| Author | Thread |
|
|
03/06/2009 08:28:33 PM · #1 |
I recently visited Thomas Barbey's gallery in Lahina (Maui Hawaii USA) and was blown away by his surrreal photography.
First, the images are stunning. Second, I'm told he shoots film, and composites in the darkroom ... how quaint.
I guarantee you will enjoy seeing these images, and that they will inspire you. Look here.
When you click through to an image, be sure to click "Magnification" to appreciate the images larger than his gallery thumbs.
For the record: I have no relationship with Thomas ... just liked very much his images! |
|
|
|
03/06/2009 08:41:04 PM · #2 |
Wow!
Great PhotoShop work!......8>)
|
|
|
|
03/06/2009 09:05:51 PM · #3 |
curious about technique ..
the ones i touched all seemed to be silver geletin / wonder how.. looks painfull for regular photography (not that its not possible ,, just .. )
liked his prices as well ... |
|
|
|
03/06/2009 09:19:34 PM · #4 |
| It's not photoshop. It is apparently done in the darkroom with an enlarger. Much like the work of Jerry Uelsmann (Hope I spelled that right). |
|
|
|
03/06/2009 09:46:09 PM · #5 |
| That's some very nice darkroom work there! |
|
|
|
03/06/2009 11:00:54 PM · #6 |
| Very very cool. I love the "oh sheet" image. :-) |
|
|
|
03/07/2009 12:16:09 AM · #7 |
| Very cool stuff, too bad his web site navigation sux...I might have gone through all of them. |
|
|
|
03/07/2009 12:44:48 AM · #8 |
Maybe it's just me, but I find the work to be derivative and not very interesting. It can't even BEGIN to hold a candle to Jerry Uelsmann's stuff, which is some of the greater photographic art ever produced, mysterious and evocative. These images are more in the nature of formulaic, superficial fairy tales, to my sensibilities at least. They are pretty well-crafted, though.
R.
|
|
|
|
03/07/2009 01:48:14 AM · #9 |
| Fantastic. His images remind me of the paintings of Hans Werner Sam. |
|
|
|
03/07/2009 02:17:14 PM · #10 |
Uelsmann
Bear's right, this guy is superb. That's how it should be done. |
|
|
|
03/07/2009 02:46:32 PM · #11 |
Originally posted by Tez:
Uelsmann
Bear's right, this guy is superb. That's how it should be done. |
Yah... He's just unbelievable...
R.
|
|
|
|
03/07/2009 03:37:01 PM · #12 |
Originally posted by ralph:
liked his prices as well ... |
You're not wrong . . .
Anyone want to buy some surreal Rhino shots ?
:- ) |
|
|
|
03/07/2009 09:27:46 PM · #13 |
We saw his work while in Maui back in April last year....right after a nice break under the big Banyon tree down the street!! Beautiful photos.
|
|
|
|
03/07/2009 10:23:05 PM · #14 |
| His "Stumped" is very reminiscent of Uelsmann's "Untitled 1982" building with roots photo. |
|
|
|
03/07/2009 10:37:23 PM · #15 |
| Also, after having finished perusing the whole gallery.... it's rare that I see somebody's work and like what I see initially, and then progressively dislike the rest that I see. That was the case here. I agree with the formulaic comment- he takes a neat idea and drills it all to hell until you can't stand it anymore. |
|
|
|
03/08/2009 12:18:52 AM · #16 |
| I don't like the navigation on the site. Very difficult to find your way around. |
|
|
|
03/08/2009 12:30:02 AM · #17 |
Originally posted by Dirt_Diver:
I don't like the navigation on the site. Very difficult to find your way around. |
Funny you should mention that... something I did absolutely freaked out the flash and made it impossible to view the first page of the gallery again. It would put up all the thumbnails, then the last one would constantly try to open partially. All the rest worked fine. This happened after I accidentally clicked on the "tabs" at the bottom to go to another gallery, but went to a whole separate section. |
|
|
|
03/08/2009 06:45:49 AM · #18 |
thanks for sharing. Lot of cool work there!
|
|
|
|
03/08/2009 06:58:41 AM · #19 |
Tom and I have been trading emails for a while now and the next time I'm in Vegas I'm hoping to look him up. He's a great guy and a real talent. He's definitely one of my faves out there.
