In Focus with Adam Barker

The alarm on Labor Day morning was particularly piercing. It was 5:00 am and the night had passed with loud cracks of thunder and heavy rainfall. I knew this morning would be full of potential, or just plain gray and boring. I was almost hoping for the latter as I poked my head out the door to inspect the skies above. “Better get geared up,” I thought to myself, trying to ignore the urge to crawl back into bed and sleep in on this national holiday.

I had a particular image in mind as I drove east toward Park City and onward to the Heber Valley. Constantly evaluating the shooting conditions as I drove, I realized the image I had originally envisioned would not be possible on this particular morning. Heavy cloud cover and steady rain caused me to turn around and search for something else. I drove back towards Park City, my mind cluttered and startled from having my plans foiled. I couldn’t think of anywhere else to go. The sky had great potential, but there was no image calling out to be captured. My thoughts turned suddenly to the iconic Osguthorpe Barn. Surely I could capture a memorable image at this location–the challenge would be in capturing something new and different.

Fortunately, I had just the tool. Weeks earlier, I had gotten my Singh Ray Vari-ND filter in the mail and had yet to really let it open the creative floodgates for my photography. Sunrise was a bit more subdued than I had hoped for, yet the brooding clouds were perfect in creating a longer exposure and juxtaposing the streaked, grey sky over the crisp white barn. Think of the Vari-ND filter as a (high grade) tinted window for your camera. It simply lessens the amount of light that enters the camera, allowing one to extend shutter speeds in brighter conditions where it wouldn’t otherwise be possible.

I experimented with different shutter speeds and settled on this particular image with a 54 sec. exposure. There is just enough definition in the clouds to still accentuate the subtle tonal differences, yet the longer shutter speed smoothed the clouds out and added interesting contrast to the stark lines of the barn. To keep the sky in check (and hold detail in the brighter parts), I also used my Singh Ray 2-stop hard step Grad ND filter and employed a method of “dodging and burning” at the time of capture to avoid a filter line across the roof of the barn, and to evenly distribute the filter effect. This was done by hand-holding the rectangular filter in front of the lens and moving it up and down, and side to side for the duration of the exposure.

This image resembled nothing even remotely close to the one I had envisioned in my head when stepping out the door that morning. That, however, is the beauty of photography. Creativity and spontaneity sometimes trump tradition. The most important part is having the technical skill to carry out the creative vision.

Managed to get out from under the fluorescent glow of my computer screen for an evening to shoot trail running this week. There was nothing particularly special about the evening. No dramatic clouds, no promise of epic wildflower patches, and no new location to shoot. To a certain extent, it was just the “same old, same old”.

Once we were out there, however, inspiration started coming in a hurry. Silhouettes, sunbursts, grand vistas–as soon as I had my camera in hand, my mind started searching for whatever looked good that evening. I’ve mentioned this before, but I think it’s vital to get out. If you’re a photographer, that means getting out and shooting. If you’re a runner, that means getting out and running. If you’re a mountain biker, that means getting out and riding. And so on for skiers, fishermen, climbers, kayakers and anything else that requires leaving some sort of sanctuary or comfort zone to chase something far better.

I also re-discovered the importance of focusing on what looks good at that time. Forget the flowers that were epic last week. Forget the light that was (so you thought) unforgettable the other night. Who cares? If it’s not there now, then does it really matter other than to take it’s place in the giant virtual filing cabinet that makes up your short term memory…

Live in the now. Live for the now.

The Park City Arts Festival was a great success. Sales were good and I didn’t spend more than two minutes all weekend without someone in my booth. The amount of people that view your work at something like this really is unmatched in any other venue I’ve exhibited in to this point. I guess that’s kind of an obvious statement, being that this was my first arts festival. It is a great feeling to have droves of perfect strangers compliment you on something to which you are so committed and passionate about. It’s another level of satisfaction entirely to have someone enjoy your work enough to pay top dollar, and then hang it on their wall. The days are long, but the more people you engage, and the more connections you’re able to make with potential buyers, the quicker it goes. Preparing and setting up the booth was a huge undertaking and I have to thank my lovely wife for her tireless help.

