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Oakleaf Photography

-- "Light is to the photographer what paint is to the painter."--

--"With a click of the shutter, a photographer has the power to change the perspective of others, to show the world another view."--

ARTIST STATEMENT:

It has always been a struggle for me that photography is not often considered “art," that the value of it as a visual medium is held lower than others. Why is that? Because on the surface, photography can be very simple; aim, click and you have a picture. But this idea shortchanges photography. What is the difference between good and bad photography? Or good and bad painting? “Art," good or bad, is a relatively subjective experience. I have wrestled with the issues of trying to be a good fine art photographer when the hot new photographer was exposing color photo paper to old color TV tubes.

A family move created a fresh opportunity to pursue photography. It required leaving my darkroom behind, so a move to digital was not only convenient but it opened a new world of creative and technical advantages. With digital imaging and much cheaper computers, photography has taken an interesting turn. If you don't like the color, be like a painter and change the hue. If there are unwanted objects in the scene, remove them or create an abstract image from your mind using a composite of various images. We now have the ability to form and shape our subjects, like other artists. Is using computer software like Photoshop very different from using a brush and a canvas? Is there less artistic technique in creating a vision of the world in a computer? It seems that we confuse vision with technique, tools with talent, and media with skill.

Photography represents the fundamental paradox of the art of seeing. The photographer sees the world in terms of shape and form - light and shadow. Then, by adding some grace, order, and balance they can elevate the inherent bland flatness of a two-dimensional image into something that conveys something deeper about the essence of the space, the place and the moment. If a photographer is successful, they will be able to communicate some emotion or meaning in the images they leaves behind. To me photography is not simply the click of the shutter, it is the confluence of many elements chosen and presented by the artist.

BIOGRAPHY:

Betsy Oakleaf, born in rural western New York, fell in love with photography at an early age, when her parents put a camera in her hand and took her on a trip to Europe. She developed her skills at the Emma Willard School where, after taking all the photography courses available, she designed an independent study working with 4x5 format, Ansel Adams' Zone System, and applied the techniques to fine art black & white print making. At William Smith College, she continued her work through the publishing of black and white images on behalf of the school's magazine, The Ironwood. She later attended the University of Hartford for lighting and master printing classes and the Maine School of Photography for Studio Lighting. Her works represent diverse interests and travel. Her portraits, landscapes and cityscapes capture a sense of place as well as space and the expressions of those are underscored by strong linear elements, used to define them and to lead the eye to see her interpretation of their current order. She has worked extensively with 35mm, 2&1/4 and 4x5 formats.

While preferring silver haloid black & white images, the switch to digital afforded technical and creative advantages. As the pixel counts increased and printer capabilities improved, she experimented with equipment, resolution, storage, and technical refinement, as she captured thousands of images on her travels. She has taught basic camera functions and how to capture images creatively and expanded her expertise into web site development. The marriage of her technical expertise, in computers and digital imaging, with her artistic and profound graphical commentary, help to create a unique body of work.

She co-founded and operated a professional photography business from 1992-1997, providing images for corporate, private, non-profit and professional clients, while concentrating on architectural work. Gallery and Awards locations include: General Electric Headquarters Gallery - Connecticut, Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery - New Hampshire, Headlines Gallery - Connecticut, Artworks Gallery - Connecticut and New Britain Art League Gallery - Connecticut.

To make a living, Betsy earned a Master of Science with a concentration in Management of Information Systems from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She has since studied information design, extending her skills to presenting ever more complex materials in a way end users can understand. In her consulting business, she combines her multidisciplinary visual and technical competence to provide clients with information designed for user friendly results.

Oakleaf Photography Copyright Statement

~ Copyright Notice (©): All photography, art work, images and written work appearing within Oakleaf Photography are protected under United States and International Copyright Laws and may not be reproduced, reprinted or retransmitted or altered in any form without the express written consent from the author/artist.

email: betsy@oakleafphoto.com