Bio

Jonathan Ducrest (b. 1976) was born and raised in Switzerland, where his interest in photography was ignited with a point-and-shoot camera he received from his parents. The mountain vistas, atmospheric conditions, and dramatic scenery of the towering Swiss landscape, provided him with his earliest subjects. In 1998 he relocated to the United States, where he settled in New York City. There, he expanded his practice into the urban canyons and architectural wonders of the metropolis, which drew parallels with his earlier scenes of nature's awe-inspiring power. In 2013 Ducrest moved to Los Angeles in pursuit of new photographic discoveries. The West Coast's varied topography—deserts, oceanic horizons, and local styles—have provided a fresh set of artistic challenges, while also bringing together the varied strands of his visual palette from twenty-five years of experimentation and creative investigation. Ducrest's compositional skill, discerning eye, and cinematic sensibilities have made him one of the foremost practitioners of landscape, travel and urban photography working in the Los Angeles area. After 23 years in the U.S., he returned to his native Switzerland in early 2021. He spends his time between Zürich and Los Angeles. A self-taught artist, Ducrest's preferred camera is a Sony A7RIV, and for drone images, he utilizes a DJI Mavic 3. He manages all of the technical and editing processes requisite for contemporary digital photography. Ducrest's work has been collected extensively, by individuals, and major collectors, including Netflix. His photographs have been featured in many television productions—Disney-ABC, Warner Media and Apple. In 2020, he received a citation award for Petrol Station 2018, from the renowned American Institute of Architects, during the AIA/Architectural Photography Awards. In April 2020, his image Salerno Umbrellas was selected by Saatchi Art’s Chief Curator for their “New This Week Collection” and in early 2021, Saatchi Art named him one of 21 artists to watch in 2021. In May 2022, he received two awards from the American Institute of Architechs Los Angeles for his images “Woman on a Bridge” and “Wrap de Triomphe”. The Royal Academy of London selected his image “Out of Gas” for their summer exhibition on the theme of climate.