For those interested in participating in a show of their own similar to this, I have comprised a list of tips below. I’m obviously not the most experienced at this sort of thing, but I learned a lot this time around, and fortunately didn’t learn too much “the hard way”.

The first show is a big investment. I bought everything for my booth except the pop-up tent (borrowed from a buddy) which probably would have been the cheapest part. Propanels, lighting, table, misc. materials, promotional postcards, matted prints, framed prints, print bins, etc. Lots of stuff, and lots of money. I spent a lot of money (for me anyway) preparing for this show and, fortunately,  made nearly all of it back. I didn’t expect to make even that much from this show, and knew that this initial investment would be paid off from a) other shows in the future and b) all of the interaction I had with other potential buyers at the show. From the other artists I was speaking with, I seem to have had a very successful show. I’ll chalk it up to beginner’s luck and knock on wood.

I had around 25 framed prints on display, but had quite a few more at home to choose from if I wanted to swap anything out or something sold and I needed to fill the space. All of the images were printed at a pro lab I use (West Coast Imaging), and framed by a framer I have used numerous times who does great work. They all looked immaculate, which I think is very important if you want to sell. I was one of the only booths with lighting–which obviously makes a huge difference in how your prints are displayed. A couple things I would suggest if you are thinking about doing it:

1. Do it right. Spend the money to have a nice looking booth, great looking images (framed and just mounted/matted) and an overall professional appearance.

2. Choose your very best work, but choose what you think will sell. This is a tough one, but just because an image is your favorite as a photog and it’s a great image photographically, it doesn’t mean people will buy it. Common places that will be familiar to the local contingent, or iconic landscape locations seem to sell most often. From my experience, people need to have some sort of emotional connection to the place to ultimately spend a decent amount of cash and hang it on their wall.

3. Light your booth. Nuff said.

4. Interact with people. So many artists just sit in their chairs and won’t get up unless they think someone is a potential buyer. As far as I’m concerned, everyone that lays eyes on my work is a potential buyer, and should be treated as such. I handed out more business cards than I can count, and I imagine this will pay off in the coming months and weeks. It helps that I am a personable individual, and enjoy associating with people. If you’re not, force yourself to leave your comfort zone and engage everyone that lays eyes on your work.

5. Have a broad selection of smaller mounted/matted prints in plastic available for purchase. This is huge. Everyone browses these. I probably had about 100 prints divided in size between 5×7, 8×10 and 12×18 and it was nowhere near enough. Make sure they look professional, and put a label with your website and the price on the back of the plastic envelope.

6. All of the framed images I sold were either 16×24 or 20×30. Have a broad selection in sizes for sure, but these seemed to be the most popular sizes.

7. Don’t give away your work, but work with someone for multiple purchases. I made an $1,800 sale (3 framed pieces) in the last 15 minutes of the show partly because I offered a 10% discount for a multiple print purchase. I think they would have bought regardless, but I’m not sure they would have bought three.

Now get out there and live the dream!

Or, as you Canadians would say, “Ooht and uh-boot”. Seems like this summer is nearly over, yet I haven’t even had a chance to stop and smell the wildflowers! I’m in the thick of the Park City Arts Festival and about to go “ply my wares” on main street for another day in the searing sun. This is my first show ever, and while it is definitely a ton of work, I’m finding there’s nothing better than seeing your imagery hanging large and well-framed, and being able to talk to people about the places, the images, the technique, and just life in general is a lot of fun.

Previous to the Arts Festival, I snuck up to Albion Basin to check on the status of the wildflowers up there. They are definitely out, although not quite peaking yet. I was hoping for a more dramatic sky that evening, but was offered crystal clear blue instead. That’s ok! “I’ll just shoot less sky…” I thought. Abundant corn lilies made for a striking foreground subject, and I found myself being pushed a bit outside of my comfort zone looking for something different from the norm for me. Check out the BW shot–I felt like I was looking into the jaws of some giant b-grade horror movie plant monster. I’ll be checking in after the Arts Festival. Until then, enjoy the hot summer sun!

