Jackson Free Press

When asked where he went to high school, 17-year-old Jonathan Faulkner pauses. "Can you have a list?" he asks, laughing.

Faulkner, who moved to Jackson from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, has attended Power APAC, St. Joseph Catholic High School, The Education Center School and graduated from Murrah High School this spring. He says it took a few tries to find a school that was a good fit for him.

Although Jonathan has always loved art, he focused mainly on pencil drawing until his senior year in high school when an art teacher gave him an assignment in which he had to shadow someone in his or her career field. Faulkner chose local photographer and fellow New Orleanian Gerard Howard who he knew from attending New Hope Baptist Church in Jackson.

Initially, Jonathan says he had reservations. He found himself fearful of the assignment, unsure if Howard would be a dictator or if it would be more of a "Karate Kid" type mentorship.

"I really wasn't happy about getting a mentor, I kind of wanted to do it myself," he says.
The assignment, however, was a success. Faulkner credits Howard with teaching him the basics of photography and helping him improve his photography skills. The two remain close friends.

"I showed him the first stuff I did, and he told me what I could do to make it look better," he says.

Last night, Faulkner displayed his photographs at Koinonia Coffee House for his first show. He said he got the idea to display his work there after visiting the coffee house and seeing other artist's work displayed on the wall. Faulkner featured 25 photographs of nature, and some abstract images taken through windows, including black and white photography.

Faulkner plans to attend Hinds Community College in the fall, and eventually transfer to Xavier University in New Orleans. He isn't sure if he will live in New Orleans after college, but says it is still his favorite place to take pictures with his digital Kodak camera of buildings, and other structures and landscapes he finds while walking around.

Jonathan can't quite pinpoint what subject matter intrigues him, although his mentor has given him great advice on what makes a good picture.

"How I feel about the picture makes it good, I guess," he says. He claims some of his best photographs were taken right around the corner from his home near Tougaloo College.

Faulkner's photographs are currently on display at Koinonia Coffeehouse (136 S. Adams St.) Photographs range from $10 to $30. For more information call 601-960-3008.