Profile of an Iron Ranger: Chris Perry

“The perfect picture is about your artistic thinking. It is not about capturing the moment and being done with it. It is about what is in your head that you want to get across.” - Chris Perry

Chisholm native and professional photographer, Chris Perry, uses a camera to express his creative thinking. A walk through the Chris Perry Gallery on Sheridan Street in Ely provides insight into his artistic perspective and the true passion he has for the north woods. His photographic skills bring life and meaning to the natural beauty of our area that we often take for granted, such as the picturesque landscapes, the wildlife around us, and the awesome night scenes. “I like to bring out the small things that go unnoticed and allow people to see what we have up here,” said Perry. “I would hope my photos change the way people look at things,” recognizing that we often do not see nature the way it really is.

Perry’s style of creative photography takes time and patience. “I may need to go back ten times to get the right landscape shot,” he said. “Some photographers spend a lot of time capturing the moment, but I take it to the next level and include some emotion in my shots.” Perry talks about the importance of lighting and time of year. He keeps his locations in mental check, always thinking about photo opportunities.

“My dad was my inspiration,” says Perry. He remembers dreaming about becoming a photographer before he was ten years old. “Dad always had good camera equipment around the house and was okay with me using it.” Perry spoke with pride as he describes how he would gaze at the slides taken by his dad of the family trips. “Dad took great photos and I wanted to emulate that.”

Perry was a Christmas baby, born on December 20, 1974. His parents are Dave and Laura Perry of Chisholm. Dave is a psychologist for the Itasca School District and Laura has worked as a non-profit helper for various family venues. An older sister, Alison, is a writer for Iron Range Resources in Eveleth.

“Hunting up the Echo Trail out of Ely with my uncle and fishing with my dad are my favorite childhood memories,” said Perry. He developed a fondness for the Echo Trail at an early age, something that has carried with him to this day. “My grandfather from Side Lake would tell me the Echo Trail was different in the old days. He often would camp for the night because the ‘trail’ got so bad.” The Echo Trail continues to be a favorite location for Perry’s photography and satisfying his passion for grouse hunting.

Story photos by Chris Perry. Visit chrisperryphotography.com. As for growing up in Chisholm, Perry said, “Chisholm was great. It was like living here in Ely. We were close to nature and I would get out every weekend and go somewhere fishing or hunting. I was always outdoors.”

One thing about Perry that few people know is that he was a punk rocker in high school, complete with mohawks and dreadlocks. “In Chisholm everyone was a guitarist,” he said. “I also spent time with other punkers when I hung out in the Uptown area of the Twin Cities.”

After graduating from Chisholm High School, Perry enrolled in the graphic arts program at the Mesabi Range Community and Technical College in Eveleth. He left the program after a year, choosing to work in graphic design for the Banta Printing Company in Minneapolis. “I was in the Cities for four or five years, but that was more of a life experience of hanging out and having fun, living in Uptown,” he said, “and my love for photography continued to grow, taking pictures all over the Cities.”

Perry returned to the Iron Range in 1997 to continue his education. He completed a three year program as a multi-media specialist at Hibbing Community College in 2000. That provided the skills he needed to pursue a career in photography. “It was a great program with awesome equipment to work with,” said Perry. He currently serves on a board overseeing the multi-media specialist program, making recommendations to improve the course.

“I opened a gallery in Chisholm for three years, Northern Exposures Gallery,” said Perry. He saw this as a natural progression to eventually open the Chris Perry Gallery in Ely, where the summer tourism would provide him with much more exposure. “Ely is a perfect fit for my business, however, I actually spent more time in the Boundary Waters when I lived in Chisholm.”

Perry was introduced to his future bride, Micah (Rouse) through a friend from Babbitt who is married to Micah’s sister. The couple married in 2006. They have two children together; Milo (1) and Madelin (5), along with two boys from previous relationships; Alexy (12) and Brodie (10). Perry had a broad smile when he stated, “I am most proud of my family.”

Success for Perry has come through the National Geographic Magazine. One of his photos, “White Pine Aurora,” was purchased by National Geographic for their stock photography. It became the logo for the Chris Perry Gallery. Another photograph, “Milky Way and Spruce,” was selected for the National Geographic Your Shots competition and was in the running to be included in their magazine. “It was cool to be picked by National Geographic separately by two different people,” said Perry, adding, “It was very good exposure for me. It was quite an honor and made me feel it is worthwhile taking pictures.” Night photography and waterfalls are Perry’s biggest sellers. “I have great wildlife photos, but I think it comes down to most people prefer having a landscape on their wall than an animal,” he said. His favorite is night photography and he has beautiful examples of this in his gallery. “I am always thinking about how I will set up the photo,” added Perry.

If Perry could sit down with any famous person, dead or alive, he would choose Ely’s own Jim Brandenburg. “I think as far as nature photography goes, he is light years ahead of everybody else,” he said. “He is my favorite artist.”

Besides photography, Perry has a passion for snowboarding and would have liked to become a professional snowboarder. “I am big into snowboarding and skateboarding. I have been out to Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Colorado snowboarding and I love it,” he said. Perry can also be seen kayaking the many lakes and rivers in the area.

When asked where he would like to be five years from now Perry said, “The same place, but just be able to get my photos out to more galleries outside of our area.” He would also like to pursue more photography in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. “There are so many photos to be taken and not enough time.”

Perry loves living in Ely. “The locals are great and there are a lot of talented people that move here,” he said. “I get people in my gallery from all over the world, something you would not see in Chisholm.” He also gets hits on his website from around the globe.

Perry has a few words he would like to end this interview with: “I love Ely and I love the people and they are all characters. I am sort of a character, so I fit in. The people are unique here, not very bland. They all have a good personality that is unique to themselves. It is a little more mellow in a good way. Even the people that move here, they all have a little different drive to them and they love the woods a little bit more than others and I love that.”

Author’s note: Elliott Erwitt once said, “To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place. I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” This parallels Perry’s thinking. He puts a lot of thought and time into his photography and truly wants to change the way we look at nature through his photographic expressions. Take the time to stop by his gallery and introduce yourself, tell him how lucky you are to have him as your neighbor, and slowly walk through his gallery with an open mind to change the way you see things.

Terry Jackson of Ely is the former General Manager of the City of Ely Public Utilities. He is a busy and happy retiree now who writes profiles of interesting Iron Rangers in his free time.

Story photos by Chris Perry. Visit chrisperryphotography.com.