Page 27 - South Mississippi Living - March, 2021

AMississippi couple’s love them to be peaceful, serene, safe havens perched in a tree or climbing a cli , just
of art and each other
has led them to nd their photography receiving national and international acclaim. Amanda and Jason Ray are Florence, Mississippi,
natives who didn’t meet until after high school, married a few years later and have spent the last decade creating
art together, beginning rst in Austin, Texas, later returning to Mississippi, and now in Oregon.
“We always knew we wanted to
work together in an artistic way,” said Amanda, who with Jason formed Double Negative Photography. “We
are both very visual and enjoy fantasy- inspired lms, art and literature. We also love antiquity and are collectors of all things vintage and strange.” Having always dabbled in photography, the couple decided to ditch the latest digital technology and experiment with lm. What they discovered was an “ethereal” quality they loved and left more to the imagination than current technology.
During the last year, the couple
spent an extended amount of time in Mississippi and let the state’s many rural areas and historical sites set the tone for their art. “When COVID hit last year, we found ourselves in ancient cemeteries every weekend,” says Amanda, who
is inspired by the tombs of Vicksburg, Natchez and Port Gibson. “We found
where we could express ourselves with no prying eyes – except the ghosts.” Amanda also notes that the state’s many rural and isolated areas give them an opportunity to photograph areas she calls “unmarred by modernity.”
“It’s important to us that our art display a timelessness,” she adds. “Removing the element of time from
Amanda and Jason Ray
the equation creates a mystery for the viewer. The mystery and the feeling of isolation and peaceful melancholy have come to de ne our art.”
Amanda and Jason’s process always involves the outdoors. “We do not force ourselves on our surroundings,” she says. “We allow the environment to speak to us. We feel guided by the spiritual and earthen energy of our surroundings.”
They start every shoot by surveying the area, and Amanda often nds herself
to get the inspiration needed to nd
the perfect shots. Using lm instead
of digital photography, the couple has just twelve shots per roll, so they work to get perfection the rst time. “There are no re-dos, no editing, no assistants,” she adds. “It’s only us and nature, and we like it that way. We started putting limitations on ourselves, thus forcing
us to work with the natural light and environment.”
Having su ered great loss throughout their lifetimes, Amanda and Jason have found photography to be a way to bring hope during tough times. “The truth is, photography saved our lives,” adds Amanda. “It has given us an opportunity to express ourselves, our darkest demons, and our purest and most idealistic dreams. It has brought us even closer as a family, and we are so thankful we found this medium.”
Their recent Mississippi photography has garnered acclaim in the past year and was published in Vogue 34 times through the platform Photo Vogue. Established photographers submit two photographs per week for editorial review, making the process quite competitive.
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living | www.smliving.net
March 2021 | 27
Double Negative Photography
Instagram @doublenegativephotography