Without Lenses: Stories by Erin Malone

April 29, 2007 :: Letter from the Editor

Erin Malone — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 07:00:00 GMT

Welcome to Issue#1 of Without Lenses

Devoted to covering the art and craft of lensless photography, I have started Without Lenses to feature photographers and contributors who want to push the limits of lensless work, share new and alternative ideas, teach others about new camera making techniques and to expose the work of unknown as well as active lensless photographers.

This is a robust and active community and WL hopes to tap into it both for contributions and readership. Without Lenses is not intended to replace wonderful forums of discussion like f295 and the pinhole discussion email list but to enhance these venues with more formal editorial perspectives.

With the demise of Pinhole Journal at the end of 2006, there has been a hole in editorial coverage of lensless photography. A piece here or there in the traditional photography media but nothing dedicated to this aspect of photography. And because of my background and experience, I have decided to start this as an online journal rather than in a print form. The journal plans to feature work done with pinhole, zoneplate, slits and other lensless methods.

I have found, through the forums and the photographers I have spoken to in getting this off the ground, a community of passionate folks who are eager to share their work as well as provide insight and feedback to those just starting out or experimenting with this approach to photography.

The first issue coincides with Worldwide Pinhole Day 2007 and the f295 Symposium, held in Pittsburgh April 27-29, 2007. I spoke with two of the featured speakers, Joseph Babcock and Craig Barber, both active photographers as well as to Tom Persinger, who planned the symposium and runs the forum site f295. I hope that spending a little bit of time getting inside the heads of these very different photographers and seeing some of their work inspires you to go out and create great work.

And if you do, let us know! I look forward to exploring the community with you and hope you enjoy the first issue.

Erin K Malone, Editor
April 29, 2007

Spreading the Pinhole Love :: Behind the Scenes with Tom Persinger of f295

Erin Malone — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 07:00:00 GMT

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“Photography to me is about trying to reveal something about the world. It's the method that works for me to try and dig down to really cut through everything extra—to try and see and reveal the fundamental essence of our world.”

In the middle of planning and coordinating the f295 Lensless, Alternative and Adaptive Processes Symposium scheduled for April 26-29 2007, Tom Persinger took a bit of time out of his busy schedule to share insights and thoughts about his work. A busy guy, Tom is passionate about building a global community around this specialized aspect of photography while still finding time to keep a day job and raise a family.

Erin Malone: What artists inspire you?
Tom Persinger: My influences range widely and mostly consist of artists, musicians, writers, and thinkers who are not photographers—Basho, Baudrillard, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Dogen, f64, Glacier National Park, Allen Ginsberg, Mark Rothko, Gary Snyder, Thoreau, and—of course—all of the members of f295. I admire the work of many photographers but I find that my work is influenced more by other artists. This list could go on for a long time…but if you were to force me to choose one influence, it would have to be nature and wilderness.

How did your interest in pinhole & lensless photography begin?
A few years ago I was doing quite a bit of woodworking and spotted an article in one of the magazines on how to build a large format pinhole camera that used modern film holders. I had seen single-shot paper negative type cameras before but they didn't hold much appeal for me. I had been shooting in medium format for awhile and had been thinking about moving up to 4x5" when i saw the article. It seemed like a fun project to marry the two interests. The first camera I built was made from poplar and was meant to be a prototype. If it worked and I liked the results, I had planned to build a working camera from oak or maple. Well, the 'prototype' became my main camera for quite a while and I never rebuilt it, though I have built other cameras. That first camera had an fstop of f295.

What type of camera do you use?
Constructed or bought?
I've never bought a lensless camera. To me, part of the process of making these images, is being involved in as much of the process as practical. And with lensless photography, that can include making or adapting the camera. For a long time I used that first camera, the poplar prototype, exclusively. Later, Daryl Duckworth gifted me a wonderful little (fairly) wide angle medium format camera made from the shell of an old AGFA folder that has had the bellows removed. It's a wonderful camera that makes remarkable images. Recently I've been using a Crown Graphic Press Camera with a pinhole in place of a lens. For this I carry multiple apertures to accomodate various focal lengths which allows me to have a wide angle, normal, or telephoto camera all in one package. I probably have 10 or 20 other cameras, but i stick with those three for 95% of my work.