Lake Blanche is beautiful but not exactly remote. Located up Big Cottonwood Canyon, the very do-able (for most) three-mile hike attracts more than it’s fair share of visitors. And therein lies the issue, to a certain degree. Lake Blanche has probably seen more lenses pointed at it than Paris Hilton. Sundial Peak stands watch over the lake, and it is this image that immediately jumps out to most photographers as they crest the trail. I certainly wanted to capture the classic image of Lake Blanche, but I had chosen to arrive at sunrise, and Sundial Peak is primarily a westerly facing peak. That left me with a lot of rock, and not much light.

I stood around my tripod for some time. Holding my cable release in hand, I was quickly getting impatient as it seemed somebody hit the pause button for sunrise. Finally, after grabbing a couple “test” shots with my new Singh Ray Vari-ND filter, I decided to head to the eastern edge of the lake. I’d always gone the other way and was interested to say what lay in waiting. As luck would have it, I stumbled upon a thick patch of bluebells in perfect view of Sundial Peak, and even some of the lake to boot. The lighting was challenging, as the flowers remained in open shade and the peaks in the background were now fully lit by the rising sun. Fortunately, I was able to balance the challenging exposure using my Singh Ray 3-stop Reverse ND Grad. This was a new application for this filter. This filter has its densest gradient nearer the middle of the frame, and is employed most often in shooting sunset or sunrise into the sun. I’ve now found it works quite well in certain standard landscape applications as well.

For those unfamiliar with these types of filters, they do not alter color in any way. It’s not some crazy way to make the image look better than it did in real life. It’s simply the best way to render the scene as the human eye sees it. A camera’s sensor is far less tolerant to differences in light than the human eye. If a scene contains bright highlights and dark shadows, it’s most likely that just shooting the image with no filter will give you less than stellar results. For those that don’t care about all this technical mumbo jumbo, you can now go back to whatever it is you were doing before being sucked into this blog entry!

There’s a place that exists on the border of Utah and Arizona that truly is like no other. It’s a place rife with controversy and riddled with vistas seen nowhere else on earth. Lake Powell is the present day body of water that exists over Glen Canyon. Nay-sayers and damn-haters would balk at this post, wondering how anyone could ever picture Lake Powell as a blessing rather than a blemish.

My stance is simply this: Lake Powell is here. It’s likely not going anywhere any time soon. We might as well enjoy what is there, and soak in its beauty and splendor. Were I around to experience Glen Canyon “before”, I may feel differently now. But I wasn’t there. And I can’t count on two hands and feet the number of nostalgic memories that blossom like desert yucca when I think of Lake Powell. I’ve been going there for years with friends and family. From glassy morning waterskiing to brutal, out-of-nowhere microbursts, Lake Powell is an adventure without end every time. I returned from this last trip with even more memories to add to my virtual scrapbook, and a handful of images to substantiate my praise for this desert jewel. Enjoy.

Exciting news today as I received an email from a client of mine down in Texas. I traveled to Wildcatter Ranch (give em’ a bit to load up some new images!) around a month ago to document the experience down there in images. What a cool place. Romantic, rustic and luxurious–all at once. It appears USA Today included Wildcatter in a story about Stay-cations and used one of my images on the home page of their Travel section. Check out the screenshots below, or grab one off your nearest newsstand!

Well then. It’s been way too long since my last blog post. In the last 6 weeks I’ve traveled to Florida, Texas, New Mexico, Los Angeles and Denver. Since returning home, I’ve been preparing for my gallery exhibit entitled “Colors of Costa Rica” showing here in Salt Lake City. The opening reception was last Friday and it was great. If you were unable to make it, the show will be up thru July 31 at the Wasatch Frame Shop. Many thanks to Bill at the Wasatch Frame Shop for providing a killer space. I’m off to Montana in the morning for some fishing and, just maybe, some photography. Enjoy summer!

The word “burly” adequately describes shooting conditions the other night at Antelope Island State Park. The light was epic, but shooting conditions were made difficult by howling winds and spotty rain. For the first time in a long time, I witnessed an amazing display of light and weather and all things photographically “awesome”, and was simply unable to capture it. It wasn’t one of those “I’m so overwhelmed I don’t know how to digest it all and put it in one frame”. More along the lines of “I can’t keep my lens and filters clean enough for 1/3 sec. to get off a great shot”. It was frustrating to a certain extent, but on the other hand–what can you do? I came away with several great images that evening regardless, and enjoyed the moments I was unable to shoot just the same. If you’ve never had opportunity to check out Antelope Island, you should! What first appears as a rather broad expanse of dirt and rock in the middle of a salty lake–it quickly has become one of my favorite locations to shoot classic western landscapes.

