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

Twelve: Natural Magic

Two of my prints were accepted into the upcoming Twelve: Natural Magic juried photographic art exhibition at the Viewpoint Photographic Art Center. Details as follows:

Twelve: Natural Magic
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.

It would be great to see you at the reception on December 14!

Viewpoint Portfolio Drawer

Viewpoint Photographic Art Center is a member supported photographic gallery in Midtown Sacramento. The gallery generates revenue through membership fees, exhibition fees, and by offering a limited number of portfolio drawers to members who would like to make their prints available for viewing on a day-to-day basis. So-called "portfolio members" pay an annual fee for their own print drawer and shared space in the gallery's print racks. I recently upgraded my membership to the portfolio level and my prints are now on permanent display at Viewpoint. If you have been unable to attend my exhibitions, you can now visit the  gallery during regular business hours to view my prints. My portfolio drawer is number C-14, and don't forget to check the print racks too!

Viewpoint Photographic Art Center
2015 J Street, Suite 101, Sacramento, CA
 www.viewpointgallery.org

Visions 2013

I was just informed that two of my prints were accepted into the Visions 2013 juried photography exhibition at the Sacramento Fine Arts Center. Details as follows:

Visions 2013
Juried Photography Exhibition
October 29-November 23, 2013
Sacramento Fine Arts Center
5330-B Gibbons Drive, Carmichael, CA
Artists' Reception: November 9, 2013, 5:30-8:30 p.m.

It would be great to see you at the reception on November 9!

The Technological Treadmill

Back in the day, you’d buy a camera body and a couple of nice prime lenses and you'd be good to go for at least 10 years. But with the advent of digital sensors, cameras effectively became computers with lenses, and their life cycles were adjusted down accordingly. Now, in line with the rest of the tech industry, camera manufacturers introduce new models on an annual, if not a semi-annual basis. Photographers, gear-heads that they are, have played right along; today, if you shoot with a digital camera that's more an a few years old, you're outdated and falling off the back of the technological treadmill. 

Fortunately, there are signs that this relentless race to upgrade gear is starting to slow. Recently released camera industry figures show a dramatic drop in camera sales across the board. This includes all types of cameras, not just compacts, which have understandably taken a beating from the now nearly ubiquitous iPhone. Even the new so-called “mirrorless” cameras, touted as being the be-all and end-all to replace both DSLRs and compacts, are slumping big time. 

Perhaps what we’re seeing is a leveling off of the rate of technological advancements (most cameras today are well beyond “good enough"), combined with buyer fatigue as a result of profit-hungry manufacturers releasing cameras at a rate that even the most fervent gear-heads can no longer keep up with. If this is the case, it's good news. The obsession with gear that fully consumed many photographers for the last decade or two took the focus away from what really matters: the skill and artistry of the photographer. Lets hope this is the start of a trend and not just a statistical blip. Moving away from photography primarily as a camera buying exercise, and back toward photography as a fine art medium, would be a welcome development indeed.

August Light

The obvious subject of this photo is well within the realm of being a cliché: "Lone tree positioned approximately 1/3 of the way from the edge of the photo, level horizon, with plenty of puffy white clouds overhead." There's nothing unique or unusual about this image in that regard.

Of course, sometimes photos aren't really about the obvious subject or even the composition - sometimes they're about the subtle character of the light, and the recognition by the viewer that they've experienced the feeling of being bathed in that particular type of light at one time or another. That's really what this image is about. If you've lived in Northern California for any length of time, and you've experienced a particular intensity of late morning light that only happens out in vast open spaces during the height (and heat) of summer, you may recognize the light in this photo.

Old or New, It Matters Not

In the gallery world, prints created using the platinum/palladium, wet plate collodion, and other antiquated processes generally fetch much higher prices from collectors than modern archival inkjet prints. These "craft" prints are desirable due to their unique beauty, archival qualities, and rarity. They are undoubtedly beautiful, but not necessarily more so than the best modern prints. And even though high-quality modern prints now boast upwards of 200-year archival quality, it doesn't really matter; perception is everything when it comes to the value of collectible art.

Some photographers--even outside of the gallery world--also consider these antiquated processes to be superior to modern digital processes. The common argument is that the old methods are more difficult, which in the minds of some, makes them more legitimate. Of course, the difficulty of any art form has never been tied to its ability to express emotion and move the viewer. It is also debatable whether the old techniques are actually more difficult to master than modern tools such as Photoshop, many of which require years of dedicated effort to fully master. Different than the old techniques? Yes. Easier to master? Not really.

I believe photographers should use whatever tools they enjoy that also enable them to fully express their personal vision. That might be anything from wet plate cameras from the 19th century to the latest iPhone apps from last week. What matters is not the tool, technique, or process, but the ability of the artist to capture an idea or emotion and convey it to the viewer in a powerful way.