Craig Barber’s Inhabited Landscapes
Craig Barber is an EvCC alum and internationally-acclaimed photographer, and is opening a retrospective show in Everett this week.
Photographer Craig Barber has spent decades traveling the world. He captured exotic places, creating ghostly pinhole photos of what he calls “inhabited landscapes.”
Now he drives a flatbed darkroom.
In 2009, Barber converted the back of his pickup truck into a portable platform for his antiquated camera. He now creates tintype portraits of farmers and people living close to the land.
One of Barber's photography set-ups.
Starting this week and running through February 10th, Barber’s work—both newer portraits and older landscapes—will be displayed in a retrospective at the Russell Day Gallery at Everett Community College.
Craig Barber works exclusively in antiquarian processes. He describes tintype photography as “Polaroid for the 19th Century.” It’s a method in which a silvery image is projected onto a slab of tin. The technology dates back to the Civil War era.
The old-timey feel of the portraits of agrarian workers lends an eerie vibe to his work. He captures stewards of the land pursuing a way of life that is quickly become obsolete.
He labors with the farmers he photographs, building rapport by stringing fences, harvesting crops, and inoculating sheep. He says his objective is to absorb and learn from people and not simply to take images from them.
Bob harvesting tomatoes. Tintype portrait.
Barber’s career began forty years ago at a summer class at Everett Community College. The class, “Hiking High Hills,” was a month of photographing and backpacking in the Cascade Mountains.
He was instantly hooked. Hes's been traveling and teaching ever since; documenting Vietnam, Prague, Italy, New York, England, and the Catskills Mountains of New York.
He built most of his cameras from scratch using cardboard, felt, and gaffer’s tape.
Vietnamese panorama. Pinhole photo.
After years abroad, Barber has returned to the Seattle area. He spent last summer building a studio in La Conner where he framed the work for his current exhibit. He will also be using the studio to teach upcoming workshops on how to use antiquated photo technology.
Barber’s next project will be in May. He plans to spend a month in Glacier National Park as a way of drawing attention to the plight of our National Parks, many of which are increasingly crowded and in danger of becoming privatized.
Barber’s photos feel relevant in the era of digital photography. There is something in his landscapes and portraits that captures the ethereal essence of un-pixelated life.
“It’s estimated that there are a billion photos created every day,” he said, pointing to his smart phone.
Crystal with knife. Tintype portrait.
Barber’s slowly-created and methodical vision will be on display for a month. It encompasses a world in which cultures are decaying and pristine land is threatened. However, it is a place where strong individuals still thrive close to the land, staring out from silvery tintypes at an unknown future.
“Craig Barber: Current Work and Retrospective” is currently on display at the Russell Day Gallery in the Student Union Building at Everett Community College. Admission is free. Opening reception is January 19th from 12:30 PM - 2:30 PM.
Richard Porter is a social worker and musician. He lives in North Everett and enjoys running on Marine View Drive, bicycling down tree-lined streets, and trying to coax vegetables out of his yard.