What is your favorite camera that you wouldn't leave home without?
I suppose if I had to limit myself to one camera it would be the wide angle medium format I received from Daryl. I seldom enlarge images more than 8x10" and rarely crop, and this camera's negatives render beautifully at 8x8". I almost always get images I really like from it. Compositionally, I have a great feel for the angle of view and what the camera is seeing. A lot of people talk about chance and luck and the unknown in lensless photography, but I don't see it that way. Not with this camera. I almost always know exactly what I'll get when making an image. I also usually carry the Crown Graphic out in the field, but I never leave home without the medium format.

When are you most happy?
This is an interesting question. It reminds me of those bumperstickers: “I'd rather be (fill in name of favorite activity here)” which, I think is ultimately a rather sad statement. I always feel badly that the person (with the bumpersticker) isn't golfing or hang-gliding or sailing, but is driving—I enjoy driving, driving to and from places - those transitions - can be extremely interesting moments. But in the end this moment, right here, right now is all we have—THIS IS IT! To have a happiest state, to wish you were doing something else— this is not to say that I don't enjoy certain things more than others—but to make a declaration of one happiest state seems really rather depressing…

When did you start f295?
f295 was started in June of 2004. I began the forum for several reasons. When I began my lensless work, the forums at pinhole.com were a great source of information and inspiration, but around the end of 2003 - early 2004 they took their forums offline. I had found them enormously helpful and since I had the technical skills, I decided to fill the void they left and started f295. I find it enormously satisifying to provide the site for a global community that is focused on a common interest of lensless and alternative photography. It transcends all of the usual barriers that separate us—space, time, language, politics—and unites people from around the world around a common interest.

The participation seems to have grown exponentially. How have the features and your involvement grown? Has the growth been planned or has it been fluid/organic?
Yes, membership and participation have both grown at a rather rapid rate—especially considering the niche subject matter. We now have over 1,100 members, from every continent (except Antarctica!). We had over 300,000 clicks last month and moved over 8GB of content. I've done very little long term planning per se with the f295 site. I try and keep it nimble and try, as much as possible, to respond to the needs that I see arising in the community.

For example, we started off with just a few categories, but soon it expanded to provide separate sections for zoneplate, pinhole, color, black and white, polaroid, alternative process and others. That was when I began using the term 'lensless' to describe the content. It seemed overly general to call it a pinhole forum—and I think probably somewhat annoying to those who use zoneplate, sieve, etc. As membership grows so does my involvement, which is taking more and more time.

Are you seeing a lot of crossover between the lensless and the alternative processes practitioners?
In the f295 forums there is some crossover, but not as much as I had originally envisioned when I set up the alt side but I think over time that will change. Lensless, in my opinion, is an alternative process in it's own right—a very specific one but not dissimilar. The site separates lensless and alternative processes for ease of categorization and also to help structure our content. What I see beginning to happen—still in its infancy—in photography at large, is not so much a crossover between lensless and alternative, but a general division that is more about manufactured and DIY. There's such an explosion and interest going on in building, adapting and modifying equipment—it's quite exciting.

How much time do you dedicate a week?
It varies. In the past few weeks I've been working upwards of 40 hours a week just on f295 but most of that has been Symposium planning. The great thing about f295—the website—is that we have such a great community of members that we very rarely have any of the issues that plague other online communities. There are seldom rants or arguments and when they do arise, I try to extinguish them as quickly as possible. It's nice to have such a great group of members whom you can rely on to keep an eye on things.

When do you photograph?
Lately, I'm embarrassed to say, not much at all! But, generally, I almost always have a camera with me, if not in my bag, then in the trunk of my car. I try and squeeze it in whenever I can. I often photograph during my lunch hour at work and a couple of my current favorite images were made during those shoots. I really enjoy the fact that when people see these images, they say, 'That was taken there?' 'Really?' It's very pleasing to be able to show people another side of an area that they thought they knew as only a sort of post-industrial, decaying, small town, outside of Pittsburgh.

With the Symposium planning, the forum, photographing and a day job, do your kids ever see you? When do you sleep?
Hmmm, I sleep increasingly little. It's just after 1am and I am only starting to think about sleep, but I have more work to do… so, to be brief, I spend as much time with my wife and kids as I can. I don't cut back on my time with them too much for f295 and my personal photography work. My kids are young—ages 3 and 6 months—and those years are precious. I don't want to miss a second of these young minds developing, and the wonder they see in the world—it's inspirational—their presence, their way of being here right now, it's amazing…so, I cut back on what I can and sleep less.

