PBHS graduate captures epic scenery around the world

Jason Henthorne’s love of photography that began when he was attending Poplar Bluff High School in the late 1980s has taken him all around the world.

“I was a pretty avid photographer even in high school, but college saw that grow more and more,” Henthorne said. “Once I graduated college, I started travelling internationally. This is also where I started my true love for the ocean — in scuba diving. The diving and the ocean were driving my curiosity to go, see and explore foreign places with amazing views, both above and below water.”

Henthorne has released his fourth book, “Explore,’ which he describes as a “much bigger and more exhaustive collection” of the “best of the last seven years of [his] art career.”

This piece of art, titled ‘7 Miles,’ took six separate days of shooting over a three-month period for Henthorne to craft.Photo by Jason Henthorne

“This book covers the stories, the artwork and the behind the scenes for Iceland, New Zealand, Pacifico, Coastal Florida, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and French Polynesia,” Henthorne said. “As for what stands out, this is not some common book you can pick up on Amazon. This is a limited edition, fine art book that truly explores the globe through my art. It is meant to be enjoyed and savored — not all at one setting — but to be browsed and pondered over many times, and to inspire others to go and see and experience.”

Henthorne said that during his early travels, he became very adept at underwater photography and shared his images, from land and sea, with friends and family when he returned from his journeys. However, he needed a way to upload his photos to share with many people, so he began using Shutterfly when it first debuted.

“I started using it simply as a share device,” Henthorne said. “Pictures spread and as a total aside, people starting purchasing a print here and there.”

Fine art photographer and Poplar Bluff native Jason Henthorne poses with one of his works, titled ‘Victory.’ The photo features the wake of four boats and was taken in Boca Grande, Florida.Photo provided

However, Henthorne began to notice that the underwater images were just not relating to people — “as if you aren’t a diver, you really don’t ‘get them,’” he said — and soon he was inspired to begin shooting the landscapes in black and white, which quickly led to his want to bend time and develop the “epic” exposures of 2-6 minutes.

“One thing led to another and 11 years ago, I left the corporate world ... [of] working for IBM and some other very large software companies to pursue my real passion in life full time — exploring, traveling, diving and then sharing with others,” Henthorne said.

Henthorne is also in the middle of getting ready to release his next two collections from Australia and Atlantico, possibly this year or next.

Henthorne also captured this photo of the Moeraki Boulders in New Zealand.Photo provided

“The Australia series was shot over nearly two months of travel around the perimeter of the continent and includes Tasmania as well,” Henthorne said. “Atlantico, I just finished shooting in December. [It] was a 14-country trip over two months around the southern Mediterranean and northern Africa — as always, intersection of ocean and earth.”

However, Henthorne said that the most important thing he is working on the next few years is ocean advocacy. He has co-founded One Blue Ocean, which uses positive visual media to ignite passion for the ocean.

“This organization is in its infancy, but will explode this year as both staff and funds start to go to work,” Henthorne said. “It is my ambition to share how amazing the ocean is with millions, as I feel my artwork only reaches thousands. This non-profit has zero to do with my artwork. It is all about other creatives who capture the beauty of the ocean in a positive way, [like] filmmakers and photographers.”

Henthorne captured this photo, titled ‘Revelation,’ in La Push, Washington.Photo by Jason Henthorne

Want to learn more? Visit Henthorne’s website at https://henthorne.com, which also features his book “Explore.” To learn more about One Blue Ocean, visit https://oneblueocean.org.