Birds Doing Stuff, a photo exhibit by Steve Jessmore

The School of Media & Communication is delighted to host Steve Jessmore and an exhibit of his award-winning work, “Birds Doing Stuff” in the Jody Richards Hall Gallery on the campus of Western Kentucky University March 4 – April 18. This project aims at showcasing the beauty and fragility of a tiny slice of Torch River, located in northwest Michigan, which also happens to be the photographer’s front yard. What’s at stake for this river, as for many other rivers that are lake tributaries, is the symbiotic relationship between an ecosystem and its human stewards.

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March 4

• Opening Reception  |  6:00 PM  | Jody Richards Hall Atrium
• Public Presentation  |  7:00 PM  |  Jody Richards Hall Auditorium

JRH Gallery Through April 18

• M-W: 9:00 am – 7:00 pm
• TH-F: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
• Gallery is closed when WKU is closed

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In 2020, COVID left a void. Steve Jessmore’s work, as many of us, was put on hold. People weren’t able to do things – Jessmore included. His wife Brenda challenged him. “You need to use your talents. Do what you always wanted to do. Who knows how long this will last. Every day is a gift from God and you have to make the best of each and every one like it was your last,” she said.

It took him a few months, but he finally found his inspiration and direction. He bought a kayak and, in his travels, discovered ducks and other birds. After spending hundreds of hours and making thousands of images, he believed he found what he had been looking for – Birds doing stuff. Turning a loss of freelance photography work and isolation from Covid to his advantage, Steve Jessmore vowed to make this gift of time a learning experience. Mid-2020 he began making pictures of his new-found passion. Using his career photojournalism skills and storytelling roots, Jessmore began capturing wildlife being wildlife and living their lives in the communities around him. Hundreds of hours and tens of thousands of photos later, he gained confidence in the new craft he was learning. In 2021 less than a year after starting to photograph birds, two of his images swept the professional division of the National 2021 Audubon Society’s photography contest, winning 1st and honorable mention. Following his community roots as a photojournalist, Jessmore has captured moments of wildlife nearly entirely in Michigan. He has photographed primarily near his Grand Rapids home and at their cottage on the Torch River. He believes there’s so much around him that he doesn’t need to chase the unusual to find satisfaction. “I love to create art in dynamic situations which feature wildlife moments in the communities around me’” he said. “I approach birds with the same ethics I’ve practiced in my photojournalism. I don’t make them fly, bait them or try to intrude on their lives, but rather let them be themselves. I am the casual observer creating images and making art.” Jessmore’s hope is that his images can be a voice for the birds, bringing awareness to these treasures that lives amongst us and how fragile the environment is. He would like us to take notice and realize we need to be stewards. We can enjoy our time among them, but realize we need to take care and preserve their habitat and our resources so we can all continue to live side by side. You can support Jessmore and help continue this important work here.

STEVE JESSMORE BIO

Steve Jessmore, of Alto, Mich., has been a photographer his entire life. Known for his community and storytelling focus, he was a 35-year photojournalist working as chief photographer/Director of Photography for the Flint Journal, The Saginaw News and the Myrtle Beach Sun News.  He’s won numerous Michigan, national and international photojournalism awards and has been named a five-time Michigan Photographer of the Year and Robert F. Kennedy Photojournalism awardee. He also was staff photographer for his alma mater Central Michigan University for five-years. In August of 2018 Jessmore stepped away from Central Michigan University, got married and moved to Grand Rapids. He began freelancing full time for colleges and universities which he continues to do.

When his freelance work was put on hold in 2020 due to Covid pandemic Jessmore struggled to stay busy. He set a goal to be constructive with his time, learn something new and set out to improve his photography. That experiment led him on a path to becoming an avid outdoor photographer with a love for all wildlife- but especially birds. In 2021, two of his bird images swept the professional division of the National 2021 Audubon Photography contest, winning 1st and HM. He won another first place in the 2022 national contest- The Fisher Prize for the most creative approach to photographing with his image “Feeding Frenzy” featuring Norther Shoveler ducks. This image also graced the cover of the Audubon’s summer awards issue magazine. His 2021 winning “Northern and Cardinal in Flight” is also featured on the official National Audubon 2023 membership card. Jessmore’s and his avian photography has been featured/published on WCMU’s Discover Michigan, NPR Stateside, WOOD-TV 8, M-LIVE and ABC On Your Side. He’s been published in National Audubon Magazine, The Smithsonian, Ducks Unlimited and Cornell Lab of Ornithology annual report. He’s had solo exhibitions of his art at the Baber Gallery at Central Michigan University, The Saginaw Art Museum, The Flint Art Walk, and also at Saginaw Valley State University.