Jacob H. Ford of Monongahela will exhibit his photographs this weekend at the Frank L. Melega Art Museum in Brownsville.
Jacob H. Ford has come a long way since he first picked up a Kodak digital point-and-shoot camera.
The 27-year-old Monongahela man, chosen as this year’s Artist of the Pike at the Frank L. Melega Art Museum in Brownsville, features his work on his social media page and sells his photographs on Etsy.
“The Mon Valley is my focus and niche,” he said. “But Pittsburgh and shots taken on vacation trips to the beach and national parks are also included in my portfolio.”
Five years ago, Ford’s parents bought him a newer digital camera, a Canon EOS Rebel T6, and he’s recently learned what the camera is really capable of doing.
“I switched from automatic to manual mode and began experimenting,” said Ford, who grew up in Richeyville. “After watching some YouTube videos and doing some research on the internet, I learned more about manual mode. But it took some practice.”
Manual mode requires a photographer to adjust the light and depth of photographs.
In October 2022, Ford created his Facebook photo page, and followed that up a year later by setting up an Etsy shop.
His most liked photo on Facebook is of a twister that hadn’t touched down on a farm near Monongahela, and his most shared photo is one of Downtown Pittsburgh taken from the North Shore.
Another popular photo is of the horseshoe curve to the Mon River in Newell. To create it, Ford said he used four images taken vertically and stitched together to make a panoramic view.
The photo that caught the eye of Patrick Daugherty, executive director of the Frank L. Melega Art Museum, is one Ford took of the Flatiron Building while on a photo shoot in Brownsville.
“I first became aware of Jacob Ford’s photography when I encountered the photograph on the internet,” Daugherty said. “It impressed me so much, I searched for other examples of his work. It was clear this was a talented photographer, having a strong sense of design and an eye for color.”
“Coincidentally, some of the scenes in his photos were the same scenes depicted by Frank L. Melega in his drawings and paintings,” Daugherty said.
He also noted Ford’s savvy in going online to both promote and sell his photographs.
Ford is a member of multiple Facebook community groups in the Mon Valley and Pittsburgh, which has helped give his work public exposure, he said.
Ford attributes his success to his focus on lighting and composition. While he takes photos year-round, his favorite season is the fall when the leaves turn. However, he said, each month is unique in its own way.
“I like to go out early in the morning and shoot during the golden hour, an hour after sunrise, and the blue hour, an hour before sunrise,” he said. “The same holds true for sunsets.”
Last summer, Ford entered a photo contest organized by Scenic Pittsburgh. The contest included six categories and was open to photographers who lived in the 10 surrounding counties. Ford placed in three of the six categories, and his photos made their way into the organization’s 2024 calendar. One can be found on the back cover and two highlight the cover page of two different months.
Although he showed his work in public at the Fleatique in Monongahela last summer, the upcoming Artist of the Pike exhibit at the Flatiron Building in Brownsville will be his first showing in a museum setting. During the show, he’ll exhibit 21 of his landscape and cityscape photos.
While he has taken some portraits and photos of weddings for friends and family, he said he much prefers taking his camera outdoors and exploring.
His day job as a utility forester for Davey Tree has him marking trees and identifying vegetation that needs to be cut down or pruned. This has taken him to many rural and urban areas where he’s developed an appreciation for the uniqueness of the towns, villages and countryside of Southwestern Pennsylvania.
“On my job, I’ve managed to discover the beauty of our region and strive to capture the unique images I find and share them with others on Facebook and Instagram,” he said.
As to the future, Ford said he’s comfortable where he is right now.
“I feel that I’ve touched a lot of people with my photography and have, at the same time, been able to develop my brand,” he said. “I am thankful for this gift of photography God has given me and am also thankful for my wonderful wife, Sydney, who supports me in my photography endeavors.”
The 2024 Jacob H. Ford Artist of the Pike Exhibit is at the Frank L. Melega Art Museum, 69 Market St., Brownsville. A reception is scheduled from 1 to 4 p.m. this Saturday and Sunday. Admission and parking are free. For more information, call 724-785-9331.