Jerry Interval - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Jerry Interval, was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

Portrait

thumb|250px|right|Portrait of [[Thomas Jefferson]] by [[Rembrandt Peale]], 1805. [[New-York Historical Society]].A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness,...

photographer and educator known for his expert studio and natural lighting techniques and for his Merry Monks series of portraits.

The early years

Jerry Interval was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...

and grew up in the Brookline neighborhood of the city. When he was 17, he moved to Dunkirk, New York to attend Holy Cross Seminary, an all-male Roman Catholic boarding school that closed in 1968. While there, he studied to be a Passionist

Passionist

The Passionists are a Roman Catholic religious order founded by Saint Paul of the Cross . Professed members use the initials C.P. after their names.-History:St...

priest

Priest

A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...

for a short time and graduated with a degree in psychology before returning to Pittsburgh.

In 1948, at the age of 25, he married Dora, his wife of almost 58 years. The Intervals lived in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania

McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania

McKees Rocks, also known as "The Rocks", is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, along the south bank of the Ohio River. The borough population was 6,104 at the 2010 census.In the past, it was known for its extensive iron and steel interests...

and Bellevue, Pennsylvania

Bellevue, Pennsylvania

Bellevue is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, along the Ohio River, adjoining Pittsburgh. The population was 8,370 at the 2010 census. The borough was incorporated in 1867. It is located in the Northgate School District...

, two communities near the city of Pittsburgh, before moving to the suburb of Franklin Park, Pennsylvania

Franklin Park, Pennsylvania

Franklin Park is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 13,470 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Franklin Park is located at ....

, where they lived for almost 43 years, raising seven children along the way.

Photography career

Influenced by Yousuf Karsh

Yousuf Karsh

Yousuf Karsh, CC was a Canadian photographer of Armenian heritage, and one of the most famous and accomplished portrait photographers of all time.-Biography:...

, Alfred Stieglitz

Alfred Stieglitz

Alfred Stieglitz was an American photographer and modern art promoter who was instrumental over his fifty-year career in making photography an accepted art form...

, Edward Steichen

Edward Steichen

Edward J. Steichen was an American photographer, painter, and art gallery and museum curator. He was the most frequently featured photographer in Alfred Stieglitz' groundbreaking magazine Camera Work during its run from 1903 to 1917. Steichen also contributed the logo design and a custom typeface...

, Paul Strand

Paul Strand

Paul Strand was an American photographer and filmmaker who, along with fellow modernist photographers like Alfred Stieglitz and Edward Weston, helped establish photography as an art form in the 20th century...

, Henri Cartier-Bresson

Henri Cartier-Bresson

Henri Cartier-Bresson was a French photographer considered to be the father of modern photojournalism. He was an early adopter of 35 mm format, and the master of candid photography...

, Jay Stock, Albert Gilbert

Albert Gilbert

Albert "Al" Gilbert, CM is a Canadian photographer. He is often called the "Ambassador of Canadian Photography".Born in Toronto, Ontario, he began working with his father, Nathan Gittelmacher, who was also a photographer...

, Frank Criccio, Don Busath

Don Busath

Don Busath is a Latter-day Saints photographer who specialised in portraiture. He has photographed Ezra Taft Benson, Gordon B. Hinckley and Thomas S. Monson among many other leaders in the LDS Church...

, and Duane Sauro, Interval developed a passionate interest in photography

Photography

Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...

in his twenties, pursued it as a hobby for several years, and turned professional in 1968. In 1972, he earned the degrees of master of photography and photographic craftsman from the Professional Photographers of America

Professional Photographers of America

This organization was formed in April 1880 as the Photographers Association of America, Inc., by members of the Chicago Photographic Association and the National Photographic Association. The name was changed to Professional Photographers of America, Inc. , in 1958 to distinguish the association...

(PPA). At the time, he was one of the youngest men ever to receive the master and was the only person with that degree between Pittsburgh and Erie, Pennsylvania

Erie, Pennsylvania

Erie is a city located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Named for the lake and the Native American tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth-largest city , with a population of 102,000...

. In 1992, he received an associate from the American Society of Photographers (ASP).

Interval's work mirrors his philosophy that the manipulation of technique based on effective lighting, composition, design elements, storytelling, and viewer psychology is key to producing a photograph

Photograph

A photograph is an image created by light falling on a light-sensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic imager such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are created using a camera, which uses a lens to focus the scene's visible wavelengths of light into a reproduction of...

that has profound emotional impact. He documented this philosophy in The Psychological Approach to Photographic Design, his associate thesis for the ASP. Although not on display yet, several examples of Interval's work—including some of his noted Merry Monks portraits—are housed at the Photo Antiquities Museum of Photographic History in Pittsburgh.