|
|
|
|
05/08/2009 11:01:43 PM · #20 |
| My name is Thomas Barbey and I want to thank you all for the compliments and criticism. I am glad that "Bear" noticed the difference of my conceptual style with that of Jerry Uelsmann. His images are beautifully crafted and superb and mine are "formulaic" and very "commercial". So much so, that my calendar sells out a month or two before Christmas, every year. If you Google my name, you can find posters, calendars and puzzles sold all over the world because of my "cliches" ideas... I don't think I'm necessarily great, but my images sell a whole lot. What you "artists" and photographers don't realize, is that you sometimes lose touch with the "regular" folks out there. Peter Lik has 18 galleries and doesn't give a fig about Joel-Peter Witkin's images. Curators and gallery owners can wank while looking at images of mutilated corpses and horse's penises but the "normal" people don't get it. I do my work for the "people" because the gallery in Lahaina has to sell over 50K every month in order to stay in business. My gallery isn't financed by some rich old widow who wants a gallery as a sidekick to present the type of work you see at MOMA, MOCA and MOCHA/FRAPPUCCINO. There is so much confusion in the Art world today but the Art of selling, to me, isn't confusing at all. I am happy I don't have to please the experts and the critics, just the regular folks out there who have some "inner child" left in them... cheers, -t. |
|
|
|
05/08/2009 11:36:01 PM · #21 |
Originally posted by photomas:
My name is Thomas Barbey and I want to thank you all for the compliments and criticism. I am glad that "Bear" noticed the difference of my conceptual style with that of Jerry Uelsmann. His images are beautifully crafted and superb and mine are "formulaic" and very "commercial". So much so, that my calendar sells out a month or two before Christmas, every year. If you Google my name, you can find posters, calendars and puzzles sold all over the world because of my "cliches" ideas... I don't think I'm necessarily great, but my images sell a whole lot. What you "artists" and photographers don't realize, is that you sometimes lose touch with the "regular" folks out there. Peter Lik has 18 galleries and doesn't give a fig about Joel-Peter Witkin's images. Curators and gallery owners can wank while looking at images of mutilated corpses and horse's penises but the "normal" people don't get it. I do my work for the "people" because the gallery in Lahaina has to sell over 50K every month in order to stay in business. My gallery isn't financed by some rich old widow who wants a gallery as a sidekick to present the type of work you see at MOMA, MOCA and MOCHA/FRAPPUCCINO. There is so much confusion in the Art world today but the Art of selling, to me, isn't confusing at all. I am happy I don't have to please the experts and the critics, just the regular folks out there who have some "inner child" left in them... cheers, -t. |
Holy Crap!
R. |
|
|
|
05/09/2009 01:21:02 AM · #22 |
| Anyone notice that although it is said that his work is with film that his flash site shows a Digital SLR as the lead in? |
|
|
|
10/02/2009 09:15:52 AM · #23 |
Everyone's a critic. :-p
I wonder if photomas has been back to this site since? Very interesting thread which I missed the first time 'round.
|
|
|
|
10/02/2009 09:24:47 AM · #24 |
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
Originally posted by photomas:
My name is Thomas Barbey and I want to thank you all for the compliments and criticism. I am glad that "Bear" noticed the difference of my conceptual style with that of Jerry Uelsmann. His images are beautifully crafted and superb and mine are "formulaic" and very "commercial". So much so, that my calendar sells out a month or two before Christmas, every year. If you Google my name, you can find posters, calendars and puzzles sold all over the world because of my "cliches" ideas... I don't think I'm necessarily great, but my images sell a whole lot. What you "artists" and photographers don't realize, is that you sometimes lose touch with the "regular" folks out there. Peter Lik has 18 galleries and doesn't give a fig about Joel-Peter Witkin's images. Curators and gallery owners can wank while looking at images of mutilated corpses and horse's penises but the "normal" people don't get it. I do my work for the "people" because the gallery in Lahaina has to sell over 50K every month in order to stay in business. My gallery isn't financed by some rich old widow who wants a gallery as a sidekick to present the type of work you see at MOMA, MOCA and MOCHA/FRAPPUCCINO. There is so much confusion in the Art world today but the Art of selling, to me, isn't confusing at all. I am happy I don't have to please the experts and the critics, just the regular folks out there who have some "inner child" left in them... cheers, -t. |
Holy Crap!
R. |
LOL :-D ... priceless ;-)
|
|
|
|
10/02/2009 09:41:30 AM · #25 |
Originally posted by photomas:
Curators and gallery owners can wank while looking at images of mutilated corpses and horse's penises... |
Nice.
I don't like it when people start treating "commercial photography" as this big evil thing that's so much worse than "art photography," as if the two are so different from each other. I, for one, don't think Monet wanted to paint a "Japanese Footbridge" a billion times "for art's sake," yet we dissect each as if it's a completely different work of art that blows our mind even after we've seen ten others. Yes, I am saying Thomas Barbey is more original than Monet. Who are we to tell Thomas Barbey he's too commercial when even the best were out to make money in the first place, and were much less original than him? At least he takes "a neat idea and drills it all to hell until you can't stand it anymore." Monet took a single subject and composition (a little more than a "neat idea," don't you think?), changed the only the colors and brush technique, and created what many consider to be a "whole new work of art." Oh, please.
So next time you call someone unoriginal and say they "drill [an idea] to hell," think of Monet.
(I do have a lot of respect for Monet, but stop criticizing artists for being unoriginal when they have a great idea and make a few versions of it to appeal to a larger viewer/customer base.) |
|
Home -
Challenges -
Community -
League -
Photos -
Cameras -
Lenses -
Learn -
Help -
Terms of Use -
Privacy -
Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2025 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 08/09/2025 08:47:49 AM EDT.
