The route to Benjamin Rinenbach’s career was not direct, even though photography has been a lifelong passion.
“I’ve always been fascinated by photography,” said Rinenbach, 46, an award-winning Rancho Bernardo photographer. “Since I was a kid, before I could read, I was looking at ‘National Geographic’ magazines, fascinated by the pictures.”
Throughout his life, in the military, working in construction and as a firefighter/paramedic, Rinenbach said he always took photos with whatever camera he had, be it a point-and-shoot or smartphone. But it was not until six years ago that on a whim he decided to pursue photography seriously.
“A spinal fusion and a drunken late night camera purchase on eBay changed his path forever,” he wrote on his website, rinenbachphotography.com.
This photo by Benjamin Rinenbach is called “4 minutes at Sunset Cliffs.”
(Benjamin Rinenbach)
That path is taking him this weekend to the San Diego Convention Center, where Rinenbach will be among the 95 exhibitors representing hundreds of artists from around world at the 15th annual Art San Diego fair.
Rinenbach plans to exhibit around 20 photos, ranging from 12-inch square to 30-by-40-inch images. Last year, he won Art San Diego’s “Best Solo Exhibitor” award during his debut at the event.
“It was a nice shot in the arm, overwhelming,” Rinenbach said about his award. “I am extremely humbled and appreciative of it.”
Art San Diego is organized by the Redwood Art Group, which holds contemporary art and design fairs across the United States. In addition to the exhibits, the event will feature art labs that provide interactive experiences. The fair has also partnered with Monarch School, Humble Design and Arts District Liberty Station. Artwork purchased through this partnership will benefit downtown San Diego’s Monarch School, which educates elementary through high school students who are homeless.
A self-taught photographer, Rinenbach’s inspirations are photographers Edward Curtis and Ansel Adams, along with film directors John Ford and Sergio Leone.
The Chicago native said during the early parts of his life he lived “a predominately left-brain existence.” This included being a skateboarder, gymnast and “secretly” writing poems while serving as an Army infantryman and working in construction. A back injury six years ago while firefighting in Chicago ended his 12-year career as a firefighter/paramedic.
During his recovery he started pursuing his right-brain creative side.
“I wanted to explore and experiment with the artistic side of myself,” Rinenbach said. “I have fallen in love with it.”
His preference is for black-and-white photography: “I find color to be distracting. I like shadows, shapes, contours and contrasts. I find no benefit of those in color. I love looking at black-and-white. It is emotive and suiting to my eyes. It is interesting to my eyes.”
Benjamin Rinenbach took this photo at Joshua Tree National Park. He calls it “Josh at Dusk.”
(Benjamin Rinenbach)
Three years ago Rinenbach, his wife Christa, who grew up in Scripps Ranch, and their now 15-year-old son, Ben, and 13-year-old daughter, Cam, moved to Rancho Bernardo. Leaving Chicago, where the couple met, and moving to San Diego to be closer to his wife’s family was something they had wanted to do for a long time, he said.
Since moving here, Rinenbach said he has found lots of creative inspiration. He calls most of his photos “desert and coastal noir,” so he has many options within a short drive. Taking photos of the Pacific Ocean and San Diego’s coastal areas is a given for local photographers, he said, but some of his favorite spots are in San Diego’s desert.
“For me, to have the ability to be in a place where I can look at the horizon in any direction and there is nobody between in that chunk of the world, but yourself, the critters and clouds … there is great peace. It is humbling. There is nothing man-made. It is just mother nature in any direction.”
His favorite lighting is overcast. He said he often does long exposures, letting the lens stay open from two to eight minutes.
“The cloud cover or water collaborates with you … with the clouds you do not have any blown-out highlights from the sun, which is too harsh,” he said. “It is just natural filtered light that provides great photo opportunities.”
Rinenbach said he enjoys the process, which requires him to be patient and slow down. “I can’t wander away, so I am forced to be patient and enjoy the scene before me. It is about more than a cool snapshot, but the process for me.”
This photo by Benjamin Rinenbach is “4 minutes at Cabrillo.”
(Benjamin Rinenbach)
Rinenbach’s daughter Cam sometimes accompanies him on his photography road trips that may have no set destination. He stops when inspiration strikes.
“My daughter is very invested in it, has a decent camera and gear, and explores with me,” he said. “Not long from now she will be a far superior photographer than I am.”
He did not start out doing landscape photography. Initially, he took whatever jobs he could get, which is why he has several photos of ballet dancers on his website. He started working with a ballet company in Chicago, which led to him not only photographing the dancers, but their families who liked his experimental and artistic style.
“I loved it,” Rinenbach said about working with the dancers. “I figured that work was not too far astray, very emotive and high contrast … it was a good fit for my style.”
Even now, when creating some of his visual arts pieces that often incorporate multiple levels of glass with his photography, he will overlay a photo of a dancer with a landscape scene to create a new image.
“It is other worldly,” Rinenbach said of the final image.
Benjamin Rinenbach took this 4-minute long exposure of the Ocean Beach pier. He calls it “Oceanic Shavasana.”
(Benjamin Rinenbach)
Rinenbach said he enjoyed exhibiting his work at last year’s Art San Diego and that it led to several commissions for him. For example, he was hired by San Diego biotech company Illumina to help decorate its building. He contributed work that incorporated acrylic and wood with his photography and was involved in the installation’s coordination so all the artwork complements the building’s design.
Some of his mixed-media is 3D photography sculptures that weigh 50 to 100 pounds due to the multiple layers of glass.
Art San Diego
Hours: Noon to 5 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Where: San Diego Convention Center, Hall E, 111 W. Harbor Drive, Downtown
Tickets: $10-$30 (parking not included)
Online: redwoodartgroup.com/art-san-diego
Himchak writes for the U-T Community Press.