Featured Guild Artist

Artist Profile - Lauren A. Milliken: Black & White Landscape Photographer

I was born in New York City and raised in Suburban Chicago by

parents from vastly different backgrounds. My mother is from

Queens, New York and my father grew up in rural Franklin, Kentucky.

That’s the answer to the question I am asked most often: What

brought you to small town Franklin, Kentucky?

Having spent many summers and holidays in Franklin as a youth, the

transition to small town, country living fifteen years ago was easy. My

husband also had a similarly easy transition being the son of a rural

Minnesota father and grandparents.

I always had an infinity for all types of art (drawing, painting,

ceramics, etc.) and even attended art classes at the Chicago Art

Institute as a child. But, my passion for photography began in the

early 80’s when I was attending Columbia College in Chicago. My

first year art class was Black & White Photo Composition and

Darkroom Techniques. I was hooked after being introduced to

incredible images of Depression Era photographers Dorothea Lange

and Walker Evans whose photos captured not only the harshness of

the rural life but the bravery and fortitude of their subjects.

My Darkroom Techniques professor was an old, chain-smoking fellow

from Michigan City, Indiana whose practically every answer to my

every question was, “I don’t know, why don’t you try it.” I learned so

much from that man! My Photo Composition professor was a young,

energetic and very straightforward man from New York City.

Composition class consisted of critiquing each other’s work and

nobody’s feelings were spared. The entire class, myself included,

became expert art critics.

The most important element of photography I learned from my

professors was: DO NOT press that shutter button until you have

your final shot lined up in the view finder. This became instinctive for

two reasons: 1) we were poor college students and the film was so

expensive, and 2) we were not allowed to crop or edit our photos for

composition class. Consequently, we couldn’t afford to take a slew of

pictures, but, most of all we wanted to minimize the brutality of the

Composition Class critiques. Even now, in this day of digital

photography I practice this philosophy.

While I also have had the opportunity of working as an on-field

photographer for the Chicago Bears for two seasons and have done

studio and portrait photography, my primary focus has always been

Black & White Landscape Photography. I find great pleasure in

creating high contrast images that evoke tranquility and a connection

to the land. My portfolio includes scenes from Lake Michigan,

Western Ireland, Coastal South Carolina and now South Central

Kentucky and Tennessee.

My first professional photography exhibit was sixteen years ago at the

Gallery on the Square in downtown Franklin, Kentucky. The show

was called, “Old Country, New Country and a Place Called Home”

and depicted my Franklin family’s journey from Ireland to the

Carolinas and eventual settling in Franklin, Kentucky. It was actually

this show and the overall friendliness and support of the local art

community that prompted us to relocate to Simpson County.

Living the country life in Kentucky offers incredible prospects on a

daily basis for a landscape photographer. Just a drive to town, a walk

to the barn or bike ride around the “neighborhood” presents a photo

opportunity. Crop patterns, lines, shadows, shapes, skies, old barns,

churches, old farm houses, front porches, combines, grain trucks,

grain silos, irrigation systems, cows, horses, birds…a never ending

supply of subjects to photograph.

Our country home is surrounded by hundreds of acres of cropland

which my neighbors farm. Consequently, I take a lot of photos of

their land. Remarkably, my neighbors are able to identify the exact

location of each photo I have taken of their corn, beans, wheat or

cows!

Most of my rural photos I have scoped out during full daylight and

then returned at dawn or dusk to press that shutter button, when

shadows are prevalent and contrast is greater. Other times the colors

have been so brilliant I have resorted to an actual color photograph.

Lauren A. Milliken lives on beautiful Fanore Farms in Northwest

Simpson County with her husband Howie Marsh, donkey Juanito

(The Burro of Queens), horse Dutch, pony Lorena, cats Jerry and

Finn and Golden Retriever Katie. Ms. Milliken’s work is on display at

the Simpson County Courthouse, the Gallery on the Square in

Franklin, Kentucky and at various exhibits affiliated with Artworks,

Bowling Green, Kentucky. You can contact her directly at

270-776-0278 or lauren@fanorefarms.com.

Lauren Milliken

Photographer