Shifter: Allan Jenkins

I met Allan Jenkins roughly a decade ago during the early stages of Blurb's arrival on the photobook scene. Like all good creatives, Allan was curious about new technologies, and what Blurb was doing, and had already begun using the platform and using it well. His work at the time was connected to Cuba, a country that connected to me through my father's ranch partner, a Cuban refugee who I had spent considerable time with during my childhood.

On an early European swing for Blurb, we hosted a dinner in London and Allan was kind enough to spare us his time and expertise. I liked him from the minute I met him. Gregarious with a sense of humor, but more importantly, Allan was all in on photography. I don't remember how, but I got myself invited to his studio and this was where I began to get a better understanding of who Allan is.

This past May, during another European swing for Blurb, I reached out to reconnect and Allan said "Come on out." Thanks to the kindness of a stranger who noticed me waiting for the wrong train, I made it to Allan's studio where I made this short film. My filmmaking skills lack the refinement to do Allan justice, but the work speaks for itself.

Allan does have a little of the "International Man of Mystery" to him. There is the hard-to-place accent, and the Spanish and French that punctuate his speech, but when the door of the studio opens, and you begin to take in the uniqueness of the place, you will undoubtedly understand that you are dealing with an artist. Here is my advice. Look at the commitment. Look at the prints and installations. Look at the books. Look at the process. Look at the curiosity.

We can learn a lot from Allan, and I hope you enjoy the fruits of our visit.

[arrow-from-the-sun]

Inspirational, educational and enjoyable. Thank you both! 🙏🙏🙏

[mikemanning]

I always love to see and hear how the pro's do it. Mr. Jenkins work is beautiful. Thank you Dan for another informative story.

[kellyhim]

I had the impression of being in the museum's back room, the artist's studio. Thank you

[lesl]

Amazing profile of him and his work … wow 🤩

[zone]

The most intriguing accent. I am English but his accent, it's quite unique. Great example of Blurb's books.

[BaronJonJames]

Like I always feel after watching your content, I am inspired.

[photom]

These profiles are always very informative. The “interrogation” brought out the essence of the work.

[ratgirl]

Hey Milnor, how’s it going? Glad to see you’re active on your channel. Interesting interview, I enjoy learning about new-to-me photographers and what they are about—nicely done!

[Wateraddict]

We definitely need more of this on YouTube. It's a perfect medium for this. One of my favourite TV shows use to be Inside The Actors Studio, this reminds me of that.

[lIllllIllllllIl]

Really fantastic artist. Wonderful addition to your docu series Uncle Dan!

[qnetx]

Beautiful work and an insightful interview. Looking forward to seeing more of these types of videos.

[J.AshleyNixon]

A fascinating look at Allan Jenkins and his lovely work. Thanks for making and sharing this film!

[worldskipper]

Nice! I was both inspired and learned a couple of things on how I can integrate some of his methods into my passion. And like you said years ago "If you don't print, it doesn't count". Allan is a testament to that.

[PatrickSmeaton]

Your interrogation skills are top notch. You got him to sing like a bird.

[ChristineWilsonPhotography]

Wow, fabulous work, great interview, loved it

[peter]

An object and not an image, brilliant. The individual photos boxed up makes an excellent presentation of the objects.

[wallywo]

Great as always, thanks for this Daniel, a valuable insight into fine art.

[WatchDSSID]

Excellent interview - what a brilliant photographer….thanks for the insight

[blackthai]

Thanks for the introduction to this artists work Daniel

[Neobright]

Amazing work, thank you for sharing this Dan.