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Reprinted with permission from Studio Photography magazine - December 2006
Alysha Sideman
Imaginginfo.com, Online Editor
Step into Lucia Bucklin’s landscapes and you are transported to another plane—one that combines Salvador Dali’s surrealism with the tranquility of heaven. As you wander within the image, you wait for transcendent music to sound. Still, you’re not quite sure what is lurking behind the white-leaved tree branches. It is this precisely this sensation that attracts clients to her ethereal infrared landscapes.
Infrared film is a complicated medium to work with,” she explains. “You’re shooting with a red #25 filter and need to visualize your image. Sometimes photos I think will be amazing only turn out average when processed; sometimes shots I took to finish a roll turn out amazing.”
Bucklin says galleries consider infrared images made with film more of a fine art than those captured digitally. This leads to her number one concern—rumors that Kodak infrared film will be phased out— so she hordes rolls of the film, just in case. At $11.99 a roll, and $15 a roll for developing, the film is expensive, which explains why many photographers shoot infrared digitally or attempt the effect in Photoshop.
But infrared’s complexity was part of its original appeal to Bucklin. “I liked that it was challenging and that not many professionals were doing it,” she recalls. After years of practice she is able to tell her professional lab, which processes all her film, the time and temperature specs for processing.
“The first few times were tense, waiting for the results. But below-par results taught me how to adjust the camera to control the effects better.”
The Infrared Attraction
Bucklin’s love of things infrared began when she went back to school for journalism and took a course in alternative photography.
“There are so many ways of looking at things with infrared. It involves a different kind of reality—capturing things we can’t see. I just fell in love with it,” says Bucklin.
Whether it’s a feeling of nostalgia, spirituality, dreams of a simpler life, or appreciation of nature’s beauty that draws clients to Bucklin’s images, most find out about her work through gallery shows and exhibitions.
Occasionally, articles in a local newspaper will trigger sales. A New York client, Bob Kuperman, called me and said he loved the photo that a local paper ran with my feature and wanted to purchase it,” she says. That photo was Dream’s Ascent.
The former Canadian head hunter-turned photographer lives in Greenwich, Connecticut, draws her inspiration from her Greenwich, Connecticut, environs. Each day, after sending her five children off to school, she travels around the countryside, venturing into the nearby towns of Bedford Hills, Armonk, Darien, New Canaan, and Katonah.
I have no particular location in mind,” she says of the trips. “I take many of my photos in Westchester County, New York, and Fairfield County, Connecticut. I’m drawn to old buildings, barns, landscapes, and animals, especially horses. You never know what you’ll find.”
Among her discoveries: a 200-year-old chapel in the woods (p. 25, left) and an old barn with horses roaming around the surrounding field.
Bucklin takes great pride in capturing once-in-a-lifetime “golden moments” and “visual images to the past.” Tod’s Point, a body of water near her home, provides her with many dreamlike shots. One of her favorite images is that of an elderly couple sitting contently by the water’s edge, gazing at the sailboats on the horizon (p. 25, bottom).
The softening effect and tenderness of infrared further enhanced the romance of the shot. “It reminded me of growing old with the one you love,” says Bucklin.
Preparing for a Solo Show
While Bucklin accepts corporate commissions, most of her work is sold at gallery shows or on consignment. The galleries take a percentage—anywhere from 30 percent to 50 percent—of the cost of the artwork and ask to keep pieces on consignment. This arrangement has several merits: “It gets the work seen, is validation, and gives it credibility. Exposure is key,” she says.
From the BoxHeart Gallery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to the Bohemia Gallery in West Jefferson, North Carolina, her work has been displayed in more than 50 juried exhibitions and shows across the U.S. over the past three years.
To prepare for a solo exhibition, the gallery sends her a list of 30 to 50 works they would like. If they don’t specify, she decides which pieces to send. Some of her work is in juried shows, having been specifically selected by a judge. Usually in juried shows, the judge will select one to three pieces of each artist’s work.
Each of her works is displayed double-matted, signed, titled, numbered, and framed under Plexiglas in black Bainbridge aluminum frames.
When a show is staged, the gallery typically provides marketing support, sending out promotional postcards to their clients. “If I have clients in the area, I will send them notice that I am having a show there,” says Bucklin. “For solo shows, I generally arrive at the reception, where I can meet with clients and answer their questions about my work.”
Usually, Bucklin will give a talk about her work. Many times, the reception is an informal wine and cheese gathering, where people can study the work and meet with her. “At these shows, I also provide a publicity book, which includes my work, my awards, client references, and press clippings I’ve collected over the years,” she adds.
Typically, the artist is responsible for shipping to and from the gallery. Bucklin’s work is sent UPS Ground, framed, bubble-wrapped individually, and ready to hang. The gallery usually hangs the work and provides insurance on the pieces while they’re in their possession.
Self-Marketing Efforts
Bucklin finds the galleries where she exhibits by researching places that accept photography and seem like a good fit.
“Avenues for researching include the Internet, photo books, bookstores, and alternate business news publications,” she says. Also, many magazines announce “calls” for artists. She sends the galleries special submission packets with a CD of her images, references, awards, her background, press clips, and marketing postcards. One out of every 10 packages she sends leads to an offer to exhibit.
Bucklin plans to start a blog and recently advertised her pieces in Workbook’s (www.workbook.com) alternate edition, Framed Art for Spaces, geared to people looking to buy art
Lately, Bucklin has been experimenting with hand-coloring her infrared images. The images, which are getting a “great response,” are printed on canvas before being tinted with special oils.
“Rather than just hand-color the landscapes, I paint people in this manner, which adds a softer, more luminous look to their portraits,” she adds.
I shoot things that evoke emotions, have links to the past,” says Bucklin. “I have to feel that connection to be moved to shoot. And I have to be patient. I go through a lot of film to get a few great images.” For more Bucklin images, visit www.luciabucklin.com
Fine Art marketing Business Tips
1. Research and approach appropriate galleries with work
2. Send out promotional packets
3. Spend about 50 percent of your time marketing your work
4. Be shooting and producing the other 50 percent
5. Send postcards to prospects prior to your shows
6. Be patient: I go through a lot of film to get a few great images.
Lucia Bucklins’ Gear Box
35mm Camera
Canon EOS-1
Canon lens: 28-90mm f/1:4-5.6 II
Lighting:
Natural light
Film:
Kodak High-Speed Infrared Film
Hardware:
HP Pavilion computer
Minolta DiMAGE Scan Elite 5400 II
Epson Stylus Photo R2400
Software:
Adobe Photoshop
Necessities:
Epson Somerset Velvet Fine Art Paper
Epson Enhanced Matte Paper
Red #25 Filter
Lowepro backpack
Patience (you go through a lot of film to get a few great images)
To see the full article with images, please go to ImagingInfo.com, under Studio Photography, December 2006. The article is entitled “Time Travel.” A reprint of the article from Lucia Bucklin can be sent upon request.
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