Although Comox Valley photographer Blair Polischuk captured a Hornby Island June evening in his black and white print, December is proving to be his lucky month.
Polischuk’s A June Evening is one of 52 images selected for George Barr’s Why Photographs Work, 52 Great Images: Who Made Them, What Makes Them Special and Why, which was published this month.
The 220-page softcover book features images from world-renowned fine art, portrait and news photographers, including Freeman Patterson, Louie Palu and Bruce Barnbaum.
Polischuk says Barr first became aware of his print when the image appeared in the December 2005 edition of Black and White magazine.
“Barr sent me an e-mail between Christmas and New Years 2009. His e-mail included a rough draft of his analysis of my image along with an in-depth explanation of his book concept. In his introductory e-mail ... he listed some very impressive photographers, many of whom I’d admired and studied for years, who were also participating in the book,” he added.
Just like Polischuk, one of Barr’s priorities was his attention to detail, particularly for photo reproduction in the book.
“Appreciate he was working with dedicated fine art photographers, many of whom work with film and hand print their own work as I do. So often in book and magazine production the reproduction quality is disappointing. Barr assured me this would not be the case,” he noted.
Polischuk’s images are captured on Kodak Tri-X film using a Wisner 4x5 technical field camera or Pentax 67. He creates his prints by hand in a chemical darkroom on a variety of fine fibre-based silver gelatin papers.
Barr personally scanned an original silver print of A June Evening then sent the digital print for approval, he added.
“In addition, Barr was meticulous at editing the text for the book. Numerous drafts and revisions were exchanged over the past year leading up to the book’s release.”
The appreciation for meticulous details proves true in A June Evening, as Polischuk calls the image “complex, dynamic, dramatic, lyrical and soothing,” in addition to one of his most challenging pieces to print.
“I believe art lovers respond to both the drama and serenity of this scene. Anyone familiar with my work will know that I’m not a photo making factory, nor do I photograph obvious local scenes. On those occasions when I do see something of interest I will make a mental note and return to photograph it when it feels right,” he notes.
In his analysis of A June Evening, Barr notes “the twisted rock and sand must have seemed to be the potential subject, and the addition of that magnificent sky the gift of magic. Interestingly, it is the lighting from this uneven sky that has caused the landforms to glow, with light reflecting in the pools, and enough directional light to separate and add dimension to the rock forms and sand bars.”
Polischuk’s next project includes releasing a series of silver prints entitled Hoodoos - Mt. Washington 2010.
“I wanted to portray these forms isolated against a pure black background so I chose trees at the top of the Sunrise Chair near Rick’s Ride and shot them against a deep blue midday northern sky. I processed the negatives the same day but didn’t get to printing them until recently. I tend to allow my negatives to mature before printing them,” he said.
On top of his print and photography work, Polischuk teaches film, darkroom and business classes as part of the Professional Photography Program at North Island College, and believes, “there is no better way to learn and understand light than to work with light-sensitive materials.”
“The most rewarding part of my art career is teaching photography. Sharing my craft with the Pro Photo students allows me to live vicariously through my students and for that I am most grateful,” he added.
Laughing Oyster Bookstore in Courtenay has a sample copy of Why Photographs Work and it will be available for purchase shortly.
photos@comoxvalleyrecord.com
