Gardner is a self-taught photographer, writer, and visual artist living in Memphis, Tennessee with his wife and pets. His photographic process involves lighting each scene with flashes, colored gels, high-powered laser pointers, and LED flashlights rather than relying on post-processing techniques. While he does use Lightroom and Photoshop to edit, in almost all cases the lighting and coloring work is accomplished in person. He graduated from Clarion West Writers Workshop in 2019 and the University of Florida MFA in Fiction Program in 2020. In 2022, he was diagnosed with the chronic illness ME/CFS, which he continues to treat. He works as the creative head for an audio company based in the Bay Area.
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gallery exhibitions:
web exhibitions and features:
print publications:
digital magazine publications:
instagram features:
interviews:
album covers:
gear list:
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gallery exhibitions:
- stock & belle, may group show, memphis, TN, 2025
- panopticon gallery, “how i spent my summer vacation...” group show, boston, MA, 2024
- blackbox gallery, light and shadow group exhibition, portland, OR, 2024
- icon gallery, jackson, MS, 2006
web exhibitions and features:
- artist profile, collater.al, 2025
- “mosquito kingdom,” photo essay, the photographic journal, 2024
- subjectively objective, 2024
- “oiseaux de nuit,” fisheye magazine group feature, 2024
- color 2024, group exhibition, f-stop magazine, 2024
- “a second glance: first look 2024”, panopticon gallery, group exhibition, 2024
- “a stranger visited me”, broad magazine, solo exhibition, 2023
- “a stranger visited me”, noice magazine, solo exhibition, 2023
print publications:
- fisheye magazine, group feature, november issue, 2024
- sick day magazine, feature, 2024
- subtropics magazine, cover, 2024
- shutterbug magazine, feature, 2007
digital magazine publications:
- furious pure magazine, feature, summer 2024
instagram features:
- polka
- the photographic journal
- dinermag
- subjectively objective
- your local newsstand
- rage.
- fisheye magazine
- paradisaea magazine
- float magazine instagram takeover
- f-stop magazine
- broad magazine community feature
- broad magazine “Friday Feature”
- noice magazine
- panopticon gallery
- artise magazine
- jingusbingus (tiktok)
interviews:
- interview, liam kreutz, 2025
- interview, the spotted zebra, 2025
- noice magazine (the pictureroom) interview
album covers:
- the ideal setback, “everything i remember about everyone i ever knew”
- ceramic planet, “glitter glitter// good morning”
- tomorrower’s tomorrower ep
gear list:
- canon eos r5 camera
- canon eos rebel xt camera
- various 00s point-and-shoots
- canon rf 24-70mm f/2.4 lens
- canon rf 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 lens
- flashpoint zoom li-on x r2 ttl speedlight
- jlasers c3 cryo laser pointer
- jlasers c3 antares laser pointer
- jlasers c3 ember laser pointer
- omalight rechargeable led flashlight, high lumens XHP90.2 flashlight
- flashpoint pro air-cushioned heavy-duty light stand
- flashpoint r2 mark ii ettl 2.4 ghz wireless flash trigger
- manfrotto mk290xta3-bhus 290 xtra aluminum tripod with ball head
- adobe photoshop & lightroom