Val Brinkerhoff: Mormon Photographer
Val Brinkerhoff is a photographer, author, and associate professor of photography. He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Brinkerhoff earned a bachelor’s degree in art and design from Brigham Young University in 1980. He also has a degree in photography. At Brigham Young University, Brinkerhoff teaches commercial and fine art photography courses.
For 25 years, he worked as a commercial photographer for a varied clientele, such as commercial corporate, portrait, and industrial. He focuses on documentary and fine art photography. His fine art print work has been exhibited widely. His photography and writing have been featured in trade magazines such as Photo Life, Photo Electronic Imaging, PhotoGraphic, and Modern Photography. His work has also appeared in scholarly journals such as BYU Studies.
Brinkerhoff traveled to 45 countries to document ancient and modern temples for his Sacred Places project. “This research highlights not only sacred architecture, often amidst incredible landscape settings, but a consistent pattern of visual symbolism used in and on them, revealing a mostly lost ancient visual language now mostly lost.”[1] Prints from this collection have been exhibited throughout the United States and over the Internet. They are featured in private and public collections.
His photography has been featured in books that he has authored or coauthored, including Sacred Walls (with Jerry Hansen), Pillars of the Priesthood, Lost Wisdom, The Day Star (two-volumes).
Brinkerhoff and his wife, Trina Murray Brinkerhoff, are the parents of four adult children. They live in Elk Ridge, Utah.
