In the spirit of scientist, artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci, Tim Wolcott's passion for photography is advancing the frontiers of landscape imagery and environmentally friendly processes. From his Big Bear Lake gallery, he recently talked about landscape photography, his creative influences and his groundbreaking project to build the world's first chain of eco-friendly galleries.
He is keenly aware of the pioneers who have preceded him. "I love Carlton Watkins for presenting photography as an art form as opposed to the frontier photojournalism of William Henry Jackson," Wolcott says. He remains fascinated with Watkins' early efforts to develop fine prints and respectful of how Ansel Adams furthered the tradition decades later. Today, Wolcott's photography continues the spirit of American innovation.
A former assistant to William Henry Jackson, George Phillips taught Tim the fine art of printmaking. At age 18, Tim won a Carmel, California photo competition with his entry "Fence Fog and Trees." This led to a meeting with Adams, for whose work it had been mistaken.
"Landscape is about the grandeur of a space," Wolcott explains. "The East coast is very different from the West. Most photographers will shoot a particular region of the country. I love it all. Usually the scene dictates how it moves you to shoot it. It doesn't matter how you get the photo, it's that you get it."
For some images, he talks about how you might literally risk your life—say, hanging from a cliff. But it doesn't always need to be dramatic. In fact, Wolcott's signature method is patience. He will "wait and wait and wait" for the right light.
"In the image, ‘Dogwood in the Moonlight,' the flat light of the afternoon did nothing to move me, but the perfect shape of the tree told me to come back to look at it in a different light. The perfect light was presented when I woke early in the morning to see the dogwood just before the light came into the sky. The timing of the early morning light and the full moon overhead created the perfect dark background, enhancing the light on the dogwood petals so that they appeared like an explosion of fireworks and butterflies.
"George Philips taught us to shoot it once, shoot it right," Wolcott said. "He told us to stop taking so many damn photos and focus on what you're doing. And that it doesn't really matter what the technology is so long as you can produce a better image. There was a time, he told us, when enlargers were considered taboo in fine art photography and he predicted that some day digital technology would revolutionize color photography.
"So I've stuck with his advice," Wolcott said. "Digital technology is still a means to an end. People should not focus so much on technology because it's the wrong emphasis. They should be focusing on understanding the light and its relationship to the image they're shooting. That's what creates the great image. It's not easier in digital. It requires the same vision. Same discipline. Creating a great image comprises visualizing its composition and understanding how the lighting is altering all its aspects."
Wolcott believes that if you're serious about photography, you've got to study the black and white masters like Brett Weston and Ansel Adams. "They are masters for a reason," he says. "So you should look to see what they're doing and then add your own style to it. The best reason to study black and white is that colors can fool the eye, make you think the image is better than it is. Some people focus on color rather than light. But photography is about nothing more than lighting. Of course, you need to start with professional gear. And you must have good composition. But if you have mediocre lighting you get mediocre shots."
Photographers like Adams and Eliot Porter have had a profound influence on Wolcott. Both consciously tried to protect and save the wilderness using their photography to create new parks, new wilderness areas and environmentally sound practices. As one of the pioneers of pigment printing, Wolcott is an expert who is also tireless in the tradition of conservation and is aiming to set a new standard for how photography is printed and exhibited.
"Our idea is to create an avenue for master photographers to showcase their work to a wide variety of consumers through the world's first chain of eco-friendly galleries. Our goal is to address every aspect from image capture to print making to framing and exhibition, so that consumers entering our galleries know that when they see a great scene, the frames will have come from managed forests and all the prints will have been made with environmentally safe pigments that use no chemicals or heavy metals. Respecting the earth is an essential part of art."
I believe technology is not the end-all answer, but it's clear Phase One is helping get closer to the artist by dictating what's possible to see and capture. For example, I was able to take Ballet of Light, a 6-foot tall image that's on display in the gallery. No way I could have gotten that shot without the Phase One P45 digital back and my vision of what I thought was going to happen. I don't have to compromise. I can capture 12 stops of light and I can hold all my colors.
1) You have to get out there and haul the gear. Landscape photography is not best practiced beside the road. You have to get out of the car.
2) Adapt and overcome. If something doesn't work out the way you want, use it to your advantage. Sometimes all the work you put into it can be gone before you arrive.
3) If you're an artist who can't criticize your own work, you need very blunt friends who can.
The lighting and vision of the photographer. There's no substitute for those two essential elements.
I hate wind. I despise wind. Wind is my enemy.
Sometimes nature will fool you—but usually you can plan what's going to happen.
Use the best equipment you can afford, and then spend your time studying how best to apply it. Nothing can substitute for that.
