Today we feature the words and work of Robyn Barron.
Would you please tell us about yourself?
I am 68 years old, an Australian of vastly mixed heritage like most of us, living in a heavenly part of this country just east of Byron Bay. Most of my childhood was spent moving from town to town until finally settling in Brisbane. I studied to be a secretary and worked in the airline sector until meeting my husband Charles. We met at a model photographer party in the late 70’s – him an aspiring photographer and me a young model. We both went on to become very successful in our chosen spheres working on national and international advertising campaigns. During this time we had two children.
I left my work as Charles’ producer about 20 years ago to become a horticulturalist, plants being a huge part of my passion since my early 30’s. I have been working in Garden Centres as a consultant and designer for many years now and have gained a huge appreciation for the natural world and the beauty of plants.
Where did you get your photographic training?
Whilst working for my husband in our advertising photography studio in Brisbane as the producer/ stylist/props buyer. I absorbed an enormous amount of knowledge in respect to composition, lighting and the importance of attention to the fine details in the image you are creating. Charles was an analog man highly regarded for his Black and White work and his willingness to experiment. We still possess his sinar 5×4 camera which even though not in use is still treasured. He keeps telling me I should learn to use it!! It amazes him what I can achieve with my iPhone 15+ but I think he would secretly love me to use a ‘real’ camera! I am obviously still learning how to achieve great images and received lots of mentoring from him still.
Who has had an influence on your creative process?
Oh wow, there are so many to choose from- Sarah Moon, Karl Blossfeldt, Imogen Cunningham and Irving Penn to name a few. All have had major influences on my work with their differing approaches to botanicals. In each image I capture I try to find the soul of the flower or leaf and interpret them accordingly, sometimes that is by using the romantic dreamy quality of Sarah Moon and sometimes it is using a starker approach similar to Irving Penn. I believe firmly in the old adage – “Adapt, Adopt, and Improve”.
Please tell us about an image (not your own) that has stayed with you over time.
The magical Sarah Moon produced a huge body of work for Cacharel in her dreamy ethereal style. My favourite is a Black and White polaroid for the perfume brand Lou Lou. So soft with just the right amount of deconstruction. It was such a contrast to the over sexualised work of male photographers of the era – thinking of Helmut Newton and Guy Bourdin. It truly stood out for me. Her work is a beautiful sort of poetry – timeless.
What image of yours would you say taught you an important lesson?
A really lovely rose image I captured very early on in my evolution where I didn’t give the flower room to breathe. At the time I was doing this a lot and it left me with no options to edit in post production, sometimes cropping off part of the image with my borders. I now know to create space around my subjects and always capture multiple variants to give me flexibility in editing.
What part of image making do you find most rewarding?
Because I am a gardener the most rewarding part of my process is in the dirt, in the art of
growing, in the knowledge of the seasons. It is hugely important for me to be able to wander into my garden and hand pick my subjects with a mind to capturing their unique forms even when in decay. This is something that is important to me both for my body and my mind.
How do you work through times when nothing seems to work?
Sheer determination, I don’t like to give up on something, so usually I will start over, rearranging, refocusing and stubbornly persisting until I am happy. I have been taught to not rely on post production, that the lighting needs to be well considered and my raw image is good enough to be used as is. So I endeavour to get it right in camera and not rely on editing to fix any faults. I work with botanicals so I have a limited time frame to capture my images so yes this alone makes me battle on until I have it!
Please click on image to see a different view.
What tools have you found essential in the making of your work?
I would start here with my trusty iPhone – it never ceases to amaze me the quality of the image I can output. I have done tutorials to gain the most out of the camera, there are many settings to tweak to your satisfaction. Next would be my lights, I use a ring light and sometimes Tungsten lamps. I quite often will soften the ring light with a muslin piece and change the angle of the light (which is easy because it weighs very little) to suit the flower or leaf in front of the background.
Next my painted backgrounds. I have a dark grey flat canvas and a lime wash cream canvas.
The final essential tool for me are my Apps that I use to achieve my look. Mostly I use Distressed FX and layer with my own backgrounds that I have created, then I give them a final tweak either in iColorama or Mextures.
Is there something in photography you would like to try in the future?
I would love to do some work on Polaroid, to see what I can create that is different to what has been already done. Maybe this will happen when I actually learn how to use our beautiful 5×4 Camera. I will definitely need the expertise and experience of my favourite photographer – husband Charles. This would absolutely be a very cool thing to do.
How does your art affect the way you see the world?
Through my intense study of the botanical world I have gained an insight into the importance of our amazing natural world and how we should all be looking to it for answers to our problems. The beauty I see and capture helps to make sense of my day-to-day life; maybe it could help others when looking at my art to escape from their fears for this world just for a moment and consider how their actions are impacting on the environment.
What’s on the horizon?
I shall keep putting my art out into the world entering prizes, photography competitions and
pushing my boundaries with new work. I have an exhibition coming up in the near future, it is a WIP with the title,”Love is Here”. Of course it will be flowers and leaves!
Thank you Robyn
To learn more about the work ofRobyn Barron please visit her IG page by clicking on her name.
