I posted a new photo to the Placer County portfolio today. Oak Woodland, Study 4, was taken last year in a nearby open space within walking distance of my studio. The image represents a landscape type that's common to the area where I grew up and now live. As kids, we spent many days gallivanting around oak woodlands just like this, hence my special connection with this type of terrain.
Photography and Self Expression
Whether or not we consciously think about it, a large number of choices we make in life are a form of self expression. From the type of work we choose to do, to where we live, to the type of clothes we wear, if we're fortunate enough to be able to make those choices, those choices say something about who we are and what we consider important.
Similarly, our photographs have the ability to say a lot about us. Choosing to take a particular photo is far from a rote mechanical process. A large number of variables have to be considered before clicking the shutter, including subject, location, time of day, perspective, exposure, focus, and on and on. Then, once the raw image is captured, there's post processing and the nearly infinite number of possibilities that lead to a final image.
Even if we're not consciously aware of the process, how we answer those questions over time says much about our aesthetic preferences and eventually defines our artistic vision. And if we're consistently true to our artistic vision, our images may even express something about who we are as individuals, and what we consider more generally important in life.
Should I go to Tibet?
As I intimated in my artist’s statement, I believe we landscape photographers should photograph what we know best, as opposed to traveling the world looking for photographic “trophies” to bring back from places we know nothing about. Besides being more environmentally legitimate, shooting locally is also much more likely to result in a cohesive body of meaningful work.
The great British photographer Chris Tancock discussed this idea in an interview published in On Landscape magazine:
So I’m not thinking, “I’ll find something magical to photograph” which is what so many photographers do. I get so many people on workshops who say, “Where should I go to photograph? Should I go to Tibet? Should I go to Peru?” Why? What do you know about Peru or Tibet? Let somebody who lives there photograph it; there are enough photographers all over the world for that. If you’re a landscape photographer you think, "I must go to Iceland" or "I must go to Glen Coe."
There are a lot of reasons why I photograph around myself and one of them is because I believe people should photograph what they know about. I also believe why go anywhere else. If somebody from Tibet comes to Nolton Haven it’ll be the most exotic place in the world to them because it’s different, that’s all it is but what do you love about Nolton Haven? What would I know about Tibet if I went there? What could you photograph? Just the exotic. You’ll end up with National Geographic type photographs. I don’t like that genre, they don’t tell you anything, they are just pretty pictures, they are really so superficial.
Great stuff. Read the full interview at On Landscape.
The Lonely Tree
The concept of the lonely tree is nearly ubiquitous in photography, to the point that it is sometimes considered a cliche. You've seen the images here and on other photographic websites; the single tree on a sloping hillside, or framed against a stormy sky at dawn or dusk, evoking loneliness, solitude, sadness, and other similar emotional states.
The image of the single tree can also be a study in detail, texture, and composition, as well as a documentation of the life of a particular tree. The great Michael Kenna most eloquently demonstrated this approach in his series of photos of an old tree on the banks of Kussharo Lake in Hokkaido, Japan. Over the years, Michael made multiple trips to Hokkaido to photograph the tree until it finally collapsed in 2013. He frequently referred to it as "his tree", and assigned it anthropomorphic qualities when describing his "relationship” with the tree.
Michael's approach to his Hokkaido tree has inspired me to repeatedly photograph a handful of my favorite oak trees in the woodlands near our home. I'm always delighted to find a new and unique photograph waiting to be captured when I go back to visit my old friends.
Woodland Walk
A storm rolled in this morning, so naturally we couldn't resist taking a long walk through one of our favorite nearby woodlands. The light was perfect and the clouds were putting on a show as the storm rolled in over the oak savanna. It was an unusually productive outing with three new images added to the site. Have a look in the "Recent" portfolio.
How to Improve Your Photographs
Hint: it's not a new camera.
The camera manufacturers, as well as many well-known photography gurus on the internet, would have you believe that the best way to improve your photographs is by upgrading your camera. It's certainly to the benefit of their pocketbooks to promote buying and selling gear, but unless you have money to burn and you're shooting with an outdated digital camera (let's say more than 7-8 years old), they're giving what is poor advice for most people.
In reality, the best way to improve your photographs is to carefully study the work of the long established masters of the craft. Understanding what makes a great photograph, and incorporating those concepts into your own work, is infinitely more valuable than increasing the number of megapixels on your camera sensor.
Here are a few of the artists whose work I've been studying in recent years:
Edward Weston
Minor White
Ansel Adams
Eliot Porter
Imogen Cunningham
Michael Kenna
Who you choose to study should be based upon your own interests and where you are on your path of discovery. The most important thing is not the particular photographers (there are many greats), but that your energy is directed toward understanding images, not acquiring gear.
