Another interview today! Tuesdays are good for such things, don’t you think? Today we are talking with Lincoln Barbour, who is a young and very versatile shooter out in Oregon. He’s doing both editorial and commercial work, with a wide range of imagery.
So, let’s start off with a tripod question! What do you look for in a tripod for your daily work?
What I value in a tripod is flexibility and stability. Weight is not an issue for my kind of work, so a lightweight tripod isn’t necessary. But it needs to hold the weight of the camera steady for long exposures and a heavy tripod comes in handy when you’re doing 30 second exposures outdoors on a windy day.
More important than the legs is the head. Always get a tripod head that supports more than your camera weighs. Too small of a head will unbalance a heavy camera with a small head and you’ll get camera shake. Plus, if you go vertical, your camera may pull against the tighteners and you’ll get shake or drift. In multiple exposures (i.e. HDR) this is a big no no and will ruin your shot.
My tripods are always rock steady. And sometimes I’ll even weight them down with sandbags. It’s also nice to have a tripod with a short center column so it can get real low to the ground. Comes in handy when shooting gardens and plants.
I’ve had a seriously long look through your site- your daily image posts are easy to get lost in. I’m intrigued that you take pictures of things that you love, as you say- “As a person, he is drawn to architecture, food, objects, and travel; for it’s these pursuits and creature comforts that make living worthwhile”- I love that approach. How are you able to pursue this wide range of imagery?
It’s been a long long journey to get to the point in my photography where I know what it is love to shoot. When I first started out, an older photographer friend of mine asked me, “What would you shoot if money didn’t matter?” I couldn’t answer him then, but I think I could today.
What really helped me get there was my photoblog. I posted to it almost every day for a year and I keep it going today (though posting less frequently now). Since I had to put something up for the world to see and judge, I really wanted each shot to be something I was proud of. I then started noticing what my eye was drawn to and that way of seeing started carrying over into my assignment work. This has helped me get a portfolio today that I really stand behind and can say this is me.
As for the subject matter, I looked at what I was shooting personally and then sought out what was the closest thing to it commercially. Architecture, travel, and still life (food/product) seemed a natural fit. And since there will always be new buildings, new restaurants, and new products that need to be photographed I felt like it was a good area to focus on. And, not only do I like shooting these subjects, but I also really like getting to meet the people who design and make such amazing things that make the world a better place.
Ultimately though, I choose not to really limit what I can do and pigeonhole myself. That way, as I evolve as a photographer, my work can keep reinventing itself and I won’t get bored of it. For example, I actually did a fashion shoot last year which was pretty fun and out of my comfort zone.
It seems like the last few years for you have been an important career-building time. Also, it seems that you’ve moved around a bit. What has your approach to your career been? How do you find clients, and what are your dream assignments?
I’ve been working for myself for seven years, and the last two years have been really excellent. In Virginia, I was just starting out and shot pretty much everything. My main client was a high end real estate firm, but I also shot events for a weekly paper, silos for an auto parts company, model portfolios– you name it.
When we moved to Portland, OR four yeas ago, I knew I needed to build a local client base because I wasn’t ready to promote myself nationally. Within the first few months of being here, I was assigned a feature for Portland Monthly and they’ve kept me busy ever since. More than half my portfolio is from assignments with them and some of the biggest jobs I’ve gotten have been because of something the art director saw that I shot for them. They’ve also introduced me to a lot of local clients and I have that base now.
Once I was confident in my portfolio, I started advertising on source sites like Workbook, AltPick, and CommArts Hotlist. This led to jobs for Jeld-Wen, UBS, Elle Décor, Domino, all the bigger brands in my client list. Nowadays though, it’s all about referral and word of mouth. So, I’ve been letting bloggers use my photos in trade for a link back to my site. It’s amazing how much traffic I get from these blogs. Not only that, but I’m pretty sure the commercial clients I want to shoot for read these blogs and see my name associated, so it helps build name recognition. I also do Google Adwords to build name recognition. I don’t expect any assignment from a click, but it’s good that my name pops up if you search for “Architectural Photographer” or “Product Photographer”.
I guess my dream assignment/client would be to shoot for Orient Express Hotels & Resorts. I would love to be flown all over the world to shoot their hotel rooms, the grounds and spaces, the food, and lifestyle details. I’m the perfect photographer for them because they would just need me, instead of three different photographers all with different styles.
If I really dig, I can find some pictures of yours shot on film, and I see that 4×5 of yours is not getting much use. What’s different about your approach to film and digital, and is it just cost that is keep you from shooting more film?
I shot 35mm black & white film in high school and afterwards as a hobby. When I quit being a web designer, I got a job for an architectural photographer and he was shooting 4×5 and 120 on a view camera. I had never seen either until that day. I didn’t even know there was tungsten film. It was a tremendous learning experience. The film he shot we’d scan on his drum scanner and do everything we could to make the scan look like the film. It was a pain in the ass and took forever. I could only scan 9 pieces of 6×9 or 4 sheets of 4×5 at time. A big job would take days to process. Nowadays, I can turnaround 12 shots in about 4 hours.
So commercially, I have to shoot digital. There’s just not enough time anymore. I take the same approach to digital as I do to film. I really try to get it in one shot and only resort to Photoshop if it’s one of those impossible to get otherwise images.
I did shoot some Polaroid recently for a Land Camera group show at OFFICE. It made me fall in love with film again. I miss the finiteness of film. With digital, it so flexible you never feel like it’s done. Film is film, end of story. I love that!
What’s the most exciting recent gig you’ve had? Can you show us any outtakes?
Exciting is somewhat subjective, but I just shot this rad interior space for a design firm in Portland called Parliament. They have the coolest place to work ever. My favorite shot is the one with the grizzly bear skin rug wearing a real fedora from Lebanon.
Also, if you want something a little more sexy for recent gigs, I shot some beer with a ring flash for Imbibe magazine.
How did you get started in the industry? Any particular career goals for ’09/10?
I basically got fed up with being a web designer. It rode out the first bubble burst and was ready to do something different. We hired a photographer for a client and I took him out to lunch one day. I wanted to know how he made it as a commercial photographer since I was already in the commercial art world. He gave me the overview and then offered me a job. Nine years later here I am.
My goal for this year is to shoot for Dwell magazine, shoot a national ad campaign, and win an award. I love Dwell and think my work would be a good fit for them. I’ve shot a little advertising, but I haven’t done a big multi-market campaign yet for a big ad agency. Something you’d see in magazines, bus stops, websites, etc. Finally, I’d love to win a contest (or even just be featured) in PDN or Communication Arts. It seems like people really start calling if you get in either of those.
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Thanks, Lincoln! I had so much fun trawling your site for cool Lincoln images, that I need to just go nuts and post a few here.
Beeyootiful. See more Lincoln, here!
