Ethereal Beauty: Women in Transition

This project is created with the intention of portraying beauty in the feminine aspects of my subject as she prepares for her journeys into marriage and motherhood. Captured in fleeting seconds, the subtle moments as she reflects on her future are bared in the stillness of the images. These authentic, often raw and fragile emotions reveal an ethereal beauty that I find inherent in each woman’s experience. Each woman is contemplating the possibilities of the new lives that they are about to embark upon.

These images are meant to be ambiguous and open to interpretation, allowing the viewer to experience them within the context of their own, and how they view marriage, motherhood, aging. I want to create a personal narrative with the viewer.

My work is a hybrid between creative portraiture and documentary photography.

This project is in progress.

All fine art prints are available for sale. Please contact me directly for pricing.

Ethereal Journey: Porch Series

In the midst of the pandemic, I photographed friends, neighbors and people in the community, in their environments, on their porches, in their gardens.

During this time in our lives, living through the pandemic and all that is going on with the current state of politics, these issues can bring forth new strengths and solidarity or it can breed isolation and conflict. There is always a choice. 

I asked the participants "What choices have you made since March 2020 when Sheltering in Place started in Mendocino California that when you think about now, you notice how you have grown during this time? What have you explored or experienced during this time? In simpler terms, what memories do you have when you look at your Porch Series image and what thoughts do you have now? "

This project is in progress. I am still shooting people in their environments on their porches and in their gardens. Please contact me if you are interested in a Porch Series portrait.

Telling stories is a way of seeing the world. 

J.Perlman Photography emerged from my love for fine art photography and fine art. 

My journey into photography began while working  at The Photographer’s Gallery of Palo Alto,  where I sold the works of the renowned photography masters; Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Ruth Bernard, Diane Arbus, Garry Winogrand, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Edwourd Boubat, Andre Kertesz and many contemporary photographers. It was there where I focused my skills on composition and light, having details in the blacks and details in the white, and the fine art of photography. 

I continue to explore the works of contemporary documentary fine art photographers and artists who inspire me, including Annie Leibovitz, Alec Soth, Julie Blackmon, Gabriele Galimberti, Sally Mann, Daisy Patton, Leah MacDonald, Cathy Cone, Bieke Depoorter, Cig Harvey plus many others. 

My vision as a photographer was refined when I applied to become a Magnum Photographer, the world’s most prestigious photographic agency formed by four photographers – Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, George Rodger and David “Chim” Seymour. 

During this process, I had the opportunity to carefully review my work and discover my individual aesthetic and storytelling style. It was then I conceived my first personal project “Women In Transition: Ethereal Beauty.”

My second personal project “The Porch Series: Ethereal Journey” portraying people within their environments emerged during the pandemic. Through photographing friends, families and people in the community, I discovered my love for capturing people in their natural settings. 

Currently, I am further developing this aspect of “Ethereal Journey” aligning with “Women In Transition”   My ongoing photographic exploration focuses on Elders in their Environments, delving into the rituals that form an integral part of the "Ethereal Spirit: Elder Wisdom” (working title).