Meet Jack Sipperly | Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jack Sipperly and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jack, what makes you happy? Why?
I’m a pretty happy dude and it’s hard for me to contain a smile so this question could on forever in my case. I will say that being able to create artwork that people can take the time to enjoy, observe and remember makes me quite happy. I know so many people who have struggled in some capacity throughout the past two years and creating photographs that take people away from the chaos of daily life and transports them to a single scene I documented is just a special feeling.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
It’s definitely been a long journey already and I still feel like there’s a lifetime of learning ahead. That’s kinda one of the reasons why I love making photos, you can pretty much do it until death. I originally started out shooting a lot of surf content while I was living full-time in southern Rhode Island. The makers, musicians and artists that comprise the local surf scene down there were instantly so inspiring and to this day have helped shape my photographic career. At this point, I was shooting photos for fun with friends and when we had waves, I’d post up on the beach for hours on end and I loved it. I eventually got into a lot of ocean abstract and slow shutter work when there weren’t waves and shifted gears to what I call the fine art phase of my career. I really wanted to display my work at a gallery as that had been a dream of mine since the beginning and that was when I met Pat Murphy of The King’s Lens and Friends gallery in downtown Newport. Pat and I struck up a good friendship through surfing and surf photography and hosted a bunch of galleries I attended in the past. I knew immediately that this was the place for me to have my first solo show. I remember the day I drove to Newport and pitched him my ideas and by the end of the day, we agreed on a date and the work began. The show was called Perpetual Motion and it showcased 15 slow shutter photos from the coastal zones of Rhode Island. I worked tirelessly on the show for 6 months and never had worked so hard on a single, continuous project before. On the day of the show, there was such a huge turnout of friends, family and new faces and It was just amazing having that many special people in my life all here for this thing I created. I sold half the show on opening night and the whole thing was a total dream come true. It really was my most proud moment as an artist. After moving to Martha’s Vineyard the week after the show, my work then made another turn, this time to analogue. I started shooting film almost exclusively and something about the process and feel of film instantly made me rethink how I photograph. I used to fire off shots with my digital and I’d have all these photos that I never felt were good enough and then they’d just sit on a hard drive. But with film and only having a set number of exposures per roll, It made me slow down and consider everything going on around me before pressing the shutter. These days, my work mainly focuses on documenting the juxtaposition of Vineyard between its quiet and lonesome winters and the summer chaos when the tourists come alive. All of this work on the Vineyard so far has been on film and although the prices of film continue to rise, I just can’t stop myself from loading up another roll. I’m obsessed at this point. Recently, I even began shooting Super 8mm and that’s already been such a learning curve for me. I think at this stage of my career, I’m learning not to compare my work to others and I just want to make photos that others can immerse themselves in, thereby escaping the stress of everyday life. Another piece of this is that I just want to make things I enjoy making and having a physical record of a moment in time that’s now gone forever. This documentary style of photography makes me feel like a historian almost and I look forward to viewing these same images decades down the road. I just love making photographs and no matter which way my career goes or doesn’t go, it’ll be a part of my life I’ll continue to cherish.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Where to start is the real question here! I think the best way to start a trip like this would be to drive up island and see the quieter, more quaint places most tourists don’t often see. I want to give whoever visits the non-touristy side of life on the island. Often, the flea markets and farmer’s markets up there are a good place to start for breakfast or lunch and a nice stroll. A bagel sandwich from Fantzye and a Katama Kombucha has been a recent go-to of mine. After that, some time spent beaching and perhaps a surf session would be the way to go in my books. After probably too much sun, a couple of beers on the porch overlooking Sunset Lake is a good time to catch up and let the rest of the day unfold. Where I live in Oak Bluffs is a super close walk to town, so food and drinks are always easy to find. A few of my favorites include Nancy’s, Offshore Ale, Nomans, The Ritz and The Lookout among many other summer classics. Anytime someone visits, a beach fire is usually in store and it’s always a blast when your friends from home meet your friends on island and everyone just gets along so well. In terms of what else to do, there’s just so much that it almost is overwhelming. I feel like after living on the island for over a full year now, I feel like a salty old local that doesn’t want to give up all the gems the island has to offer. Maybe I’m too overprotective, or maybe I really appreciated the slower way of life here this past winter, but regardless of all that, if you really want to know what this place is really about, come find me and I’ll show you a good time.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Without a doubt, I owe a lot to my parents. Since day one, they’ve always had my back in any endeavour I chose. I think the whole photography thing originally stems from my whole childhood being documented on film. My mom and dad would each lug a camera around no matter where we went and I most definitely thank them a lot for that. I remember shooting with my dad’s Nikon early on and it was one of those things I was instantly obsessed with. I started out shooting digital but I clearly remember buying my first film camera. I was always interested in the process behind film photography and one day we went to thrift store out on Martha’s Vineyard and there it was, a Pentax K1000. The camera was $10 and at the time I didn’t know this but the film rewind knob was completely gone. I ended up buying it whether I knew it worked or not and had it serviced back home in Rhode Island and that was it, I was hooked.

Website: jacksipperlyphoto.com

Instagram: jack_sipperly

Twitter: _jacksipperly