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My name is Cody Cianfrance. I am a young photographer who loves to go out into the wilderness and be with wildlife. I like to share my wildlife experiences with other people through photography. I love the thrill of seeing the animal in the viewfinder and feeling the great relief and sensation of getting the perfect shot.

The history of wildlife photography is generally thought to have begun in the mid-19th century, shortly after the dawn of modern photography. In 1892, British photographer Cherry Kearton is considered to have taken one of the earliest wildlife photographs along with his brother Richard Kearton of a bird’s nest with eggs.

Capturing images of wildlife in nature has come a long way, from the earliest cave paintings to the advent of the digital age. In the right hands, today’s technology can reveal new and poetic moments in nature, contributing to this rich canon of exploration and expression. Cody Cianfrance is a young photographer from Brooklyn, NY. According to his bio, Cody received his first camera at the age of 6 and photographed only birds for nearly a decade, before opening up his lens to the world of mammals. This new interest required Cody to adopt different tactics in his image quest, because as he puts it, “you have to hunt in order to find them”. An insightful understanding of terra firma versus the sky above lofty peaks.

The digital era has allowed us to take endless pictures without much thought to process. Apps
like Instagram have provided a continuous stream of over saturated content without any
concern beyond something to post — so it’s refreshing when a young photographer exercise
patience, is interested in aesthetics and transcends the never-ending fodder of social media.
This is no small feat—it requires discipline and a dedicated vision, which is abundant in the
photographs in this exhibition. Cody’s use of figure ground feels intuitive and deliberately
connected to the pictorial tension in his photographs, while the use of local color conveys a
sensitivity which in turn becomes a collaborative element alongside his primary subjects.
The photographs in this exhibition demonstrate a passionate and sophisticated eye, simply put,
these photographs are a joy to look at and embody a unique clarity that seamlessly runs
through them.

This is a wonderful exhibition by a young photographer that deserves to be celebrated!
Cherry Kearton and his bother Richard Kearton, photographing a bird’s nest.

David Goerk
NYC
Fall, 2024