Going North

Today we sit down with Jack Ludlam, an amazing photographer who shares his story with us. Jack’s experience as a student is one that is so familiar for so many students, they want to go North when the system is trying to push them in a different direction. He reminds us that imagery is part of learning, we’ve been using it for millenia to show our experiences and emotions. Jack gives us different examples for how we can use photography to continue to help our students tell their stories and encourage learning.

Photography came into Jack’s life very organically.  On occasion, the bow or the fishing rod in his hand would be replaced by a camera usually taken without permission from his mother who would only realize that he had taken her camera when he would ask for the film to be developed at the local Walgreens. After obsessing over Richard Avedon’s body of work “In The American West” Jack knew he wanted to create work that stripped all distraction from the subject matter. These people and their processes are irreplaceable. The rust, the scratches, the wear, and tear, those are what tell stories.

Intro song: Poet's Row, Young Bones