Below is an article I recently wrote. Who knows, you may see it in some publication before too long…

Just Drive…
Sometimes the Best Plan is No Plan at All

The alarm on my watch lit up the dark, sleepy silence like a lighthouse in a thick Nor’easter. It was 4:30 am and I was groggy and undecided about what this morning held for me in photographic terms. Armed with a crude internet map, a Red Bull and a general idea of which direction was east, I jumped in my car and headed out into the darkness. Where my tripod legs would rest that morning was anyone’s guess—especially mine.

***

I know what you’re thinking—those that fail to prepare, prepare to fail. Any photographer that’s ever traveled to somewhere new and undiscovered has likely done his or her homework before arriving, having diligently researched fantastic locations with everything from geographic coordinates to tidal charts to the exact minute of sunrise and sunset. The simple truth, however, is sometimes all this just isn’t possible. Whether it’s a business trip or family vacation, you may not have had the time or foresight to lay out your dream photography schedule. Fear not! Just because you don’t have somewhere to go and shoot, doesn’t mean it’s not still out there waiting to be discovered.

It’s a challenge not knowing what, where or how you’re going to capture a memorable and meaningful image on any particular morning or evening. Therein, however, lies the magnificence of such a situation. Having no particular destination heightens the senses along the journey. Each new bend in the road reveals a potential five-star image. Each mysterious trailhead beckons to be trodden.

***

As I approached Galena Summit, my mind was racing with the inevitable thoughts and questions that plague me each time I pull the “drive and shoot” routine. Where was the sun? Are those clouds going to part long enough for me to capture that magic light? How am I going to find an engaging foreground in the dark? Man it looks cold out there…

Eventually I arrived at a dirt road with a sign showing Alturas Creek was nearby. I had seen this little blue line on the map earlier in my minimal research and knew there was potential in this area for a great image. If I could find this body of water, regardless of how small, I knew I could capture a fabulous foreground reflection, and find a way to work in the rolling prairie and majestic peaks in the remaining thirds of my image. I grabbed my (frozen) fishing waders and hurriedly put on my pack. The light was coming quickly now…

***

While it is possible to find a solid location to shoot by sheer chance alone, it’s best to have done at least some sort of minimal research beforehand. Beforehand, however, is a relative term. Ten minutes on the internet or five minutes with a local can go a long way in giving you a general sense of what you’d like to capture or what photographic bounty lies nearby. Below are several helpful hints to making the “drive and shoot” routine work for you.
1. Know when the sun will rise and set. This will help you to know when you’re getting down to the wire as you search for a shooting location.
2. Give yourself plenty of time. Inspiration may come quickly, or it may not.
3. Pack all your gear AND the kitchen sink. Not knowing what image awaits, it’s best to be prepared with an arsenal of lenses and filters.
4. Look for scenic byways in and around the area. They are named so for a reason.
5. Tap into the local knowledge. Find anyone that’s willing to chat for a moment—tell them you’re a photographer and you’re looking for great places to shoot. Everyone has a favorite haunt, and it may be just what you’re looking for as well.
6. Take a map and look for prominent landmarks. Rivers, creeks and lakes often harbor wildlife or at least several scenic elements to work with.

***

I was frantically pacing now, searching for a frame-filler that would make the early morning goose-chase worth it all. I waded through the river and crested the bank. VICTORY! Before me lay several slow-moving pools of water, a brilliant sky reflecting off the still surface. Frost-laden reeds filled my foreground as the morning sky ignited like wildfire with the rising sun. Did I find this spectacle of nature, or did it find me? I’d say it was a little of both. You’ll never know what’s out there if you don’t get in the car and drive. Don’t let a lack of location squelch your creative vision—even with minimal preparation, a maximum desire to shoot will pay off in the end.