Avant Guardians

By Leticia Gonzales

While Emily Stark, a professor with the Department of Psychology at Minnesota State University, has never had any formal training as a photographer, her lifelong love of the art form has been a transformative part of her creative abilities and as a lifelong dancer.

“I don’t see too much connection between my artistic pursuits of photography and dance, but I have always loved the arts and enjoy having these different routes to engage with artistic activities,” said Stark, who lives in St. Peter.

She uses both a DSLR as well as a cellphone camera, focusing primarily on landscapes and other nature photography

“When I first got a digital camera, I could finally spend time trying over and over again to capture a landscape scene,” said Stark, 44. “Being able to check my picture on the camera and take a bunch of shots without having to pay to develop each one really gave me the opportunity to work on composition and learn how to approach photographing different scenes and how different angles can change the overall feel of a picture.”

Her technical skills continue to evolve as she focuses on capturing the perfect photo.

“I think my lack of formal training or schooling in photography has helped me be more open to trying new things, but it’s also made it more difficult for me to see myself and my work as legitimate,” she said.

“I tend to edit my photos to increase saturation and contrast — I’m less interested in capturing scenes exactly how they look and more focused on creating an emotional feeling or mood through creating a little surrealism through editing.”

Her upbringing has also influenced the type of images

she aims to capture.

“I grew up in rural Minnesota, and I’m particularly inspired by the rural farms and forests that characterize this area. That said, I also love to travel and see landscapes very different from what we are used to here in Minnesota, and trying to capture a piece of how those places feel in my photography.”

She also incorporates the “macabre and odd.” Found items such as spooky dolls have begun to make their way into her repertoire.

“I’m constantly looking for interesting things to take pictures of, and I like featuring the unexpected. I tend to spend a lot of time out in nature, and particularly enjoy finding trees or flowers to photograph at all seasons of the year.”

Her work was recently showcased at the Wine Cafe in Mankato and the Carnegie Art Center as part of a Mankato Makerspace exhibit. She also sells her prints and notecards at numerous local art and maker events.

“Overall, I have found that being a photographer has helped me see and appreciate the beauty in nature, even when I’m not trying to capture it with my camera,” Stark said.

“I’m more aware of how tree branches look in the winter, or cloud streaks in the sky, or the small details of a dead sunflower in winter. I’m very appreciative to live in a community that has welcomed me as an artist and provided such a range of opportunities to exhibit and sell my work; I think the artist community is one of the best aspects of living in this area.”