Stockland Martel

John Offenbach is an award-winning editorial and advertising photographer whose images are often unfussy, tranquil, and dreamy. “I think of my pictures as having a light touch,” says John. “You could say they are considered, as opposed to snapped.”

John has been shooting Travelers Insurance campaigns for a number of years for Fallon, Minneapolis, and in September 2009 was honored with a Gold Award by Campaign magazine at the Campaign Photo Awards. His Travelers work also received first prize at the inaugural New York Photo Awards, and John was a nominee and finalist in the prestigious International Center for Photography’s Infinity awards.

The Travelers campaign features humorous scenarios, such as a water slide that ends in concrete, a Ferrari submerged in a swimming pool, and a bear destroying a pretty suburban kitchen. (The bear, by the way, was real. You can watch a short film of the shoot at John’s website, johnoffenbach.com.) John also recently completed campaigns for Hyundai, Porsche, and Disney.

John’s personal photography draws on a wide pool of interests, though landscapes have always been central to his work. He has photographed all over the world, from the glaciers in Patagonia to a series of magical scenes at some of southwest Florida’s tropical beaches. John also has explored the creative possibilities offered by CGI. But rather than create predictable pictures, John subtly crafts scenes that make you look twice; you are never quite sure of their origin. A couple of notable examples: a 1960s-era car resting peacefully upside down on its roof; and an abandoned Citroen on some perilous train tracks.

John has nurtured his longtime affinity for architecture through his photography, both in the book Architecture, published in 2000, and in documenting the annual pavilion commissioned by London’s Serpentine Gallery. Since 2005, he has photographed pavilions created by architects Frank Gehry and Rem Koolhaas, among others.

John, who lives in London with his wife and three children, has been known to go to great lengths for a good cause. Specifically, the length of the English Channel. In the late summer of 2009, he swam roughly 21 miles across this stretch of frigid water with his teammates in the charmingly named Belly Flops to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. It’s the kind of thing that most people would never dream of attempting. But then again, we never said John was like most people.

Below, a look at his work. To see more, visit stocklandmartel.com/talent/john-offenbach/photography/. And to read more about John, go here: stocklandmartelblog.com/tag/john-offenbach/.

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