Photographer Jordan Putt uses the camera to understand position in place and community

On the “City Lights” series “Speaking of Art,” local artists share insights into their influences, processes, and experiences in town. This edition features photographer, bookmaker and educator Jordan Putt.

“My work usually takes the form of long-term projects that look into a specific place or a community that I have some kind of personal connection to,” Putt said.

“Whether it’s photographing my hometown in Tuscon, Arizona, or spending a few years photographing a religious leader that I formed a friendship with in Chicago, a lot of these projects take a lot of time and rely on the relationships that I’ve built in these spaces. And so much of these projects are actually about using the camera as a means to understand my own position in these locations.”