Jack Rowell, a 70-year-old Vermont photographer, is showcasing five decades of his work through a new coffee table book and exhibition at the White River Crafts Center in Randolph. The veteran photographer has captured tens of thousands of images throughout his 50-plus-year career, documenting the authentic spirit of rural Vermont and its people.
Rowell's photographic journey began when he was just 12 years old growing up in Groton, Vermont. From the start, he focused his lens on the people of rural Vermont, creating images that are sometimes gritty but always genuine, much like the photographer himself. "Photography has opened doors for me throughout my career. It gets me places and lets me meet people that I never would have otherwise," Rowell explained while describing one of his portraits, noting how the subject "looks like she's reminiscing."
Despite his success behind the camera, Rowell's path wasn't always conventional. He never finished high school, admitting, "I didn't have enough credits, because I spent too much time doing what I wanted to do. I never was a good student. And also it was the early 70s, so I was partying." During those years, Rowell struggled with heavy drinking and smoking up to four packs of cigarettes a day. However, he gave up both cigarettes and alcohol decades ago, demonstrating the same intensity he brings to his photography. "Once I get into something, I dive in headfirst," he said.
When asked about his favorite subjects to photograph, Rowell responds with characteristic humor: "Usually when I'm asked that question, I say my favorite things to photograph are big fish and good-looking women." His portfolio spans from studio portraits to candid shots of down-to-earth folks, capturing the essence of Vermont life across generations.
One of Rowell's most notable collaborations was with Fred Tuttle, a retired dairy farmer from Tunbridge who became an unlikely star of the 1996 Vermont independent film "Man With a Plan." The quirky film documented Tuttle's folksy campaign run for Congress against a polished career politician, featuring the memorable line, "I spent my whole life in the barn, now I want to spend a little time in the house." Rowell served as associate producer on the film, joking, "I became an associate producer because I had a light meter and the director didn't."
The film's success led to the popular "Spread Fred" slogan that gained traction in Vermont and beyond, eventually inspiring Tuttle's real-life campaign for the U.S. Senate two years later, which remarkably mirrored many aspects of the movie. Rowell's relationship with Tuttle extended beyond the film, as he photographed the charismatic farmer twice for People magazine. "Oh, he loved it, oh my goodness," Rowell recalled fondly. "I knew how to photograph Fred, because Fred didn't always photograph well."
For the past three years, Rowell has been meticulously reviewing his extensive body of work to create his first coffee table book, appropriately titled "Jack Rowell Photographs." "Nice and simple," he said of the straightforward title. The collection features 121 carefully selected images in both color and black and white, representing the culmination of his long career. However, the process proved challenging for the photographer, who admits to poor organizational habits. "It's been a lot of work. I've never been very good about cataloging my stuff. So, I have been going through boxes and boxes of old negatives," he explained.
The book and accompanying exhibition at the White River Crafts Center offer viewers a comprehensive snapshot of Vermont and its people, preserving these authentic moments for future generations to discover and appreciate. Through Rowell's lens, the collection serves as both an artistic achievement and a historical document of rural Vermont life spanning half a century.