The Print
In photographic circles, much has been written about the so-called “death of the print” due to online photo sharing sites such as Instagram, Flickr, and 500px. The thinking is that there is no longer any need for physical prints because we now have the ability to easily upload photos to the internet where they can be instantaneously viewed by a massive audience.
Certainly, from a purely pragmatic standpoint, this makes sense. Why bother with the difficulty of creating a physical print when a person can quickly and easily share a photo with a worldwide audience by simply clicking a button? If we’re talking about snapshots, or even more serious photos of an ephemeral nature, this argument holds water. On the other hand, a photo viewed online is simply not the same thing as a fine art print, with its beauty as an objet d’art grounded in the physical world. An apt analogy would be to contrast a text message written on a cell phone against a carefully crafted letter, handwritten on fine paper with a calligraphic pen. The former may be expedient, but the latter has unique qualities and lasting value that are inherent to its physical nature.
If you're a lover of photographs and you've enjoyed my images online, I'd like to invite you to come out and see my prints in person. My guess is that you'd find it to be a completely different experience than viewing the images on a computer. Following are a few upcoming opportunities:
Local Landscapes (solo show)
December 14, 2013 – February 2, 2014
Temple Coffee
1010 9th Street, Sacramento, CA
Artist's Reception: Saturday, December 14, 6-8 p.m.
Twelve: Natural Magic (juried show)
December 11, 2013 – January 4, 2014
Viewpoint Photographic Art Center
2015 J Street, Sacramento, CA
Artists' Reception: December 14, 2013, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
A selection of my prints are also on permanent display at the Viewpoint Photographic Art Center in Midtown Sacramento. Check the print racks and ask the docent for portfolio drawer C-14.
Viewpoint Photographic Art Center
2015 J Street, Suite 101
Sacramento, CA
www.viewpointgallery.org
A Busy Month and Two Shows
It's the holiday season and like most people, we're busy getting ready for the big day. The shopping-related hustle and bustle will certainly wear thin by the time Christmas arrives, but in general we enjoy this time of year and we're very much looking forward to spending some quality time with family and friends.
On top of the aforementioned busyness, I have two shows taking place this month. The first is the annual Twelve exhibition at the Viewpoint Photographic Art Center in Midtown. The theme this year is “Natural Magic”. My photographer friends and I found the concept somewhat challenging, but I'm thinking it may make for a very interesting collection of photographs. If you can get by, here are the details:
December 11, 2013 – January 4, 2014
Twelve: Natural Magic (juried show)
Viewpoint Photographic Art Center
2015 J Street, Sacramento, CA
I have two pieces in the show.
My annual solo show at Temple Coffee will also be on display during the months of December and January. I'll have 7 prints of varying sizes on display this year. It's mostly new work with a couple of old favorites. As coffee shops go, Temple is a really nice venue for displaying artwork, with high ceilings, copious amounts of natural light, and a cool industrial vibe. Details as follows:
December 14, 2013 – February 2, 2014
Local Landscapes (solo show)
Temple Coffee
1010 9th Street, Sacramento, CA
Artist's Reception: Saturday, December 14, 6–8 p.m.
As mentioned above, we know how busy everyone is this time of year, but if you’re in the area it would be great to see you at Temple on Second Saturday (12/14).
Have a wonderful season!
'Tis the Season
Landscape photographers probably pay more attention to weather than just about any group other than meteorologists and farmers. The act of capturing compelling images out of doors is dependent upon light, and the quality of light is dependent upon weather (and, of course, the time of day).
This fall has been particularly blue and bright. Blue and bright are good for beachcombers and butterflies, but for landscape photographers looking for dramatic light that draws interesting lines over the landscape, broken light filtered through moving clouds is far better.
With the storms coming through this week, we photogs are finally getting some of that special light we've been waiting on for the past few months. It's been a long dry spell, but I'm excited to get out and take advantage of what should end up being the most productive time of year for landscape photographers in Northern California.
Local Landscapes @ Temple
Temple Coffee on 9th Street in downtown Sacramento is my workplace away from work when I need a break from the 50% gray cube farm that is my usual office environment. It's also my favorite place downtown to meet friends and visit over a cup of the best espresso in town. The high ceilings, generous natural light, and beautiful hardwood tables are a perfect setting for putting in the earbuds and catching up on email or doing a little image processing. It's also a nice setting for displaying artwork, which they do on a rotating basis every couple of months. Most of the work is by local artists who frequent the cafe or have a connection with the staff in some way.
Speaking of, I've been invited to display my prints at Temple for the months of December and January. We'll hang the show on December 13th, and we're hosting a casual reception on the evening of the 14th from 6-8 p.m. We'd love to see you there.
Alan Craig Barnard: Local Landscapes
December 14, 2013 - February 2, 2014
Reception: December 14, 2013, 6-8 p.m.
Temple Coffee
1010 9th Street (between J and K)
Sacramento, CA