Ken Astrein, Sunset • Two Hearts, 2010
Todd Weinstein • The Jewish Community, West Bloomfield, MI, 2019
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Ken Astrein was born in Detroit, Michigan and raised in the Greater Detroit area. He is an alumni of The University of Michigan where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in History (A.B.) and his Master’s Degree in Urban Planning (M.U.P.). Mr. Astrein currently resides in Seattle, Washington where he has been engaged in community development work for over 30 years. During this time, he has also been actively involved in numerous documentary photography projects at work and as a community volunteer. He is also a three-time cancer survivor who devotes much of his personal time to photographic projects revolving around the themes of gratitude and healing. Samples of Mr. Astrein’s written and photographic works can be viewed on the web at https://blog.chroniclephoto.com/ , and he can be contacted on the web at https://blog.chroniclephoto.com/contact/ .
On Influence:
Academically trained as a historian and urban planner, it should come as no surprise that some of my earliest photographic influences were the photographers who worked on the FSA/OWI projects during the Great Depression, and those associated with The Photo League in the 1930’s and 1940’s. Their photojournalistic and documentary styles of photography resonated quite strongly within me and led to my adopting a similar approach in much of my photography. Furthermore, their concern for conveying the human condition in their images reinforced my choice to work in the field of community development over 30 years ago.
In addition to being influenced by these great photographic chroniclers above, there are also a small number of individuals who have had a direct and personal impact on my photography, starting with Todd Weinstein. His multimedia presentations in the 1970’s and 1980’s, his personal journalism work in the 1990’s, and much of his abstract works of the past twenty years inspired my evolution as a photographer.
Todd, along with the writings of his late mentor, Ernst Haas, and visits with his friend and colleague, the late Louis Stettner, helped me to understand a more complete vocabulary of photography as a visual language. This trio, which embraced both a more abstract and candid style taught me that these images could speak just as powerfully as those in the documentary style.
Along with Todd, the other significant influence on the evolution of my photography would be my beloved wife, Marjorie Schnyder. She has an eye for the smallest of details, especially in nature and in art. Over the past 35 years, she has shared her gift of keen observation with me, and that has helped me to create images which give viewers a chance to see familiar things anew.
This list would not be complete without my also mentioning the late photojournalist Michael D. Johnson and portrait/fashion photographer Peter Cohl. Michael was a photojournalist and street photographer with a keen eye, a fast hand, and darkroom skills second to none. And Peter is a photographer who has pushed the limits of photography for over 30 years, from extreme E-6 processing techniques to dramatically lit B/W portraits. Both of these individuals have graciously shared their knowledge and thoughts with me throughout the years, and I am grateful for their friendships and generosity.