I notice you also teach workshops - how often do you do these?
Workshops are a lot of fun. The direct hands on involvement with the students is wonderful! It's great to see the wonder and enthusiasm they have when they see that a box made from cardboard can really be a camera. Even though they've seen my cameras, I dont think it really sinks in until they actually do it themselves. I'm teaching several worskhops this year—at The Mattress Factory, Photographers Formulary and Peters Valley Craft Center. They're all different and will all be very enjoyable. And for those experienced photographers who come, I think they just might pick up some fresh ideas to reinvigorate their work. Lots of people have said that pinhole photography has made photography 'fun' again and it's great to be able to put some fun into peoples lives, dont you think?

What inspired you to organize the Symposium?
While the f295.org forum is great, it's not great for personal contact. The internet is perfect for the forum—a way to connect geographically dispersed individuals with niche interests—but it just isn't the same as sitting down with someone for a cup of coffee and talking and handling images. About a year and a half ago, I surveyed the f295 community to see if there would be interest in such an event. There was a lot of response and enthusiasm for the idea—so, in keeping with my MO of responding to the community's wishes, I began organizing. Then when I started meeting with Pittsburgh arts organizations, they had such enthusiasm for the event it just kept getting bigger and bigger.

I should probably ask you this after it's all over, but, will you do another Symposium?
Yes, ask me when this one is over. A few weeks ago, I thought I'd never even consider it, but thankfully those thoughts are behind me now, and even though this one hasn't started yet, there are already discussions about possibly doing one on the West Coast. But let's not get too carried away—ask me again in a week.

Editor's Note: The Symposium took place for April 26-29, 2007.

Tom Persinger

TOM PERSINGER resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with his wife and two sons. His photographs have been included in numerous exhibitions and can be found in private collections in both the United States and Europe. He founded and directs www.f295.org an international organization with more than 1,000 members interested in furthering the dialogue regarding the art of lensless photography and the craft of alternative and adaptive photographic processes. He has been a coordinating committee member of Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day since 2005.

See more of Tom's work at his website.

Catching Light :: Making Cameras with Artist Jo Babcock

Erin Malone — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 07:00:00 GMT

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“You've made a mistake. I don't want to be an artist. I want to be a photographer!”

Without Lenses editor, Erin Malone, recently spent time chatting with artist and photographer Joseph Babcock. Jo was a speaker at the recent f295 Symposium held in Pittsburgh, and has been quite open in sharing thoughts about his work, his influences and ideas about what makes him tick as a creator of amazing cameras and their corresponding images.

Erin Malone: What artists inspire you?
Jo Babcock: William Henry Fox Talbot, Hippolyte Bayard, Robert Heineken, Bea Nettles, Todd Walker, Henry Holmes Smith, Naomi Savage, Robert Rauschenberg, Betty Hahn, Pirkle Jones, Linda Conner, Henry Wessel, David Ireland, Gordon Matta-Clark, Ed Ruscha, Susan Sontag, and Fran Lebovitz.

How did your interest in photography begin?
When I was five or seven years old, I had a little toy called “Flickas”. It came with little, 3"x5" negatives of “Felix The Cat”, a small 3"x5" pack of studio proof (printing out paper) and a shallow, rectangular box to hold the negatives in contact with the print out paper. I'd go into the garage (subdued light), load the print frame with a negative contacted against the paper and then walk out into the bright sunlight to make the exposure. I was always fascinated when I brought the contraption back inside, opened up the frame and saw the magical, positive image of Felix and characters. The prints faded with time and ambient light exposure, but I loved the transformation and color change (from light blue to purple).

I came from a working class family in St Louis. We had NO exposure to cameras, photography or art. At age 17, a buddy and I traveled to a hippie rock festival in Louisiana (The Festival of Life). This was right after Woodstock. At the festival, I kept seeing this young, professional photographer running around with three, 35mm cameras slung over his shoulders and around his neck. He was always chasing a shot, sometimes riding a mini bike to cover ground and it looked like fun. I had brought the family's Kodak along and shot one roll of film. Later, back in St Louis, my junior year [of high school], I enrolled in a high school Photography Class (because my buddy was in the class). I took right to it and a month or so later we were processing b/w film, color slides and printing the teachers b/w prints for money. By senior year, I was taking on small jobs outside the class, photographing college plays and small weddings for cash.

By the time I enrolled in college I thought I had my vocation all picked out. I wanted to be a professional photographer and filled that in on my Community College forms. To my surprise, when they sent me my class schedule later that summer, they had placed me in the Art Department. I called them right up and said, “You've made a mistake. I don't want to be an artist. I want to be a photographer!”

