We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kuria Jorissen. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kuria below.

Alright, Kuria thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I was introduced to astrophotography in a magazine while I was in college. I was captivated by the ability to capture the night skies I grew up camping under. I jumped on the opportunity bought every book I could buy on it and was largely self taught. I went to school for photography so I knew that sometimes rules are meant to be broken so I would experiment a lot. I fell in love with Star Trackers, special devices that move my camera with the speed of the stars, so I would play with how long to make an exposure and all the other settings. Astrophotography was very cutting edge when I started, my favorite book on it was actually published that year I started learning. I would have been able to speed up my learning process if I could have known that National Parks would be my best subjects and if I had as many sources as there are now to learn new techniques.

Overall I think learning how to properly plan a night is the most essential thing I have learned over the year. Using multiple apps to make sure I know when/where the Milky Way will be as well as other apps for weather and how dark the location will be.

My major obstacle has always been that I am actually afraid of the dark. Getting over the noises around at night, or what could be larking in the trees. I have learned how to keep my mind off of the noises which is mostly just making sure to never go alone. There is always safety and better conversation in numbers.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Well, let’s start with my journey into photography first. Growing up, I always had a camera at my side, whether it was the disposables when I was younger, the film cameras I collect, or my trusty full frame digitals I use to shoot now. Taking photos has always been a way to preserve the moments in time that fade by us quickly and that we struggle to remember clearly as we go through life. My family and I would commonly go camping, and I adored the wilderness and was drawn to the beauty surrounding us and the stars above. Growing up in both Washington and Colorado, I’ve had the pleasure of being surrounded by the stunning views in the Rockies and Cascades.

Following my passion, I pursued a degree in Photography from the Art Institute of Seattle. Many of my professors helped fuel my passion for photography in all its forms. But my thesis project inevitably landed on astrophotography. Focusing on the effects of light pollution and what it is doing to migratory animals, the growth of plants, and even the effects on our circadian rhythm and human health.

After college and once I started thinking about what I truly love doing, I saw myself doing astrophotography as an art form and showing the world the beauty of the night sky. I always say I grew up in art booths, as I joined my mom when she sold her art at shows until my brother and I went to high school. So when I started doing shows, I already had a head start with the required show gear, knew some artists in the industry, and knew what I was getting into. My mom and my husband were there by my side to help build my art business. Since we started in 2020, we have done over 50 art shows across 5 different states, so we made a very quick leap into the industry.

I focus on bringing the night sky to many who don’t have the option of seeing it nearly as often as I do. In our society, many people do not have the opportunity or time to get away from the glow of cities to witness the beauty of the night sky. My goal is to bring just a little bit of that spark that I feel out there in the night to everyone else. Through my platform I also wish to spread the message of reducing light pollution and promoting the health and care of our national and state parks. By reducing light pollution we not only allow more access to dark skies for people, but it also reduces the harm done to migratory animals. Whenever out on an adventure, I utilize LNT (Leave No Trace) principles and will pick up trash left by others, and I encourage others to do the same when they can and it’s safe to do so.

Those who visit the booth at art shows will get a warm welcome from me and my husband, epic retellings of our adventures, details of how we shoot, and fun astronomy and science facts. We also are passionate about talking about music, board games, and our many other hobbies in the booth. For us, we’re not focusing on a sale, we’re focusing on making a genuine connection and helping where we can.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

The years between my college graduation and the start of the pandemic, I actually did wedding and event photography as my primary source of income while keeping landscape and astrophotography as my hobby. The plan was to make a gradual shift from wedding photography to selling my astrophotography shots. Then 2020 happened. It was a not-so-gradual shift into the art business. I quickly started building my brand and hopped into doing shows in mid-late 2021, following all safety regulations. That was by far the hardest pivot I have had to make and the most rewarding because sometimes you just need that push to do what you know you truly want to do.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

In my opinion to truly help artist and creatives thrive society just needs to get out and support the arts! If you can’t buy large art pieces buy the small things artists have like stickers or cards—every little thing helps artists thrive. If you don’t have the means to help financially, you can also just like, comment, and share an artist’s work, so it can reach more people (engagement makes the almighty algorithm happy). Go to in-person art events like art shows, art walks, galleries if you feel comfortable and/or shop small online. Also, feel free to get involved in local classes put on at art studios and I encourage everyone to try a new art form, you never know when you will find a new passion.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://art.callofthemountainsphotography.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/callofthemountainsart/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CalloftheMountainsART