麻豆传媒

Influenced by his environment and upbringing in the Pacific Northwest, Misael Hernandez captures the region’s scenic beauty through his camera lens.

“Living and traversing the landscapes of Oregon has had a tremendous impact on the development of my identity and artist practice, especially over the last decade,” Hernandez says.

A UB MFA student graduating this month, Hernandez is leaving UB with two significant recognitions in addition to his degree. He has been awarded a prestigious SUNY Thayer Fellowship, and also won the “Cultural Insights and Interpretations” category at UB’s 2025 Art of Research competition.

Hernandez’s photography blends together a tapestry of visual narratives that speak to his Mexican heritage and Northwest upbringing. He says he finds comfort in the rivers and mountains of the Cascades and in its alpine air and outdoor opportunities. Perhaps it’s not surprising to learn that it was difficult for him to leave the home and heritage he clearly admires.

“My early experience at UB was challenging,” he recalls. “There was the whole adjusting to a new side of the country, and I struggled to unravel new material on the fly. I continued falling back to the modes of work I was comfortable in, but things eased after the first semester. I was able to make great relationships with my peers in the program and with faculty, who would be a fantastic aid in developing my work moving forward.”

Finding this network of support at UB allowed Hernandez to experiment and explore his photography, and the experience added to his growth as an artist and photographer.

“That pocket of time was pivotal in my development,” he says. “Fast forward to now; I feel I’ve made the best of my time at UB.”

Hernandez says he discovered his passion for photography later in his undergraduate journey after exploring different majors while at the University of Oregon. A pivotal moment came during a course with photographer Ron Jude, who introduced the class to photo books.

“Sitting face to face with a photographic body in book format challenged how I understood and imagined photography as a medium,” Hernandez says. The encounter sparked the beginning of his path in photography.

His work “Mountain Composition,” which won the “Cultural Insights and Interpretations” category at Art of Research competition, depicts a monument made from adobe bricks, capturing another nod to his heritage. It received a $500 prize.

“The composition represents a mountain and an Aztec pyramid, referring to my Mexican heritage and Northwest American upbringing,” he explains. “‘Mountain Composition’ examines photography’s ability to harness deep time, labor and cross-culturally shared experiences by combining the real and constructed world that is otherwise impossible to express across traditional documentary photographs.”

Hernandez says archived and personal photographs from the Library of Congress and personal archives were meticulously staged along the bricks in his entry to create contrasting pockets across the overall image that ignite historical and personal dialogue across an imaginative landscape. He used a 4x5 large-format film camera capable of harnessing immense detail to capture the scene.

Receiving the Thayer Fellowship was an incredible honor, Hernandez says. “I’ve given significant time and labor to my practice. It’s a fulfilling accomplishment to witness the work speak for itself in securing such a generous award like the Thayer Fellowship,” he says.

The fellowship, an annual award honoring Jeanne C. Thayer, a SUNY trustee from 1974-84, recognizes outstanding candidates who are graduating from SUNY institutions. The fellowship, a $7,000 award, is funded through endowments and is intended to provide postgraduate support for SUNY students pursuing careers in the creative and performing arts. The awards may be used for, but are not limited to, auditions, studio space, supplies, equipment, website development, rent, recording sessions and publishing costs.

Hernandez says he’ll use the funds to acquire tools and materials, such as developing tanks, film, a medium-format film camera, a new computer and photo paper. The award will also support his practice for a few years, including project and residency travel, exhibition framing and artwork shipping.

Hernandez is preparing for upcoming artist residencies at the Center for Photography at Woodstock this fall and at the Anderson Ranch in spring 2026 — marking his first experiences in such programs. He plans to continue developing his project “Hay más tiempo que vida,” set in his family’s hometown of Usmajac, Mexico, and is eager to reconnect with the landscapes of the American West.

Looking ahead, Hernandez has his sights set on teaching and continuing to practice the art of photography.

“Ultimately, I aspire to continue growing my practice and serve the community as a professor of photography,” he says. “I’d also like to get into photobook publishing. I’m hoping to find a way to do both.”