Jeffrey Milstein
Hudson Valley Fall 022019
Artist
Jeffrey Milstein (b. 1944) is one of the most distinctive American photographers working today, whose stunning aerial images have secured him a devoted international following. Born in the Bronx, New York, Milstein is now based in Woodstock, New York, where he continues to pursue the practice that has made him one of the most collected contemporary photographers of aerial subjects. He was initially trained as an architect at the University of California, Berkeley, an educational foundation that gave him a lifelong appreciation for the structural logic of the built environment, and he transitioned to a full-time photography career in 2000.
Milstein has been a licensed pilot since the age of seventeen, and his mature practice brings together his lifelong passions for flying and photography. His early photographic work focused on the underside of commercial airliners caught in the moment of landing, producing striking images that revealed the surprising geometric beauty of an object most travelers never see directly. This series was featured in a solo exhibition at the Ulrich Museum of Art in 2008 and later showcased in a year-long solo exhibition at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in 2012.
More recently, Milstein has turned his camera downward to capture a bird's-eye view of the world below, giving viewers an unusual perspective on landscapes and cityscapes alike. These photographs range from densely built urban environments to unobstructed natural landscapes, including images such as Hudson Valley Fall 02, 2019, which captures the autumnal forest of the Hudson Valley with vivid immediacy. The warm colors of the trees, the falling leaves, and the crisp fall air all come through in his images, and his ability to convey the essence of a specific place demonstrates a deep connection to his subjects and a longstanding gift for creating evocative pictures.
Milstein's work has been featured in publications of international acclaim, including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, Esquire, Fortune, Time, Harper's, GQ, European Photography, American Photo, Eyemazing, Graphis, Photo Magazin, Die Zeit, Libération, Wired, PDN, and Condé Nast Traveler. His photographs are held in significant public and private collections and continue to attract wide audiences among viewers drawn to the singular vantage point of his practice.










