Wide-open spaces lure Chickasaw photographer

EDMOND, Okla. – The timelessness of the universe is Jim Trosper's canvas.

It's ever-expanding and awe-inspiring.

When Trosper aims his Canon 5D Mark III camera toward heaven, he hopes the resulting photograph will open minds and inspire introspective wonderings about life – primarily life as experienced by the viewer.

"I've always been interested in how vast is the universe. You are not able to wrap your mind around its immenseness. One does not have the ability to comprehend how large it really is," Trosper explains.

The 22-year-old University of Central Oklahoma graduate is attempting to evoke emotions and questions through his photography to be featured in two art shows beginning this month in Oklahoma City and Tulsa.

The Chickasaw man will show approximately 20 photographs beginning Feb. 13 at Tree and Leaf Printshop. It is located in the Rockwell Plaza Shopping Center just off state Highway 3 between Overholser and Hefner lakes. A second show is planned at Foolish Things Coffee Co. beginning Feb. 27. It is located near downtown Tulsa at 1001 S. Main. Trosper's show in Oklahoma City will last one month; the one in Tulsa will continue two months.

UP AND AT 'EM

Through the photo-sharing medium Instagram, the Edmondite's cosmos shutter clicks were admired by Tree and Life personnel. A meeting was held and they agreed upon his participation in the upcoming show. The Tulsa opportunity came through networking the right folks.

Capturing the universe is not an easy task. Oft-times, the workday begins in the wee hours of the morning with a two-hour drive to the scene of the shoot.

His favorite photo is titled Road. The 30-second timed-exposure, taken at an aperture setting of F-4, captures a clear starry sky and a lonely stretch of road near Hennessey, Oklahoma, in central Oklahoma. The lights are aglow in Enid, Oklahoma, and can be seen vividly. Even wisps of the Milky Way are visible.

"The darkness makes it possible to capture images of things people take for granted," Trosper explains. "The exposure is long enough to capture space – to allow the stars to really 'pop' – yet short enough so the planet's movement doesn't blur or streak the stars," he added.

It is photography unlike anything he has seen. Tree and Leaf personnel agreed. While shots from deep space via the Hubble Telescope have provided Americans with 'gee whiz' images since its launch in 1990, ground-based photography of space is rare.

INSPIRED WONDER

Trosper, currently in the Chickasaw Nation's School to Work program, has honed his skills at Remington Park, Oklahoma City Zoo, Science Museum Oklahoma and other facilities in the Oklahoma City Adventure District.

He is proud of his work and hopes to continue photography for the rest of his life.

He enjoys the paradox between how insignificantly small earth and man are in the universe, but what a significant part each plays within it.

"I think these photographs address one thing about that as well," Trosper espoused. "We're small, yet we're large. We see hate crimes, terrorism, racism, climate assault ... and have a tendency to wrap ourselves within that context when it doesn't necessarily have to be like that; look up and be inspired."

The photos to be displayed almost didn't happen through personal frustration and a mental block, Trosper explained.

"The first few photographs were lackluster at best," he said. Experimenting with shutter speeds, lens apertures and "having a sturdy tripod," Trosper finally greeted success but kept pushing himself to produce even more wow-factor photographs, thanks to his Chickasaw grandmother and support from his parents, Patty and Kevin Trosper, of Edmond.

"I take great pride in being Chickasaw. I refuse to be anything other than the best, and I am willing to work at being the best. My grandmother instilled that in us at a very young age. It's in the blood of all Chickasaws."