The Works of Rachel Barlow
By Kin Moroney
Rachel Barlow is a senior of York College of Pennsylvania majoring in entrepreneurship with a minor in Art. She submitted the following photographs to The York Review. All photos were shot in 35mm black and white film.
I had the opportunity to speak with Rachel Barlow after her photography submission to the York Review. She had some very interesting content about her photography and I was intrigued by many of the things that have brought her to her love of photography today.
How would you describe your specific style?
“This is one of the hardest questions because I’m not really sure how to describe my style. I always try to get a lot of contrast in my photography. If it’s not present, the whole photo blends together and just looks grey. I also tend to make my photos a bit darker. It all depends on how the printing process goes, but I do my best to keep it consistent. Sometimes it’s difficult to keep up my with darker style because of a personal error while photographing.”
Do you have a fascination with black and white 35mm film?
“I do. Ever since film photography was introduced to me in middle school, I had an interest. Although, I didn’t start shooting until high school. Film is more exciting to me than digital photography. I’ve had experience on both ends, but film photography is more fulfilling to me since everything about it is hands on.”
Who have been your main artist inspirations for your art?
“I don’t have anyone in particular that I look up to when it comes to art. My main motivation is to constantly improve myself. However, my photography professor for the past three semesters has helped me improve greatly with all the help and advice she has given to me. If it were to be anyone, it would be her because she pushes me to do my best.”
What usually catches your eye when you look at the art of others?
“I’m someone who really enjoys a high level of contrast in photos, so I tend to look for that first in others artwork.”
What made you feel that the photography medium specifically fit you as an artist?
“Over the years, my focus has shifted from many different mediums. Drawing, charcoal, watercolors, and more recently, digital art. I think I’m enjoying film right now because although it still takes a lot of time like any other type of art, it relaxes me more. Being in the darkroom working is good for me to kind of reset school stress. But in general, I’ve always liked the black and white aesthetic, and this fits that very well. It also creates this effect when I look through the lens of my camera. A subject could look plain and average, but when you can frame it through the lens, you can see the different ways you can make it artistic.”
Have you submitted your work to any other publication?
“I haven’t submitted anything to any other publications at the current moment, but I may look into it in the future. The only place where I submitted photos in the past was the York Review last semester.”
Have your artistic ventures brought you to many interesting places?
“I’m someone who doesn’t regularly go out, so photography encourages me to go out to new places. Most recently I went to London and was able to capture a lot of photos there. It’s also taken me to explore York city, numerous parks, and Philly.”
What is your favorite subject to photograph?
“I really enjoy photographing nature. My favorite part of it is getting to walk through forests trying to find scenes to take photos of. My favorite place of all was the Black Forest in Germany, but I don’t know if I will be able to go back.”
Do you usually stick to inanimate subjects for your photography?
“Yes, I normally stray from portrait photography/ photos with subjects. Personally, those images don’t interest me as much, so I often don’t photograph them. However, I have done a few in the past.”
Let’s talk about these specific photographs, where were they captured?
“I’ll go through them by how the images are named.
Beer: was captured in an alleyway in London behind a pub or brewery.
Clock: was captured in the Harry Potter studio tour in London. The clock itself is a recreation of the large clock tower in the films.
Covent Garden: taken in covent garden square in London, this location had lots of history but was also very busy.
England Alleyway: I don’t know the exact location of this photograph because I was walking all over London, but it was a side alleyway that I walked through that I found interesting. Something you don’t really see in the United States
Fence: this was taken in York and is actually one of the fences that surround west campus.
Radio Tower: taken in a modern art museum. The subject itself was a potentially 20-foot tower of old radios all playing different stations or just static.
Vintage Shop: this is a shop located in York city that I went into with some friends in my photography class. There were a lot of interesting things to look at there and take photos of.
St. Martin theatre: this is St. Martin’s Theatre in London. I thought it would be an interesting photo because of the mosaic on the sign as well as the neon.”
Do you ever collaborate with any other artists?
“I’ve never thought of collaborating with another photographer or artist before, but I would be interested. My major focuses a lot on the creation of ideas and bouncing them off of other people, so using this concept towards photography could create some really great work.”
Interviewer: Kin Moroney
Interviewee: Rachel Barlow
