Voyage to the ends of the earth

Sugar Loaf — When John Jordan isn’t teaching photography to his students at West Milford, N.J., High School, he’s probably somewhere very far away - somewhere like the Himalayas. His photographs of the people and landscapes of the Indian Himalayan region provide a visual representation of the rich culture of this remote area. An exhibit can currently be seen from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, at the Lycian Centre for the Performing Arts Gallery on King’s Highway in Sugar Loaf. A reception for the exhibit will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11. The exhibit will be available for public viewing until Feb. 25. The photos were taken in the Himachal Pradesh state of northern India during Jordan’s travels to the remote Himalayan region in July 2001. The images, in both black and white as well as color portfolios, offer a feel for the terrain and people in the mostly Buddhist communities. Without running water and electricity for three weeks, Jordan camped and traveled through the rugged mountainous landscape, in vehicles that averaged 10 or 15 m.p.h. The impetus for Jordan’s travels far and wide dates back to his youth. “Gazing at magazines such as Life, Look, and National Geographic permitted me to take in a world beyond my own town and instilled a desire to experience it for myself. I especially like traveling in India and Asia as the culture is so very different from mine — for the time being anyway.” Jordan grew up in North Jersey and has taught photography at WMHS for almost 30 years. Of his work with students, he notes, “I enjoy their reactions when an image comes up in a tray of developer for the first time; almost as if it were magic, and the realization of cameras simply being a light tight box that we can, and do, make from a coffee can. Beyond this, they begin to recognize that despite the necessity to adhere to established technical procedures, a good print has aesthetic qualities, which vary from person to person.” The photographer’s own influences range from Ralph Gibson and Henri Cartier-Bresson, to Mary Ellen Mark, Sebastiao Salgado and W. Eugene Smith. “I like contemplating the work the old masters did in New York City — Alfred Stieglitz, Berenice Abbott, and Arthur Fellig, better known as Weegee. And I should also mention Ansel Adams, for his technical influence.” He is a past recipient of the artist and educator grant from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. His travels have taken him to London, Paris, Portugal, Tibet, Mongolia, and Amazonia so far, and his traveling shoes are ready for more. “I have some very loose plans to visit South East Asia this summer,” he says. “Perhaps Burma, Cambodia, Vietnam or Laos — probably no more than two of these, but until the tickets are purchased, nothing is in stone. His photos can be viewed at his Web site at www.photojordan.com. For more information about the exhibit at Lycian, call 845-469-2287.