大象传媒

For Jon Baker, photography is not only a means of expression, but a celebration of his subject matter, particularly his beloved landscapes.

Based in Telford, Baker both cherishes a traditional approach to his art form, while also embracing new technology 鈥� not an easy balancing act with the range of options open to the modern photographer.

Jon Baker

Jon Baker modestly describes himself as an 鈥榰pper amateur鈥�, which hardly does him justice.

Moving to Shropshire in 1969, he started photography in the early 70s and was a member of the (now defunct) Telford Photographic Society in the 80s, before joining Wrekin Arts and later the highly-respected Royal Photographic Society.

Since the 1980s, he has always been quick to pursue any distinctions the RPS and other societies have offered. Featuring a variety of letters after your name always looks good, but for Baker the decision to compete for a fellowship was simply a means to improve his photography.

After gaining his fellowship of the Royal Society in 1987, Baker also joined another international association, the F茅d茅ration Internationale de l鈥橝rt Photographique (FIAP). He again looked to improve his work by putting himself through the mill of the various qualifications on offer.

In 2002, after submitting a panel of 20 images and an accompanying written report to a board in Belgium, Baker's work was rewarded, being named the ninth person in the UK to gain his 鈥楳aster FIAP鈥� (101st in the world).

Cwmorthin, Jon Baker

The choice of subject matter was completely open to the applicant. A fan of landscapes, he opted for a location which was practically second home to him. The old slate quarries of Rhosydd and Cwmorthin near Ffestiniog in North Wales have inspired him for almost 15 years.

More importantly, Baker powerfully communicates his passion for this landscape through his prints. There is much to wonder at and fascinate even the most casual observer.

The first thing to strike you is that these don't look like photos 鈥� rather they resemble paintings. The grasses and occasional tree look as if they've been applied with a brush, while the colours seem just too rich for a lens to have captured.

The effect may not be to everyone鈥檚 liking, but it's one which Baker has sought to perfect. The image is essentially produced by a combination of the 50 ASA Fuji Velvia film he favours and the material they're printed on 鈥� an art paper, not dissimilar to cartridge paper.

Interestingly the fusion of industry and nature in this case makes for a stunning image.

While some slate-built buildings blend chameleon-like into their surroundings (almost melting once again into the mountains from which they were torn), iron pipes and wheels stand erect from the rest of the photograph, rusting violently against the background of greens, greys and subdued browns. A de-saturated, slate-blue sky听 balances the scene without overwhelming it.

A Memorial

This series also commemorates a forgotten community. Much has already disappeared in the quarries. Within the last three years alone, the roof and back wall of the chapel have both collapsed. Baker's quick to describe how the chapel was built by the quarrymen themselves for worship and to provide a place to educate their children.

This desire to record the community's existence and people's lives is an important aspect of Jon Baker's work - "It's a tough landscape and tough people... it's a memorial to them really".

Autumn Glow, by Jon Baker

In 100 years time, perhaps this series of photographs will prove an important record of the area's social history. His images of Shropshire's many castles and ancient monuments could prove just as valuable, not withstanding their simple beauty.

Leaving aside the historical aspect of Baker's work, he very much regards himself (however modestly) as an artist: 鈥淚 can't write poetry, I can't write novels鈥� I capture it with the image.鈥�

In Britain, we have a strange approach to viewing photography 鈥� somewhere between an art form and a mass media by-product (a modern day spoil heap). Most people are far more likely to encounter photographs on TV, in newspapers, magazines and on websites, rather than in galleries.

While the same issues of consumption are no doubt also true in the rest of Europe, Baker suggests that our continental cousins are far quicker to see photography as 鈥榓rt鈥� than we are in the UK. Perhaps that is our loss.

Buildwas Abbey

There is undeniably an artistry about Jon Baker's work.

Jon shows me an image of Buildwas Abbey, which he took in the 80s. Here a monochrome infra-red negative is copied onto another negative to create a positive 鈥� the result is a wonderful, ethereal image with a glowing carpet of foliage. This is relatively low-tech, but not something the average holiday snapper would attempt!

Despite his use of modern technology (particularly today in post-production), his camera equipment and approach to capturing the initial image has barely changed since the 1970s.

Baker currently uses a Nikon F90 with usually just two lenses, the most useful of which is his 24-85mm Nikon. He also carries around four basic filters, a warm sunsoft, a blue, a pastel and a Vaseline effect (which softens and diffuses an image). He also loves to use the 50 ASA Fuji Velvia colour slide film, which he often prefers to under-expose by two or three stops. The result is a sharp, saturated image with a vibrant range of contrasts.

Once the film is processed, he then scans slides into his PC, and manipulates them using Photoshop before then printing them on his Epson 1290, using a variety of different papers. If there's a secret to Baker's work, it's the way he matches the photograph to the type of paper.

Legend, by Jon Baker

However Baker is also very careful how he applies the computer's capabilities. With his landscapes, he tries to do little more than the basics 鈥� photographs are sharpened, colour and contrast are sometimes altered to amplify their range 鈥� but nothing is taken out and nothing added. Similarly he tries not to re-crop his original images.

With Baker's recent composite studies (one of which recently won a major American competition), it's a different story. There's little disguising the fact that these are computer creations, formed from a number of original images. These photos have a very different charm to the landscapes of Shropshire and the Welsh Marches, but are no less striking.

Despite the onslaught of technology, Baker believes that the old rules of photography still apply. What's important is an image's composition, its use of light and shade, colour and tonality. The ability to cut out trees and then replant them elsewhere within a photo does not replace the traditional skills, but complements them.

In spite of the popular phrase, the camera has always 鈥榣ied鈥� 鈥� it's just that today it's easier to achieve and we're all more aware of it. It's also important not to get mesmerised by the mechanics of photography, which is less important than the end product.

Room with a view

There are many talented photographers in Shropshire and we've been lucky enough to meet many of them and to see their work. Inevitably, Shropshire particularly lends itself to landscape photography, while the many ancient buildings (not least the abbeys and priories) offer a range of atmospheric settings.

Yet for all the available talent, and scope to capture some truly breathtaking images, there is limited opportunity for local photographers to display their work locally. There are odd galleries, but they're thin on the ground.

Baker, like many other photographers, has taken full advantage of the internet and it's a useful resource to exhibit his photographs to a wider audience. In addition, to some wonderful galleries there's information about the artist and links to other information.

Despite the broad appeal of the website, Baker's work really comes to life in print.
It's telling that the only place that you can currently see any of his printed work is in Lucerne, Switzerland, where his Master FIAP panel of images are on permanent display.