There is something magical about Joni Sternbach’s portraits of surfers. Her marriage of subject matter and process is a heady union, connecting a legacy and mystique of a sport that is at its essence spiritual and rooted to man’s need to conquer and connect with nature, in particular, with water. This transcendent activity aligns with the transcendent qualities of wet-plate collodion capture, also relying on liquid for its transformation. Needless to say, the results are spectacular, and her work is being celebrated with a second book, Surf Site Tin Type, recently released by Damani Editore.

Joni was born in the Bronx, New York. She graduated from New York University/International Center of Photography (ICP) with an M.A. in Photography in 1987. She is currently a visiting artist at Cooper Union and a faculty member at both ICP and Center For Alternative Photography in NYC, where she teaches wet-plate collodion.

Joni’s first monograph, SurfLand, was accompanied by numerous solo exhibitions, including the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, the Blue Sky Gallery in Portland, Oregon, and the Southeast Museum of Photography in Daytona Beach, Florida. In 2012, Surfland Revisited, 2006-2011 opened to rave reviews at Rick Wester Fine Art (RWFA) in NYC. Exhibitions drawn from her new work in Surf Site Tin Type were mounted in May at RWFA, New York City and in June at Galerie Catherine and André Hug, Paris.

Joni was a 2013 artist in residence at the Ucross Foundation in Wyoming and the initial Art Park/Atlantic artist for their residency program in 2011 in Byron Bay, Australia. Her work is part of many public collections including the The Nelson-Atkins Museum, Museum of Photographic Arts, Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris, France, St Louis Art Museum and Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. She is the recipient of many grants including NYFA and CAPS and the 2011 Clarence John Laughlin and 2010 Santo Foundation awards. Joni Sternbach is represented by Rick Wester Fine Art.

10.02.08 #5 Hannah Surfrider Beach, Malibu, CA 2010 ©JoniSternbach

SurfLand is a collection of contemporary portraits of surfers photographed primarily on two continents. The pictures are a unique blending of subject matter and photographic technique. Using the historic wet-plate collodion process, I am creating one-of-a-kind tintypes that are imbued with a feeling of ambiguity, timelessness, and mystery.

Landscapes, seascapes, and the human imprint on these views has engaged me over the last decade. Returning year after year to the same location has led me to examine the juncture between land and sea, exploring subject matter in a constant state of transition. Surfers are an integral part of this liminal state. I am fascinated by the physical and poetic way that they inhabit America’s watery landscapes.

11.03.16 #5 Dave Dave’s Farm, Broken Head, NSW, AU Dave Rastovich is a pro-surfer, activist and free surfer. ©JoniSternbach

 I work with a large-format camera and wet process that is instantaneous, so it must be prepared and developed on location. Because all the process work is done in the field, I see my pictures immediately, as do my subjects. This is a key factor in helping me connect to and interact with them. This elaborate procedure draws spectators as well. The photographic act is part theater and part craft as I interact with my sitters and other beach goers alike.

 The very nature of working with a wet chemical outdoors lends itself to spontaneous and unpredictable results. It is precisely this raw quality of the process that suits the subject matter, giving it a distinctive appearance and echoing important traditions of nineteenth-century anthropological photography.

 The photographs were shot on both coasts of the United States as well as Australia and the UK: SurfLand is a chronicle and celebration of these fascinating denizens of regional surf spots and their place at the edge of the land and sea.

11.03.17 #3 The Mers Main Beach, Byron Bay, NSW, AU ©JoniSternbach

11.08.30 #6 Laura Ditch Plains, Montauk, NY ©JoniSternbach

13.02.05 #8 Malloy Brothers Malloy House, Lompoc, CA 2013 The Malloy brothers from Ojai, CA are well-respected and professional surfers, filmmakers and environmentalists.  ©JoniSternbach

13.02.18 #4 Amico kids Emma Wood, Ventura, CA Chad Amico, father and pastor mentioned that he had 5 children and a vintage car. ©JoniSternbach

13.02.18 #10 Oliver + Korina Emma Wood, Ventura, CA 2013 Oliver Parker and Patagonia designer, Korina   ©JoniSternbach

14.07.08 #4 Lily Ditch Plains, Montauk, NY 2014 Lily Ives is the very wonderful, creative and lovely daughter of Sonia and Tim Ives, director of Photography for the TV series, Girls   ©JoniSternbach

14.07.24 #1 Robert + Wingnut Ditch Plains, Montauk, NY 2014 Robert August and Robert “Wingnut” Weaver are surfers, shapers and the stars of Endless Summer and Endless Summer II.    ©JoniSternbach