Stevens’ photography exhibit at Wrightstone Gallery

Courtesy photo Jack Stevens at the Wrightstone Gallery preparing his retrospective photo exhibit.

McCook Community College

McCOOK, Neb. — Jack Stevens started taking photography seriously when he was 13 – when he bought his own Argus C3 camera and shot photos of anything and everything. Now, nearly 75 years later, he’s assembled a collection of some of his favorite photographs and will display them at the Wrightstone Fine Arts Gallery on the McCook Community College campus this weekend.

A two-night reception for the “Jack Stevens Photography Exhibit” is set for July 27-28 from 5-8 p.m. at the gallery. Since the gallery is closed during the summer, this will be the only opportunities to see this exhibit.

While a youthful curiosity may have led Stevens to photography, it was his background in art that helped elevate it to another level. He credits the foundations he learned in elementary art classes at Cambridge and later at McCook High School for helping teach him about the critical elements needed for photography.

Stevens also loved music and attended Nebraska Wesleyan on a singing scholarship before returning home to work for his father in Cambridge. He later joined the service with his twin brother Gene. During basic training he received a letter requesting that he audition as a singer for the Air Force Band. He sang with the “Crew chiefs” a jazz combo ensemble for four years.

Stevens said this opportunity allowed him to tour with the Bob Hope show, perform with Margaret Whiting and Hollywood Star William Holden of “Stalag 17” fame -- whom Stevens once asked advice about the best way to keep your voice healthy. “Hot tea and honey,” was Holden’s advice.

While in the service, Stevens wanted to remember all the places he’d been so he has a few photos from Washington and New York and Bermuda. When he started a family, vacations were always great chances to photograph new subjects. Family trips took the Stevens family to both coasts as well as Canada.

“I’ve been fortunate to be able to travel to a lot of places and it seems like every new thing you see can inspire you,” he said.

While touring Europe, he experienced a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity to photograph Scotland’s iconic St. Andrews Golf Course. It remains one of Stevens’ favorite shots.

His MCC gallery show includes shots from London, Italy, Germany, Tahiti – and Barnett Park. He combines his love of photography with other subjects like sailing, golfing, fishing, and small-town life.

Stevens eventually moved on from his Argus C3 to a Bronica and later Nikons. He used to develop his own black and white film and prints and tried color processing but said the technology was too temperature-dependent and that resulted in inconsistent final products, so he still has most of his pieces professionally developed.

Many of the works in this show are pieces developed from slide photography.

One of the aspects he enjoys with photography is the opportunities for improvement since many photographers are self-taught.

“I’ve always look up to the works of Ansel Adams and Tom Mangelsen particularly, but you can learn from anybody,” he said. Since retiring from the fur business, Stevens has had the chance to take courses with National Geographic Photographer Joel Satore, and also Michael Forsberg.

Over the years, as more and more people viewed Steven’s works, his photography became more in demand. He has numerous pieces at various locations in McCook including: Community Hospital, Pizza Hit, Brookdale, the North Platte hospital. He’s exhibited his works at the Crane Trust, Stuhr Museum, Lauritzen Gardens in Omaha, Maloney Park show, Plymouth Congregational and Unitarian Churches in Lincoln, the Old Market in Lincoln, and venues in Kearney, Hastings, Hays, Kan.; Oberlin and Colby – and of course at Norris Park during Heritage Days each year.

He also serves as a photography judge in the tri-state area for county fairs.

Yet, he admits that his love of photography might have been forever contained in pages of family albums if it wasn’t for his wife Norma, a former teacher and life-long artist.

“Norma has always loved water colors and started framing a few of her pieces and eventually showing them around, and I accompanied her at most of these so she was the one who really encouraged me to put my photography out there too,” Jack recalls. “So we got a second tent.”

This weekend at the Wrightstone Fine Arts Gallery on the MCC campus, the Jack Stevens Retrospective Photography Exhibit is a showcase three-quarters of a century years in the making. It’s a testament to a self-taught photographer with a zest for life and telling stories with photographs.