I was flabbergasted, but it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I had to take Drawing I & II (which I had never done. Worked my tail off to get a C), Figure Drawing (which I had never done, was horrible at and got berated and ridiculed in front of the class by a sadistic teacher while he praised the “good” students with natural talent), Art History (taught by a fiesty, inspirational female painter. I worked hard and got an A+ in her class), Design and Photography (both were taught by Hans Levi, a UC Berkeley graduate and classmate of Richard Misrach, who inspired me to check out the SF Art Institute since I wanted to move to CA). Hans continued to teach Photo & Design in the St Louis Community College system and retired a couple of years ago. In 2006 after my book got published, I reconnected with Hans. He was proud to see where I've ended up; "pretty cool".

What prompted you to start building your own cameras and then experimenting with all the different containers you have used?
I started at the San Francisco Art Institute, in the fall of 1973 and majored in Photography. In California, the buzz word seemed to be “experimentation”. Ellen Brooks was teaching a class called, Bent Silver. She was a UCLA graduate and had studied with Robert Heineken. In her class, we learned how to make enlarged negatives, Cyanotype prints, Van Dyke Brown prints and magazine transfer rubbings. I hooked up with a hippie friend and before long we were reading photo process books, buying raw chemicals, mixing up strange solutions all night long, sizing & coating watercolor paper and teaching ourselves how to make three-color Gum Bichromate prints and pinhole cameras. We experimented with 40" mural prints developed on the floor with sponges soaked in Dektol, cutting up prints, sewing & piecing them back together into irregular forms and crazy/metallic toning combinations. We were sort of the early 70's version of the Starn Twins (without the money, backing or notoriety).

My buddy had a “ratty” VW van and we got this bright idea to turn his van into a pinhole camera and use color print paper. Using black polyethylene, we blocked out the windows, side doors area to hold the pinhole aperture and built a double, light baffle into the back hatch so we could set the camera up, pin the light sensitive paper to the far wall and then crawl out through the back while the paper exposed. Our aperture was too small and the exposures usually took four hours but we did get a couple of color, negative prints to work. He sold the van a couple of months later but this was always a project I wanted build again.

In 1975, I went to UCLA for a short time and studied with Robert Heineken, Bea Nettles, Henry Holmes Smith, Todd Walker and William Larson. I kept experimenting with different photographic materials and processes.

When I moved back to San Francisco I started making more pinhole cameras during my senior year and graduated with a BFA Degree in 1976. Rolling Stone magazine needed someone in the darkroom and I got the job through the manager at SFAI's photo lab. I was a hard worker, a good b/w printer and knew how to print color. I worked for them a short while printing Annie Leibovitz's b/w's for reproduction and 16x20 Cibachromes for the cover mock-ups. Rolling Stone's operations eventually moved to NY, so the job was temporary.

I went back to SFAI in 1977 for Graduate School; ironically I got accepted with a body of downtown street shots. When I started experimenting with pinhole cameras and aparatus they gave me an Incomplete grade. I bit my tongue, satisfied their requirements and after graduating in 1979 with my MFA, I started back to my pinhole camera making and experimentation.

By the early 80's, San Francisco was a real “hot bed” for Performance, Installation and Conceptual Art. During this time I started using found objects and suitcases as cameras. The Samsonite was perfect because it had a positive/negative shape around the opening edges and sealed up well with a little bit of black photo tape. In 1986, I got a bright idea and with a buddy, I organized and produced a huge, multi-site show called, The HOTEL PROJECT. About sixty artists participated at an old hotel in West Oakland—most artists had their own hotel room to do whatever they wanted to do as long as it was returned to original condition—and at the end of the year, it got written up in The Oakland Tribune as one of the most exciting art events in the Bay Area for that year. I knew David Ireland from the job site and art shows. I persuaded him to do a room installation at the Hotel Project. I also got Tony Labat to participate, Lynn Hershman to sign on and several other folks with a little bit of notoriety.

It was during that time that I started using suitcases to photograph hotels. I was photographing and documenting a lot of hotels with my 35mm camera as we searched for a place to house our wild idea. We kept getting turned down, but I kept shooting, and accumulating photos and we kept doing shows and using the imagery at the satellite locations. I was working as an electrician to pay the bills and in 1986, I interned with David Ireland at the Headlands Center for the Arts. I was the electrician on the crew and we converted the old barracks building into an artspace.

