Jon Goering

Photography

Interview by Pete Dulin. Photography by Jon Goering.

Published: Monday, October 1, 2007

In September, Pam Taylor and I met Jon Goering at the 2007 Crossroads Music Festival. Currently, he works as a photojournalist for The University Daily Kansan while completing his studies at the University of Kansas. Since we were not familiar with his work at the time, I asked him to contact us at PresentMagazine.com. His photographs from the festival were impressive and distinctive, capturing expressions and moments with the skill and attention to detail of a talented photographer. Learning more about his body of work and his ambitions, it is not a stretch to envision Jon's services in high demand as he pursues work overseas in the years to come. True to the purpose of this magazine, it is exciting and rewarding to present this interview with Jon and his images to a wider audience.

––Pete Dulin, Editor

Jon Goering Orthodox Church
Photograph by Jon Goering.
Courtesy of The University Daily Kansan.

Present: Are you from Grand Forks, North Dakota, originally? Did you come to Lawrence to study photojournalism at the University of Kansas?

Jon Goering: I was actually born in southern Colorado. I moved to Grand Forks when I was nine. I came to KU in a very roundabout way. I left Grand Forks after I graduated from high school. I moved to Sioux City, Iowa, where I attended Briar Cliff University on a basketball scholarship. Before the start of my freshman season, I realized basketball had been replaced in my dreams by the desire to become a songwriter. I stayed at Briar Cliff for the rest of my freshman year and in Sioux City for one year after that. But, I knew I had to move on. I spent a few months in Fort Collins, Colorado, and a few months in Concord, New Hampshire.

As I came back to the Midwest from the East Coast, I stopped back in Sioux City to see my old friends. I spent the summer in Sioux City and decided I wanted to return to Grand Forks and see my high school friends again. And, I was broke. I borrowed the twenty-five bucks it took to drive back home. Shortly after I moved back into my parent’s basement, they moved south to Kansas to be near my father’s parents until they passed. My North Dakota friends encouraged me to stay and rent out the house my parents were moving out of since it was right on the campus of the University of North Dakota. I spent a year at UND, but I still knew that wasn’t where I wanted to stay.

In August 2003, my sister invited me along to do volunteer work for a childrens’ library that my mother, Jane Kurtz had opened in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. (www.janekurtz.com and www.ethiopiareads.org) I lived for a little over two years in Ethiopia. I did a lot of backpacking during that time, visiting many areas of Ethiopia (some multiple times) as well as spending a month in Uganda and a week in Djibouti. My wife and I got married in Addis Ababa and our daughter was born there as well. In November 2005, during a time of political unrest, the three of us moved back to the United States. We came to Kansas and I enrolled for classes at KU.

Present: What equipment do you use?

Goering: My primary body is a Canon 1D Mark II N, and I have a Rebel XT backup body. I use Canon’s L series 16-35 2.8 and 70-200 2.8 most of the time. I also have Canon’s 100 2.8 macro for close-ups, 50 1.8 prime for extreme low-light situations, and a 1.4x extender for 300 reach in a pinch.

Present: One series that stands out are photos of Kidane Mehret Ethiopian Orthodox Church located in Shawnee, Kansas. Tell us about the experience of taking photos in this setting and depicting the subject with the use of light.

Goering: Kidane Mehret was an amazing opportunity. I was invited to photograph the celebration by a priest at the church. My wife is Ethiopian Orthodox, and my son was baptized there. I am taking a photojournalism class where I do multimedia photo stories using Soundslides, and I knew this would be a great opportunity to share a small piece of this beautiful culture. I knew going in that the curtained windows faced east, and the sun comes through in streaks and enhances the smoke from the incense. Driving along K10 towards Shawnee as the sun began to rise, I was concerned that it was going to be a cloudy day. But luckily, the morning clouds broke and there was plenty of sun sneaking in the cracks of the curtains. The sanctuary was beautiful and the people were gracious and accommodating in every way.

It’s not Ethiopia, but it’s not Kansas either. It’s still a mystery to me,

but it is some special place in between.

I look forward to any opportunity to share the beauty that I have access to with my camera. I also look forward to opportunities to photograph more serious issues. But, I do have a large soft spot for sharing positive things between cultural lines. Even though it is just right there in Shawnee, the inside of that church for me is a whole different place. It’s not Ethiopia, but it’s not Kansas either. It’s still a mystery to me, but it is some special place in between.

jon goering orthodox church 2
Photograph by Jon Goering.
Courtesy of the University Daily Kansan.