"Black and white photography is direct, impactful, and honest. It communicates the essence, emotion, and raw beauty of the subject. In addition to the emotion conveyed by a black and white image, it also provides a pure translation of the content and lays bare the structure of the composition."— John Lanterman
John Lanterman is a photographer based near Great Barrington, Massachusetts. He grew up and spent many years in Colorado, where he was a landscape architect. Photography was part of his world then, and he incorporated it throughout his career in a supporting role for his design, planning, and teaching.
For many years, Lanterman contributed to the academic field as a faculty member at the University of Colorado, where he imparted his knowledge in landscape architecture, urban design, and environmental design at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.
In the decade prior to his move to Massachusetts, he lived in western Colorado, where he photographed the landscapes of the West. With his move to the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, Lanterman continues his pursuit of capturing the landscapes, people, and places where he and his wife, along with their two dogs, now live.
The primary theme of his photographs is capturing the sense of place of an area. His work documents the physical setting for relationships between people. This includes regional landscapes, natural areas, urban settings, and elements that capture the emotions attached to a place or object.
John Lanterman is interested in how the built environment responds to the physical, cultural, and environmental elements of the locale. Lanterman's work ranges from the grand vistas of the west to the intimate landscapes of the Berkshires. His work expands beyond landscapes to the elements that contribute to and help tell the story of a place. His motivation is to encourage viewers to see and protect the natural beauty that surrounds us.