Barnbaum B. - The Essence Of Photography: Seeing And Creativity

Bruce Barnbaum, of Granite Falls, WA, began photographing as a hobbyist in the 1960s, and after four decades, it is still his hobby. Photography has also been his lifes work for the past 44 years.

Bruces educational background includes Bachelors and Masters degrees in mathematics from UCLA. After working for several years as a mathematical analyst and computer programmer for missile guidance systems, he abruptly left the field and turned to photography.

Bruce is recognized as one of the finest darkroom printers on this planet, for both his exceptional black-and-white work and his color imagery. He understands light to an extent rarely found and combines this understanding with mastery of composition, applying his knowledge to an extraordinarily wide range of subject matter.

Bruce has authored several books, some of which have become classics. His early publication of The Art of Photography: An Approach to Personal Expression (first published in 1994 and going out of print in 2002) was updated, revamped, and newly released in late 2010 by Rocky Nook. This new book became an instant bestseller and is sure to remain a classic for years to come.

Bruce has been an active environmental advocate for more than three decades, both independently and through his involvement and leadership with organizations such as the Sierra Club, the National Audubon Society, the Mountain Loop Conservancy, Futurewise, and the North Cascades Conservation Council.

Bruce Barnbaum, www.barnbaum.com

Publisher: Gerhard Rossbach

Copyeditor: Jocelyn Howell

Layout and Type: Petra Strauch,

Cover Design: Helmut Kraus, www.exclam.de

Cover Photo: Bruce Barnbaum

Printer: Tara TPS

Printed in Korea

ISBN 978-1-937538-51-4

1st Edition

2015 by Bruce Barnbaum

All photography Bruce Barnbaum (unless otherwise noted)

Rocky Nook Inc.

802 East Cota Street, 3rd Floor

Santa Barbara, CA 93103

www.rockynook.com

Image on page 35 used by permission.

Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico, 1941

Photograph by Ansel Adams

Collection Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona

2013 The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Barnbaum, Bruce, 1943
The essence of photography : seeing and creativity / Bruce Barnbaum. -- 1st edition.
pages cm
ISBN 978-1-937538-51-4 (paperback)
1. Photography--Vocational guidance. 2. Photography--Technique. 3. Composition (Photography) I. Title.
TR154.B37 2014
770.23--dc23
2014000426

All rights reserved. No part of the material protected by this copyright notice may be reproduced or utilized in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission of the publisher.

Many of the designations in this book used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks of their respective companies. Where those designations appear in this book, and Rocky Nook was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in caps or initial caps. All product names and services identified throughout this book are used in editorial fashion only and for the benefit of such companies with no intention of infringement of the trademark. They are not intended to convey endorsement or other affiliation with this book.

While reasonable care has been exercised in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein or from the use of the discs or programs that may accompany it.

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

To you, the reader,
Seeking meaning and creativity.
In hopes that this book
May be of assistance.

Bruce Barnbaum

31417 Mountain Loop Highway

Granite Falls, Washington 98252

USA

Phone or Fax: (360) 691-4105

www.barnbaum.com

FOR THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS I have been conducting a workshop titled The Art of Seeing and Creating Through the Camera. In many ways its a scary topic because so many people feel that creativity cannot be taught or learned. That may or may not be trueI doubt that it can be proved or disprovedbut it is a certainty that creativity can be properly promoted or sadly squelched.

Lets start with a simple example. In elementary school, children draw pictures of their family with crayons. A teacher who is supportive of creativity may look at one of those crayon drawings and ask, Oh, is that your mom, and your dad, and is that your brother or sister...or is that you? That question can encourage creativity on the part of the child. A teacher who squelches creativity may look at the same crayon drawing and ask, Is your family really all green?

Now, the child may have chosen a green crayon because he or she liked the color, or it happened to be the first crayon that came out of the box, or perhaps for no reason at all. But the first question encourages the child, while the second one implies that the kid did something wrong, something that needs to be addressed and corrected. The second question squelches creativity; the first helps to promote it.

My intent in my Seeing and Creating workshops, and now in this book, is to promote good seeing, to promote personal intuition, and to promote creativity. If it actually teaches any of those things, so much the better. I wont make the claim that it does, but Ill cling to the hope that it may. I approach those workshops, as well as this book, as more of a facilitator than an instructor. I have much to learn about creativity, and thats part of the impetus for the workshop and for this book. Im always looking for ways to expand my own creative abilities.

I offer no formulas for success because none exist. This book is not meant to be followed in a step-by-step manner, as would be the case with a camera manual or instructional book. Instead, my hope is that the ideas discussed within the book may stimulate further thought on your part that can lead to new, creative approaches.

Because I have more than 40 years of experience in photographydoing my own work throughout that entire period, doing commercial work for the first 15 years, and teaching workshops for nearly my entire photographic careerI feel that my experiences and observations could be useful to others.

Some readers may view these experiences as little more than personal anecdotes that have little relevance to anyone but me. If so, ask yourself how you learn? You learn from books and lectures, but much of what you learn comes from personal experiences. Therefore, I feel that important lessons can be learned from those experiences if they are delved into as more than mere anecdotes, but as essential learning experiences, not only for me, but for a far wider audience. I present these experiences throughout the book in hopes that they can be instructive, but with a recognition that they might be viewed as little more than personal anecdotes. I hope the instructional aspects greatly outweigh the anecdotal.

So, here is what I intend for this book to be about, and what I intend for it not to be about:

1. Its about expressing yourself through photography in a way that is meaningful and even lasting.

2. Its about using photography as a visual research laboratory, whether youre using traditional film and a darkroom, digital sensors and computers, a combination of the two, or anything else that can lead to imagery.