Digital photograph of a scene outdoors. To the right there is a large rock cliff that spans the background, mostly covered with trees. There is a body of water at the bottom, with logs floating in the green colored water. Small waterfall on the right.

While attending GVSU and perusing a degree in photography, Jason Rutter had the opportunity to work with photographer David Plowden, an artist known for documenting the ever-changing American landscape. The influence of Plowden on Rutter’s career goes far beyond technique and process, but the ideal of photography as a source of documentation of the world around us. Rutter’s photography takes the viewer everywhere from Michigan farms, to industrial sites at night and to natural landscapes across the country. Today, Rutter can now be found in the darkroom at GVSU, teaching future photographers the importance of documenting the world as they see it.