Leamy Style Photos

Henry Wessel

Henry Wessel, New Jersey native, Penn State alum, and American West lover, discovered his passion for photography while studying at Penn State. A psychology major turned photographer took to California to study photography further, where he was inspired by the American West, which became the subject of his photographs. He explored the realm of landscape and documentary photography. His images are frequently displayed in monochrome, however, his book of “Real Estate Photographs” displays the images in color. In this book, he takes pastel, Californian homes and photographs them, providing no description or title of these images, thus allowing the viewers to insert themselves in the work and find something that speaks to them in the image(s). The soft colors in these images are captivating, and the lines and edges of the homes, sidewalks, telephone wires, etc. feel particularly important in the construction of the image. With that, it could be said that Wessel takes objects which are not monumental, but rather, objects that signify the everyday American life, and makes these objects, such as homes, into stories which previously did not exist. By photographing vast spaces and unsuspecting objects, Wessel would most likely need to use a small aperture to get the entire scene in focus. Furthermore, he is known for using one singular camera, with the same lens, and the same type of film in his photography career.