I believe it was a combination of working with all these conceptual artists, performance artists, video artists, installation people, and helping run a few art spaces (A.R.E.- Artists Revolution in the Eighties), hanging out at SF underground spots in the Mission & Tenderloin, working as a laborer in the building trades, being a politico and ultimately being sick of consumer culture that drove me to start thinking of the camera photographing objects in a symbiotic manner.

What was your most complex camera?
Aesthetically, I usually work in a low tech fashion, but to answer your question, probably the VW Van Camera and later, the Airstream RV Cam.

What was the most fun to build?
I guess the second VW Van Camera. This was done with a collaborative grant with Lightwork Community Darkrooms in upstate New York. I had lived in the Lower East Side in New York City and then moved upstate near Syracuse. We applied to the New York State Council for the Arts proposing to turn a van into a camera on wheels and in 1989, we received the Governor's Award from Mario Cuomo. After getting the check (Ca-ching!), I moved back down to Greenpoint, Brooklyn, lived at a friends freezing 10,000 sq. ft. warehouse space (affectionately nicknamed The Boar's Nest), pulled the VW inside and converted the van into a camera in this garage/workshop area. We had a lot of fun there. Lots of parties, booze, etc, with the subway station to Manhattan and big city action only a mile and a half walk away.

Which camera was the worst from a photography standpoint?
It's a black, plastic Top Hat with a lens on the front. It's not in the book but it's always been a frustrating camera to get results. The damn thing always leaks light no matter how many times I try to seal it up and try again.

What was the most difficult camera / image pair to come up with and make (as seen in your book)?
The photograph of Monument Valley Tribal Park. The Airstream RV was hard enough to make, but the first time I took it to Monument Valley I didn't process any tests inside the van. I thought I had worked all that out ahead of time. Later when I developed the paper negatives EVERYTHING was dark, dark, overexposed and very orange red. I wasted a lot of time, effort and money on that first expedition.

How often do you build cameras and then shoot with them? What's your process for taking on a new project in this vein?
Since publishing my book, The INVENTED CAMERA, I am more selective about building cameras these days. I have one in particular that I want to build called "The Babcock" out of an ice cream container that my partner, Kitty, brought me from Babcock Hall at the Univ of Wisconsin.

We build pinhole cameras on the first day of the Alt-Process class I teach at the Academy of Art University. Right now, I am working on some Cyanotype images and unconventional Palladium prints. I am also working on an installation for a solo show planned for Sept-Oct at Butte College in Chico, CA. The show will feature photo sculpture. I like to work conceptually with the space or at least let it influence the specific work. I've seen line drawings of the gallery, but when I see the physical gallery space in person and how people relate to it physically, my plans may change. I hope to show a similar installation in San Francisco soon.

When are you most happy?
When my body and mind are healthy.

Riding my bicycle 150 miles from Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Marin County to Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastary in Ukiah, CA with the rest of the Dharma Wheels group. The monks are so inspiring and they treat us to harmonic chants and songs at the end of our pilgrimage.

The comaradarie and experience of growing alongside my Alternative Process students as they learn, develop and mature.

When I am respected by the photographic/Art community.

Experiencing the natural world with my partner, Kitty.

What's your next project?
A collaborative, interactive photo/camera/installation with my friend and associate, Alyson Belcher. She's a pinhole photographer as well and a faculty member at Academy of Art University. Her work is beautiful, she has high energy, a great spirit, and is an expert Photo Historian. We are presently applying for funding.

Joseph Babcock

JOSEPH BABCOCK graduated from the San Francisco Art Institute (BFA 1976, MFA 1979). Since 1977, Babcock has experimented with pinhole cameras and is well known for his camera creations built from a variety of objects including top hats, suitcases, various types of cans, a guitar case, a VW bus and a classic Airstream motorhome. With his cameras he produces both small and mural size photographs. Babcock's work has been shown internationally and includes exhibitions at the Alternative Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, the Center for the Arts at Yerba Buena Gardens, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Sao Paulo Bienal.

His recently published book The Invented Camera, Low Tech Photography & Sculpture showcases his unique cameras juxtaposed with images made with each camera.

Visiting with Craig J. Barber

Erin Malone — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 07:00:00 GMT

Mekong Central

We Entered Through the Back

We Were Each Questioning

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“For me it is important to get to know a place in an intimate way. When I work I am very slow, I like to look around the corners and behind the doors at the small, quiet details that make up the cultural landscape.”

Recently, Without Lenses spoke to Craig Barber, a speaker at the recent f295 Symposium held in Pittsburgh, about his work and his new book, Ghosts in the Landscape: Vietnam Revisited.

