / ,

Writer: Nancy White

Artist Profile: L.R. Jasper

Annual Art 2015

Cape Cod Art  /  Annual Art 2015 / ,

Writer: Nancy White

Eastham photographer, L.R. Jasper’s goal is to create a connection between the viewer, the photographer and the single frame.

Duck Creek at high tide in Wellfleet, Cape Cod

Most photographs capture a single moment in time. Yet, a fine art photograph does so much more; it makes the viewer feel something. Eastham photographer, L.R. Jasper’s goal is to create a connection between the viewer, the photographer and the single frame.

“It’s about finding a picture that sings to me and resonates with others,” Jasper says.

The journey of creating art came later in life for Jasper, who had a 30-plus year career in information technology, including owning his software company, before focusing on photography. His growing interest in the art form coincided with the increasing prevalence of digital cameras and processing, which he says worked in his favor.

“I could see then that, based on what I knew of the industry, film was going to be a thing of the past. I had all the technical background needed to make the leap.” At age 50, he retired from his career and left his desk job for a life behind the lens.

“The technical part of photography was, for me, the easy part. The art part of photography, on the other hand, took a lot of trial and error, a lot of introspection, and thinking about what I was trying to accomplish with it,” Jasper says. It took three years of personal projects before he began showing his work. “It’s not a trivial transition from hobby to commercial success,” he says.

These days, he draws inspiration from, simply put, the world around him, and he counts himself lucky to live in one of the world’s most beautiful places. “As much as my wife and I travel—and we travel quite a bit—it’s always nice to come back to Cape Cod,” Jasper says.“The light here is incredible.”

Jasper hails from the Midwest—Indiana, to be exact—but fell in love with the Cape, and built a home in Eastham, minutes away from the beauty and serenity of the National Seashore.

Capturing the iconic images of the Cape—the Provincetown dunes, the ocean, the saltmarshes—is as much a part of his work as discovering the small natural details of the area that make it special. Think lichen, or fungi, or the changing colors of a pickleweed in a saltmarsh. “Anything that causes me to dust off my encyclopedia—that’s what I get interested in,” the photographer says.

Jasper approaches his work in different ways to keep his perspective fresh. Sometimes he sets out looking for a particular set of circumstances or setting, and just as often he goes out with his camera without a plan. “Every time I go out, I’m going to be surprised,” he says. “It’s amazing when you open your eyes what you will see.”

Eastham photographer, L.R. Jasper’s goal is to create a connection between the viewer, the photographer and the single frame.

This lighthouse is available for summertime rentals. Race Point, Provincetown, Cape Cod

Jasper is meticulous about every detail. He prints all his work using archival-quality paper and inks to ensure the photograph’s integrity in every aspect. “I want to stay very true to the photo as it was taken at that moment.”

Nancy White

A native of Hingham and a graduate of Boston College, Nancy White works in Boston as a writer for a digital marketing agency and lives in Hull with her husband and beloved Westie, Duncan. In recent years she has written many articles for Cape Cod LIFE including a piece on the history of Brewster’s Stony Brook Grist Mill as well as the ascension of a popular new sport in the area: Pickleball!