Written by Abby Wilson
Garrett Cornelison
Age 28
Company
Garrett Cornelison Photography & Design
Background
Raised by artists, Garrett Cornelison remembers being inspired by the photographs he saw at the first arts festival he attended as a child. Since then, he’s been taking photos himself, first with a film camera and now digitally. “My T-shirt would read something like, ‘Garrett Cornelison: Capturing the Moment Since 1988,’ ” says Cornelison, also a co-founder of 8/7 Central Inc., a local screen-printing and design company.
Specialty
As his self-portrait depicts (opposite page), Cornelison wears many hats as a photographer. He enjoys editorial work as well as shooting everything from fashion and music to landscapes and locales.
Websites
garrettcornelison.com; idreamtitwasapostcard.com
Tom Woolery
Age 46
Company
IKONIX Studio
Background
Up until last year, Tom Woolery was an IT consultant, with his photographic work limited to part-time gigs. Now a full-time photographer and studio manager, Woolrey says he’ll never look back; in fact, he says he loves everything about photography. “Seriously … everything,” he says. “ I love looking through the viewfinder. I love thinking about what the image will look like. I love the sound of the shutter. I could go on and on.”
Specialty
As his image suggests, Woolery is drawn to dramatic images that rely on light and shadow to convey feeling. He enjoys the conceptual aspect of photography, focusing on commercial and editorial projects. As a champion of the craft, he would like to someday teach more, he says. Currently, he offers workshops at his studio.
Website
ikonixstudio.com
Anna Jones
Age 28
Company
Anna Jones l Art of Photography
Background
For as long as she can remember, Anna Jones has simply had a thing for cameras. Be it in the darkroom at her high school practicing the perfect “dodge and burn” technique, or studying at the University of Iowa or in Australia and New Zealand, Jones has spent years absorbing all aspects of photographic knowledge.
Specialty
A family photo with shirts in similar shades, wide smiles, gazes forward and not one blink—the perfect shot? Many may say yes, but Jones has always been drawn to the idea of “wabi-sabi,” a Japanese concept that refers to the allure of imperfection. Whereas most photographers may scrap that shot of little Hazel scratching her nose, Jones sees potential. “There is a beauty in the details of life that, if captured correctly, can draw on so many emotions,” she says.
Website
annajonesartofphotography.com
Lori Nordstrom
Age “40-something,“ is how she puts it.
Company
Lori Nordstrom Studio
Background
Fifteen years ago, Lori Nordstrom fell in love with black-and-white photography, and her three children became her muses. Today, at her studio in Winterset, she continues to capture real-life moments for her clients.
Specialty
Nordstrom specializes in black-and-white portraits of children, finishing the photos with hand-painted touches of color. But in many ways, her product is home décor—specifically, custom wall concepts created with personal portrait art. Nordstrom says one of the main reasons people choose to work with her is that she “helps them decorate their homes with what matters most to them—family.”
Website
nordstromphoto.com
Ben Easter
Age 32
Company
Ben Easter Photography
Background
Ben Easter started his career in front of the camera as an actor, enjoying photography as a hobby. While working on a film project in Paris in 2008, Easter ended up employed at an advertising agency as a photographer after the owner noticed one of his photos. On his first shoot, he tried to hide the fact that he barely knew how to use the camera, he says. It didn’t take long, though, for his initial hobby and unlikely ad job to blossom into a passion and then his career, giving him, he says, “one of the biggest gifts” of his life.
Specialty
Easter does editorial work and also shoots portraits, weddings, food and fashion. Whatever the topic, he says he “strives for perfection” and “thrives on the unexpected moments,” adding that he’s driven to share important stories in effective ways.
Website
beneaster.net
Duane Tinkey
Age 41
Company
Business Publications Corp. Inc.
Background
Duane Tinkey joined Business Publications in 1999, after stints working for newspapers in New Mexico and northwestern Iowa.
Specialty
Tinkey shoots both editorial and advertising photos for dsm and the Business Record and especially enjoys working on editorial feature stories. “I like being out and about and meeting different people,” he says. The technical aspects of photography, such as working with lighting, also appeal to the Iowa City native. “In photography, it’s all about the light, whether you’re inside or outside,” he says. “I enjoy the problem-solving, hands-on aspect of the work. Every photo is a different challenge.”