Erin Malone: Who and what inspires you as an artist?
Craig Barber: Actually, there are several: Paul Caponigro, Edward Weston, Frederick Sommers, Edward Hopper, Thomas Hart Benton, Annie Dillard, Olivia Parker and waking up every morning.

What’s your favorite non-photography thing to do?
Go to films, read good literature and enjoy my family and friends.

How did your interest in photography begin?
It just happened. I loved taking photos as a kid, never thought anything of it except that I liked it, was drawn to it, and just kept going from there. It was a very natural progression.

What led you to working with pinhole?
I was at a point in my photographic life where I wanted to make a change and remembered back to a class I took in school that involved the pinhole camera. I was living in Seattle at the time and came up with an idea where the pinhole was central. My intent was to work on the project for a year or so and then return to a “normal” camera. I never did do the project, went off in a different direction, but embraced the pinhole and never looked back. That was over 20 years ago.

What type of camera do you use? Homemade, a modified or store bought?
Mine are handmade from cardboard, gaffers tape, felt and a pie pan.

What format do you shoot?
I shoot a variety of formats. Ghosts… my diptichs and triptichs were made with a combination of 2 or 3 – 8” x 10” negatives; The Other New York series is shot with a 12” x 20”: and my Prague work is shot with a 8 1/2” x 14”. I use sheet film, both Tri-x and HP5.

Do you process your own work?
Most definitely. I tray process the film and my prints are all platinum/palladium prints.

Your use of pinhole in the Vietnam images, essentially erase the people. This ghostly approach is loaded with implied meaning… was this a planned approach or did it evolve as you made the images?
It definitely evolved, but the idea of ghosts felt like the perfect metaphor for my ghosts, America’s ghosts and Vietnam’s as well.

How long were you in Vietnam to make this series?
I went back three different times and each of them for an extended period of time. The first time I ventured to SE Asia was for nearly four months and the last time for three.

What drew you back to explore and work on this series?
I served there in the 1960’s as a combat marine and this was an opportunity to be able to revisit a land that had a profound effect upon my life and to be able to come to terms with it. I always remembered it as a beautiful land that I wanted to return to, just didn’t think it would take me 28 years to do so. I consider the work I did there, to be a visual diary, hence the title: Ghosts in the Landscape: Vietnam Revisited.

Do you plan your thematic works in advance or do they evolve?
Both. Vietnam was planned, but all of my other projects evolved in more serendipitous ways. Serendipity plays a large part in my work.

How often do you visit a place? Do your series come from a long visit or repeat visits over a long period of time?
My projects are always long term and I generally make several long visits. I have never been very good at just dropping in, photographing and leaving. For me it is important to get to know a place in an intimate way. When I work I am very slow, I like to look around the corners and behind the doors at the small, quiet details that make up the cultural landscape.

For the book — how many images did you make and how many ended up in the book?
I don’t remember exactly how much film I shot, but a fair amount. I edited quite a bit and 46 are in the book. While we could have put more images in there, it felt more articulate to use fewer verses overwhelming the viewer with redundancy; most books are a bit too long, in my opinion.

Was making the book a good experience? Would you do it again?
Both making the book and the traveling exhibition that accompanies it were very positive experiences. Nan Richardson at Umbrage Editions (my publisher), Tanja Geis (the designer) and Amy Deneson (the publicist) were just great. And Alison Nordstrom at the George Eastman House (who are traveling the exhibition) was fantastic. She wrote the essay in the book and was very instrumental in helping this entire project move forward. From the first day Alison saw the work she was on board. The entire project was one of agreement; everyone believed in it, we all wanted it to happen, and we made it happen. I know that this sort of cooperative spirit runs a bit contrary to the normal tales you hear about in the publishing world, but it could not have been a more fitting end to my Vietnam journey; it seriously contributed to the healing process. Would I do it again… can’t wait!!!

What’s your next project?
I am working on a portrait of the Catskill region of New York State (and beyond). My working title is “The Other New York”. And I am also working on a project in Prague, where I have been teaching for the past couple of years.

Craig J. Barber

CRAIG J. BARBER is a photographer who travels and works exclusively with the pinhole format and focuses of the cultural landscape. During the past 10 years he has focused his camera on Viet Nam, Havana, and the Catskill region of New York State. In 2006 Umbrage Editions published his book, “Ghosts in the Landscape: Vietnam Revisited.”
See more of Craig’s work at his website.