Compiled by: "Popular Photography" Gu Feng
American photographer and photography activist James Baker has now retired from photography agencies. He studied meteorology as an undergraduate and received an MFA in photography from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1975. Later, James Baker received tenured teaching positions at the University of Pennsylvania at Edinburgh and the University of Texas at Dallas, teaching photography courses and studying the relationship between visual arts and humanities .
Images in this article were licensed from © James Baker
Lake Tabor, Savage Mountains, Colorado
© James Baker
James Baker
For a decade after 1986, he served as Director of the Photography Program at the Anderson Ranch Art Center, where he promoted the acquisition of photography by individual collectors and institutions in the United States. Throughout his photography career, he continued to photograph natural landscapes, primarily using a 4×5 large format camera.
Today, in addition to being actively engaged in photography, James Baker also serves as the executive director of the Pilchuck Glass Institute in Washington State, USA, supporting art education and professional development through workshops and various projects.
Burning Cottonwoods at Dugout Ranch, Utah
© James Baker
Interview Interview
Q Popular Photography A James Baker
Q How did you first become interested in photography?
A When I was 10 years old, my father taught me how to develop black and white film. A few years later, he taught me how to print photographs and gave me the use of a small darkroom in the elementary school where he was an art teacher. As a teenager, I loved walking through the woods of New England and along the coastline. I use a small Kodak point-and-shoot camera to help me recall things that caught my eye. My photographs in those early years were simply records of my walks—a kind of visual diary. As time went on and I became curious about how my shots might look more like a print, I started working on making the photos maintain a more lasting quality.
Thunderclouds over Vagneur Mountain in Roaring Fork, Colorado, © James Baker
Q Why did you change your major to photography in graduate school?
A When I was a college student, I became aware of my interest in meteorology, as well as in other earth sciences, such as geology and oceanography. Because I wanted to understand the workings of the natural world, not to pursue a professional career as a weather forecaster. Going to graduate school at the Rhode Island School of Design and working with photographers Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskind as well as Minor White and Lisette Model brought me closer to my desire to observe and express my experiences in nature.
Q Why do you like landscape photography?
A I feel compelled to photograph nature, fascinated by what comes out of photography, even if in the end most of the photos lack that lasting quality. What immerses me in it are the rare and accidental photos that help me see the world in a fresh and exciting way.
San Juan River, Gooseneck Bay, Colorado
© James Baker
Q Which photographers, artists and writers have had a profound influence on you?
A There are many photographers, artists and writers who have influenced me. I'll break it down here by category, in photography I'm influenced by Diane Arbus, Walker Evans and Aaron Siskind. As for painters, I admire Pieter Bruegel (Pieter Bruegel the Elder), sculptors Martin Puryear and Ursula von Rydingsvard (Ursula von Rydingsvard).I was also drawn to the writing of Joseph Conrad, Annie Dillard, and Wallace Stegner.
The confluence of the Yampa and Green rivers in Colorado
© James Baker
Q Many of your photos give the viewer a sense of loneliness. Do you like to be alone or alone in nature?
A I find being alone in the wilderness sometimes frightening and always amazing. I pushed myself forward to experience what I could, and despite my fears, I found that being alone in nature was essential to my understanding of what it was to be alive.
Arizona Palm Canyon looking west at Koffa Mountains
© James Baker
Q You have been a photography teacher, how do you view the relationship between the visual arts and the humanities? Any new ideas?
A The visual arts and humanities are not separate but exist as continuous descriptions of human experience. Visual art is at the core of the experience, through the infusion of wood and clay. The interaction of materials such as stone and paint helps us connect to the world outside our minds. The humanities are an in-depth exploration of our thoughts and beliefs about being human. I was educated by the nature of the arts and humanities existing together.
Above Imperial Rapids in Cataract Canyon, Utah
© James Baker
Q How do you convey the influence of culture through landscape photography?
A In my work, I do not directly represent cultural influences, although I greatly admire the work of photographers who do. In other words, through my works, I may have been doing something similar to what you are asking about in a personal way, showing the impact of scenery on me as an independent individual through my experience, expressing my feelings of awe, fear, wonder and loneliness. My photographs depict my attraction to and separation from nature that I believe many of us experience as humans.
Arizona Grand Canyon , Fault Line Valley above Grapevine Rapids, © James Baker
Q Which identity among photographers, curators, and executive directors of photography agencies do you prefer?
A Most importantly, in my opinion, I am an observer - that part of me that comes to better understand myself through the experience of making photographs, and watching and living with them. As the administrator of an arts education institution, my focus is to serve other artists who want to find themselves through expressing what they see and imagine.
Q Can you introduce your current work? Is it still related to photography?
A I have now retired from working in arts organizations and now make photos and write for myself.
Rainbow over the Roaring Fork Valley in Colorado
© James Baker
Q What do you think is the criteria for an excellent landscape photography? How do you capture what you consider to be a great photo?
A Excellence is difficult to describe, although I would like to emphasize that the respect a person has for his or her work reflects the respect he has for himself. At the same time, I also realized that in order to pursue excellence in photography, it is very important to understand all art history.
Another thing I learned is that one needs to complete a lot of photos, looking at all the completed photos carefully and critically to help improve.
Contrary to my initial thoughts, going out to take photos with a strong idea of what you want to do is not helpful. Instead, I find it more helpful to approach what I may encounter with an open and curious mind.Now, when I encounter something that catches my attention, I ask myself "What would this look like if I took a photo?" It's nice to know that, for better or worse, the photo I take will be the answer.
Utah's Escalante Valley Desert Patent Leather
© James Baker
The confluence of Havasu Creek and the Colorado River, Arizona
© James Baker
Utah's San Juan River near Desecration Panel
© James Baker
Slickhorn Canyon near the San Juan River in Utah
© James Baker
Falls at Zion Narrows near Springdale in Utah
© James Baker
Del Muerto Canyon in Arizona
© James Baker
San Juan Mountain Engineer Pass in Arizona below
© James Baker
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