Jeff’s interest in photography began in Colorado at age twelve. That summer, he cut lawns to save enough money to purchase a Minolta SRT-101 and began shooting. His parents were supportive of his passion, and soon helped him build a darkroom in the basement of the family home. Black & white prints captured Jeff’s attention most even in those early days, and they continue as his format of choice today.
As Jeff’s interest and abilities grew, he moved into the worlds of Hasselblad and Leica. And with the added capabilities those cameras provided, began working with large format prints. Now married and on his own, Jeff built a larger darkroom at his new home which served him for some twenty years – before eventually moving his growing portfolio of work and its processing to an even newer facility located at what has now become the gallery for Jeff Puckett Images in downtown Denver.
Along with his Leica M11 Monochrome, Jeff’s favorite cameras today are the Phase One XT for field work, and the Phase One XF for studio shooting. His passion for image making in large and small format black & white is further enhanced by printing Photogravures on a large American French Press and using the Intaglio process from the late 1800’s. This method of printing is mastered by very few photographers today. Photogravure gives Jeff’s images a depth and visual resonance unmatched by conventional printing.
In recent years, Jeff has been able to merge his passion for photography with his long-standing love of aviation. He is a nationally recognized aerobatic champion as well as a business jet and helicopter pilot. Jeff’s aviation accomplishments, in fact, have earned him a prestigious Legends of Aviation Medal, as well as the Harrison Ford Legacy of Aviation Award. Still a very active pilot, Jeff volunteers his helicopter flying today for a wide variety of humanitarian missions in and around the Denver area. The helicopter also provides him with some very unique perspectives for sweeping landscape photography in Colorado and the desert Southwest.
“Finding beauty in the unexpected” is more than just a slogan for Jeff. It defines his work and his photographic eye. Where others see the ordinary, Jeff sees the opportunity to create. The result is a unique style and photographic art expression that is both contemplative and engaging – and now offered through his new gallery, Jeff Puckett Images.