Barbara White

Biography

Trained as an elementary school teacher, but discovering that this was not her calling, Barbara raised her two children and then picked up a camera. This was so fascinating to her that she ultimately became a full-time commercial photographer, shooting architecture and interior design, when she finally decided to do fine art photography. She is a three year exhibitor at the Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach, and has shown her work in galleries in the Southern California area.

Artist Statement

Using her camera as a paintbrush, Barbara White creates fine art photographs that express the beauty, diversity and vibrancy of our planet's many cultures. Her paints are the magnificent worldwide scenes of people practicing their religions, native peoples, temples and other exotic buildings, and the natural world. Barbara is fascinated with the cities and countryside of Southeast and Northern Asia. As an inveterate traveler to Burma, Cambodia, Laos, China and Japan, as well as to India and Western Africa, she often strays from traveling companions, or awakens in the early hours to capture faces that are sometimes haunting, at other times exuberant. On shooting trips to South America, she sits patiently for long periods, staring at scenes that intrigue her, waiting for the light to be just right. Her photos of animals, birds, lakes and mountains are artfully lit, using natural light as a stage designer might - to create mood and drama. While traveling, Barbara's eyes are constantly open, looking at people, architecture, trees, gardens and shadows, examining the environment in terms of scale, color, light and mood. She spends so much time waiting and looking that photography becomes her meditation, a time of reflection and absorption. As an art photographer, Barbara respects the places she sees, using Photoshop techniques only sparingly, sometimes enhancing clouds or the sky, or bringing out detail in the shadows. When asked about her favorite shots, Barbara mentions "Reverence and Irreverence," photographed in Burma. She explains, "We were bringing juice to the monks, and they were lined up waiting for us to give it to them. This shot reminds me of a special time in my life and shows the devotion of the monks, along with the restlessness of children." About "Dogon Babies, " shot in Mali, she explains, "I saw it coming and shot with available light and then with on-camera flash. After the flash, all the adults started wagging their fingers at me." As a commercial photographer, Barbara concentrates on shooting for architects and interior designers, photographing rooms and exteriors of structures. She uses her skill of recognizing structures, forms and balance (from commercial work) in her art photography, capturing scenes with the expertise of a practiced artisan and with the eyes of an artist.

Art Education

Orange Coast College, Costs Mesa, CA: photography program

Awards

Recently was awarded first place and two honorable mentions at the Small Wonders show at the Southern California Artists' Association.