Meet the Artist
JONATHAN KNIGHT
Quiet Landscapes
Jonathan Knight is an internationally-recognized and awarded lens-based artist whose work explores the quiet tension between presence and absence, memory and place. Rooted in a background that spans photojournalism and design, his images are known for their minimalist language—long exposures, elemental forms, and a deliberate stillness that invites reflection.
Based in Denver, Knight creates photographs that move beyond documentation, instead evoking what it feels like to inhabit a landscape. Water, stone, horizon, structure, and light are distilled into their most essential forms, revealing subtle tonal shifts and textures that emerge only through time and patience.
His path to photography was not linear. Before fully committing to his artistic practice, Knight spent years working in landscape architecture and urban planning at leading international design firms. While shaping environments for others, he became increasingly aware of a growing internal dissonance—one that intensified during the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Photography, once a parallel pursuit, became a necessary return: a way to slow down, to process, and to reconnect with a sense of meaning that had been obscured.
This period marked a turning point. What began as a personal act of grounding evolved into a body of work centered on mental clarity, emotional presence, and stillness. Today, his photographs reflect that journey—spaces that feel both expansive and intimate, where silence becomes an active element and viewers are invited to project their own experiences.
Knight’s work is often described as contemplative, calming, and deeply human. Influenced by his training in spatial design, his compositions carry a sensitivity to sequence, proportion, and the relationship between human intention and the natural world.
His photographs have been exhibited internationally, featured in leading art and photography publications, and held in major private and corporate collections. He has received over two dozen international awards, including recently named “Photographer of the Year” in an international photography competition.
Recent Press
Jonathan Knight has won 20+ global awards and been showcased in exhibitions worldwide.
SELECTED AWARDS
2025
Black and White Spider Awards Nominee
Paris Photo Awards Silver Medal
2024
Tokyo International Photo Awards Honorable Mention
ND Photo Awards Honorable Mention
MonoVisions Photo Awards Third Place
International Photo Awards Official Selection
Monochrome International Photo Awards Honorable Mention
Minimalist Photo Awards Honorable Mention
Paris Photo Awards Silver Medal
London International Creative Competition Official Selection
Black and White Spider Awards Honorable Mention (3)
2023
Minimalist International Photo Awards Photographer of the Year / 1st Place
PX3 Paris International Photo Awards Silver Medal
Black and White Spider Awards Honorable Mention (3)
Budapest International Photo Awards Honorable Mention
ND Photo Awards Honorable Mention
2022
ReFocus Awards Honorable Mention + Nominee
London International Creative Competition Official Selection
Moscow International Photo Awards Bronze Medal
PX3 Paris International Photo Awards Honorable Mention
Black & White Spider Int’l Photo Awards Nominee
Monochrome Awards 6x Honorable Mention
Minimalist Photo International Awards 3x Honorable Mention
ArtLimited International “Black and White 2022” Honorable Mention
2021
ND International Photo Awards First Place / Gold Star Award
Black & White Spider Int’l Photo Awards Honorable Mention + 2x Nominee
Minimalist Photo International Awards 2x Honorable Mention
2017
University Olmsted Scholar* Landscape Architecture Foundation
ARCC King Medal of Honor* Kansas State University
National Fellowship Finalist* Landscape Architecture Foundation
Tau Sigma Delta Bronze Medal* Kansas State University
Robert P. Ealy Award* Kansas State University
*For works at the intersection of photography & urban design
2010
Fred Wrightman Award for Excellence in Photojournalism Kansas State University