Other Voices

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Mastery of dramatic shadowing

Dr. Carla Johnson, Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA, http://www.saintmarys.edu

Vernon Trent continues to work with film in a time when the argentique has become so rare that manufacturers have ceased making some of the paper.  In choosing film and developing it as toned gum prints, he gives us a depth and texture that we associate with earlier photography; at the same time we recognize his vision as distinctly modern.

Many photographers understand light;  not all understand the nuances of darkness as Vernon Trent does.  His “Dreams of Infinity”, with its voyeuristic perspective, shows his mastery of dramatic shadowing.  Sometimes the “WOW” factor in his work is basic geometry:  “The Immortal” is a stunning composition of lines that create subtle, multiple triangles.

Vernon Trent evokes the qualities of New Wave film but with greater softness – such veiled light and warm shadow.  This is what makes his work feel so vintage yet so contemporary all at the same time.  The emotion his work conveys captures the strength of the human heart in the face of life’s torments and losses.  This emotional power, as much as his technical tour de force, makes him one of the most fascinating photographers working today.

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Rau wie Schmirgelpapier

April 22, 2009 – Michael K. Trout – Photographer and writer

(…) Trent arbeitet so wie ein Restaurator für wertvolle Möbelstücke. Behutsam aber mit Nachdruck schleift er mit Schmirgelpapier den unwerten Lack ab, um an die feinen Maserungen des Holzes zu gelangen. Erst wenn dieser langwierige Prozess erledigt ist, wird Leinöl auf das Holz gestrichen und die Linien der Jahresringe zeigen das filigrane Muster des Lebens. Genauso fotografiert Vernon Trent die Bilder, die in meinem Gedächtnis leben. Und ganz oft sind es dann genau die Bilder, bei denen er nicht die Spuren des Schmirgelpapiers verdecken will. (read more)

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