John Henderson, a fine art photographer based in Philadelphia, PA, began his engagement with photography in 1972 after purchasing a Canon FDb 35mm film SLR camera. Shortly thereafter, he established a darkroom, where he developed black-and-white photographs, marking the beginning of his formal exploration of the medium. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Henderson systematically refined his technical and aesthetic skills through the iterative processes of photographing, critically reviewing his work, and supplementing his practice with information from instructional texts and coursework. From the late 1980s, Henderson devoted approximately twenty-five years to familial and professional responsibilities, temporarily setting aside his photographic pursuits. With his children now grown, he has returned to photography, adopting digital methodologies and reinvigorated by digitizing his historical negatives.
At present, Henderson maintains a constant readiness to document spontaneous moments, which informs his contemporary practice. His recent work explores themes of nostalgia and temporality, focusing on urban environments and subdued yet evocative scenes from everyday life. By deliberately juxtaposing elements of past and present, memory and oblivion, his photographs construct compelling narratives rich in emotional resonance. Notably, Henderson’s trajectory exemplifies how periods of hiatus, technological shifts, and personal transformation can critically enrich an artist’s conceptual framework and deepen the interpretive sophistication of their creative output.