Troy photographer's work to be shown at Hockaday
<p>Photograph of a Common Loon calling to two other Loons as they circle a small lake near Troy, Montana in June of 2015. Donald M. "I think those [photographers] who have shot transparency understand light a little differently," said Jones. "When I shot this, everything was dark, that loon came out of the shadows and it was just magical."</p>
<p>An Alaskan brown bear catches a sock eye salmon in the Kenai in Alaska in August of 2015. Jones said that he laid down at the edge of the creek to get the eye-level perspective. He also said he did his work under the watchful eye of a park ranger. "I don't know how many times I've heard someone say to me, 'There is a bear up at Iceberg Lake that the rangers don't know about, want to go photograph it?' I say no because I won't do that. </p>
<p>A pair of Pine Grosbeaks in Mountain Ash berries near Troy, Montana, in 2013. Photographer Donald M. Jones likes this photo and the position of the birds wings because it reminds him of a Audubon painting.</p>
For 25 years, Troy photographer Donald M. Jones has captured images of a wide array of wildlife.
His photos will be the focus of a Hockaday Museum of Art exhibit, “Wild and Free: Photographs of North American Wildlife,” from Nov. 12 through Dec. 31.
Jones will be in Kalispell Nov. 12 for the opening reception at 5 p.m. at the Hockaday. The event is free and open to the public. Prior to the reception, Jones will give an artist talk at 4:30 p.m. that is free for museum members and $10 for non-members.
“Wildlife has always been the focus of my work,” Jones said. “I started when I was very young, and if someone had told me how hard wildlife photography would be to get into, I never would have done it.”
Of the photos that will be on display at the Hockaday, 18 are images that have never been seen in Kalispell.
“People ask me all the time, can you make a living out of this? I say yes,” Jones said. “But I have been fortunate. I’ve worked hard and made my living as an editorial freelancer. But that market is changing.”
According to Jones, “Being a professional wildlife photographer is very much a loner business. I don’t seek others out when I am out shooting because I like being by myself in the remote areas. I also want to find ways to come away with images that are different than what everyone else is doing. But on the other hand, I don’t often get the chance to tell people the stories behind the images. They are all held inside of me and I’m looking forward to sharing those.”
The Hockaday Museum of Art is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, $2 for college students and free for K-12 students. Admission is also free for members of the Hockaday.
To see more work by Jones, visit www.donaldmjones.com.
— Brenda Ahearn, Daily Inter Lake