While Interval devoted most of his career to portrait

Portrait

and wedding photography

Wedding photography

Wedding photography is the photography of activities relating to weddings. It encompasses photographs of the couple before marriage as well as coverage of the wedding and reception...

, he did some notable commercial work for corporate film

Film

A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...

and television

Television

Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

productions, including The President's Command Performance for Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan

Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....

at Ford's Theatre

Ford's Theatre

Ford's Theatre is a historic theater in Washington, D.C., used for various stage performances beginning in the 1860s. It is also the site of the assassination of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865...

in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

, and a television commercial featuring magician Harry Blackstone, Jr.

Harry Blackstone, Jr.

Harry Blackstone, Jr. was an American stage magician, author, and television performer.-Career and life:Blackstone was born in Three Rivers, Michigan, the son of noted stage magician Harry Blackstone, Sr. .As an infant, he was used as a prop in his father's act...

He completed other field assignments for NBC

NBC

The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...

, Chanel

Chanel

Chanel S.A. is a French fashion house founded by the couturier Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, well established in haute couture, specializing in luxury goods . She gained the name "Coco" while maintaining a career as a singer at a café in France...

, British Airways

British Airways

British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...

, and the American Heart Association

American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is a non-profit organization in the United States that fosters appropriate cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability and deaths caused by cardiovascular disease and stroke. It is headquartered in Dallas, Texas...

, and his work has appeared in Newsweek

Newsweek

Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...

, U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...

, Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...

, Reader's Digest

Reader's Digest

Reader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace...

, and Better Homes and Gardens

Better Homes and Gardens (magazine)

Better Homes and Gardens is the fourth best selling magazine in the United States. The editor in Chief is Gayle Butler. Better Homes and Gardens focuses on interests regarding homes, cooking, gardening, crafts, healthy living, decorating, and entertaining. The magazine is published 12 times per...

.

A member of Professional Photographers of America

Professional Photographers of America

, American Society of Photographers, Triangle Photographers Association, and Photographic Society of America

Photographic Society of America

The Photographic Society of America is one of the largest, non-profit organization of its kind. Despite its name it is an International organisation open to anyone with an interest in photography. Established in 1934, it has expanded to include members of over 70 countries. The Society includes...

(PSA), Interval lectured at photography conferences and judged numerous photo competitions throughout North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

. For more than 20 years, he was an instructor for the Winona International School of Professional Photography in Winona Lake, Indiana

Winona Lake, Indiana

Winona Lake is a town in Wayne Township, Kosciusko County, Indiana, United States. The population was 4,908 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Winona Lake is located at...

, teaching Winona-accredited courses throughout the United States and at the Winona headquarters itself. He also conducted PPA-accredited master photography workshops at his studio in Franklin Park, Pennsylvania

Franklin Park, Pennsylvania

Franklin Park is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 13,470 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Franklin Park is located at ....

, later labeling that entity the Academy of Photographic Art.

Interval's lectures and classes covered the mechanics and aesthetics of portraiture, indoor and outdoor lighting, high-key lighting

High-key lighting

High-key lighting is a style of lighting for film, television, or photography that aims to reduce the lighting ratio present in the scene. This was originally done partly for technological reasons, since early film and television did not deal well with high contrast ratios, but now is used to...

, posing, facial analysis, candid photography

Candid photography

Candid photography is photography that focuses on spontaneity rather than technique, on the immersion of a camera within events rather than focusing on setting up a staged situation or on preparing a lengthy camera setup.-Description:...

, oil and pastel print enhancement, evaluation of competition prints, principles of studio management, marketing

Marketing

Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...

, and sales

Sales

A sale is the act of selling a product or service in return for money or other compensation. It is an act of completion of a commercial activity....

The later years

Interval's passion for photography remained strong throughout his life, even after his retirement in 2004. Although his plans to write college-level and professional manuals on portrait photography were never realized, he stayed abreast on the latest photographic techniques and remained active in the photographic community. (He taught his last class—"Introduction to Master's Brush Light, Corrective Lighting, and Facial Analysis"—on April 3, 2006, for the PPA's Super Monday: Legends series.) He spent the last two years of his life living with Dora in the Pittsburgh suburb of Moon Township, Pennsylvania

Moon Township, Pennsylvania

Moon Township is a township along the Ohio River in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. Moon is a part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area and is located northwest of Pittsburgh. The origin of its name is unknown for certain, although it has been suggested that it derives from a...

. He died on December 4, 2006, at the age of 83 due to complications from heart problems.

External links

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