Randy Johnson Opens Fenimore Art Museum Photography Exhibition

By WRILEY NELSON
COOPERSTOWN

Hall of Fame pitcher Randy Johnson visited the Fenimore Art Museum on Thursday, March 30 to open his first solo photography exhibition. “Randy Johnson: Storytelling in Photographs” features about 30 prints from Johnson’s trips across East Africa.

Johnson is best known for his exceptionally long and successful pitching career, but photography is his passion. He began taking photos in high school and studied photojournalism at the University of Southern California. Although he was unable to pursue this hobby during his hectic years in the minor leagues and with the Montreal Expos, he returned to it as soon as he could.

“Things went well [with the Expos] in 1988. The next year, things didn’t go so well. I got sent back down and then I got traded to Seattle,” Johnson told “The Freeman’s Journal.” “That’s when I started picking up the camera again. I still have photos I took just walking around Seattle with a camera. They’re some of my favorites.”

After his retirement from MLB in 2010, Johnson dove into photography full-time.

“There was a learning curve in getting back to photography,” he recalled. “There’s a learning curve to anything: to baseball, to photography, to giving interviews.”

He reflected on a few continuities across his two careers.

“A lot of [wildlife photography] is doing research, like I did in baseball, to know who I was facing, and then being ready for a great moment to present itself.”

He mused on the contrasts between waiting for a photo and pitching.

“As a pitcher, everyone starts moving when you do. Photography, you might be waiting a long time for something to happen.”

Johnson’s philosophy of constant improvement is not the only holdover from his MLB career. His photography website logo features a dead bird, a playful nod to the dove he notoriously killed with a pitch during spring training in 2001.
Johnson has traveled around the world documenting landscapes, wildlife and cultural traditions. In the United States, he is a staple at NFL games and rock concerts, and even served as official photographer for Canadian rock band Rush’s 40th-anniversary tour in 2015. His largest body of work, however, comes from Africa. He chose to focus on this special interest for the exhibition at the Fenimore.

Over the course of four tours through Ethiopia, Rwanda, Kenya, Namibia and Tanzania, Johnson documented breathtaking landscapes and intimate encounters with local residents in traditional dress. However, it is the exquisitely-timed wildlife shots that make this exhibition truly special. Johnson captured lions, mountain gorillas and the great antelope migrations of the African Great Lakes region.

“Everyone can relate to Africa. Everyone has seen photos, or they’ve seen documentaries, or they’ve been there,” Johnson said, “but I try to capture a different picture than what they saw.”

Johnson will return to Africa in August. He looks forward to many more years following his passion and perfecting his craft.

“As we say, the best photo is the one you haven’t taken yet,” he mused.

“Randy Johnson: Storytelling in Photographs” opened at the Fenimore Art Museum on April 1. It will remain in the Great Hall through September 17. For more information about Johnson’s photography, visit rj51photos.com.