Jack Beckham Combs

Jack Beckham Combs was born in Hazard, Kentucky and raised on the Right Fork of Troublesome Creek in Knott County. He was educated in the public schools and at the Hindman Settlement School, established to bring education to the children of the mountains while keeping them mindful on their heritage.

A photographer from the age of 12, he was inspired by the photographs of Doris Ullmann who had visited and photographed the Hindman area with John Jacob Niles in the 1920’s, and Marion Post Walcott who photographed in the area on assignment for the FSA during the 1930’s. Major influences on his work are Sam Abell and David Alan Harvey.

Combs holds degrees in English and Law from Vanderbilt University. He practiced law for thirty-eight years before becoming a full time photographer. During that time he never put down his camera.

Combs lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico, during most of the period in which he photographed in Cuba. He also wrote the text for “The Cubans/Los Cubanos” (2010 UVaPress ISBN 978-0-9842432-0-4 bilingual: Spanish and English), illustrated with his 160 color images. Combs traveled throughout every province on the island during fifteen photography expeditions. He now resides in Fort Worth, Texas.