When I first came across Barbara Cole's photographs, I thought they were paintings. The richness of the colors and the dreamlike effects give the photos an unreal aura. The inability to believe that these are actual photos is what drives their entrancing quality. I highly recommend visiting her website to see her full body of work.
ACL: How did you become interested in photography?
BC: My path was indirect. I was a model in my teens which led to a job as a fashion writer at Toronto Sun in my late teens and early twenties. While doing this I started shooting a bit for the section and then it became a serious passion. About ten years later I opened my own studio.
ACL: What inspires you?
BC: Anything that can be seen from a new perspective. Swimming. That always gets the ideas coming at me. A delicately made film. The Abstract Expressionists (which inspired my work in Chromatics last summer). The south of France. Just because. Great conversation. Travel.
ACL: What are your plans for the future? Are there any creative projects you're dying to get involved in?
BC: I’m working on 3 projects at the moment. One is underwater and two are above – working with Ambrotypes. (Imagery on sensitized glass plates). I can’t really talk about them publicly now but one will be shown next spring at Bau-Xi Photo.
ACL: What is your favorite subject to shoot?
BC: People in a landscape. The setting is always the first thing that will inspire the shoot.
ACL: How did you come up with the idea to make your photos look like paintings?
BC: It was a very deliberate process early on. I loved shooting in black and white. When the newspaper turned to full colour I began to have a problem. It was too real, if you know what I mean. I’ve always felt that the photograph was just a means to an end and not the end in itself. The bones of the thing. I’ve been adding layers to my work since 1975 :) I like to see the personal touch in a work.
Many thanks to Barbara for answering my questions and for allowing the use of her stunning photography.
All images are copyrighted by Barbara Cole Photography.
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