Custom Framing & Printing Forum
Virtual Voyage
From Bangladesh to Bhutan, photographer Wylda Bayrón explores remote corners of the planet in a cultural preservation project, informing the world about its evolution of identity. For a travel photographer this pause has been quite the time for reflection. All the places on my list have been frozen until we can all heal this world and be able to travel again. So, I’ve been time traveling with all the beautiful memories collected from years on the road. Recently I’ve been thinking a lot about Cambodia, where it all really started to come together for me. In 2004 I was in Mondulkiri, a remote eastern province, bordering Vietnam. It was about 18 hours by truck to the capital Phnom Penh. When I say by truck I mean, holding on to the back of a cargo truck; for dear life. I went there to spend time with elephant herders. The only way to really travel was by motorbike so I took the leap. Mondulkiri’s roads are all dust and red earth. After an insanely long day following a local friend through crazy up and down terrains at way too fast a speed, I took a bad tumble about 5 minutes from my guest house. The skin from my hands came off and were raw and I had stones embedded in the palm of my hand. Needless to say, I wasn’t getting out of there any time soon and I could not even hold my camera up. In that time I spent healing I made friends with the locals and got a new “aunty”, the owner of the guest house. I was treated like family and got to spend more time with the elephant herders and learn Kmer language. I let go of the anxiety of what I was missing and relaxed in the gift that was the every day life in one of the most unspoiled places on earth. I went from being a foreigner to being a “local” and that experience changed my view of what travel can provide. India and Papua New Guinea are without a doubt my favorite places to photograph. The colors and subjects are endless. So many diverse ethnic groups and cultures. It’s a feast for the eyes and a dream location for a travel photographer, provided you are adapt to handle all of the situations you are bound to encounter. For all my field work, no matter where I am, the most important aspect is the human connection and the trust between the group or individual and I. In the case of photographing the collection for “Skin”, it took living with them to gain the trust or the community and the elders both male and female. I had to complete several physical tasks that only men do in those parts, as well as convince the majority of the council of men and the chief that I was the right woman to be the keeper or their secrets. My process is very much research oriented at the start. I have to learn as much as possible about the region, people, culture, customs and I always learn the language of the place either months before or as soon as I land. It’s the most important tool I have as a travel ethnographic photographer. It’s my connection and my salvation. While on site I make sure to ingratiate myself with the local community and learn from them what’s important about their culture and start putting together the items and locations that best exemplify that. For my printing process I go image by image and figure out by intuition or experimentation what process might best create the photograph inside the image. When making an exhibition it’s a bit difficult because you have to make sure all the images have the same look and feel, so it’s about the spirit of the collection and not the individual image at that point. I often offer both color and black and white work in my exhibitions. I find color is more experiential and provides a realistic and faithful feel of the image, location and people, but I can distill the spirit of the subject much better in black and white. A key element in my work is the intimacy that the subjects express through their eyes. I am what and who the are looking at. The eyes are the most important component for me, as that is exactly where both worlds meet. In that gaze we share the connection and our humanity. In that gaze that’s encased in the photograph we get to live forever. My subjects, whether it’s a 5 second encounter or someone whose become family, they are all heroes to me. I always try to make them feel that way. They carry in them the culture and represent for the viewers that iconic image of their people.
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A Love Letter to Earth
"In the oldest desert in the world, the tallest sand dunes tower hundreds of meters into the sky. From dawn until dusk the colors of the dunes shift with the sun in stunning gradients of burnt reds and dusty pinks. From this perspective, the dunes bear a resemblance to the human form, an array of flesh tones blending and cascading in symphony, bringing to mind our complicated relationship with Nature and its magnetic pull on the human subconscious." -Brooke Holm From the oldest desert in the world, to the furthest depths of the Arctic, read more about Skyframe's August 2020 Artist of the Month, Brooke Holm's adventures in documenting the fine line between earth, architecture, and anatomy. Click through any image to be taken directly to the series. Get the look: Request a Quote or Schedule an Appointment "At one point, while I was standing on the bow of the ship, I was the furthest person North in the world." When I was a young girl, I read this book called ‘Northern Lights’ by Phillip Pullman. It was a fantasy of polar expeditions, science and talking polar bears. The book kept mentioning this place called Svalbard which I didn’t realize was a real place until later in life. When I found out it was indeed real, I made it my mission to go there. The expedition was such an incredible experience for me. Breaking through icebergs, hiking through the tundra, seeing a polar bear and other wildlife mere feet away and smelling the fresh crisp air of the Arctic. The smell is something I can’t forget. It was cold, clear and had a slight saltiness to it, where the wind had whipped up the scent of the sea. Everything was shades of blue and white and the textures of the ice and mountains were intense and varied. At one point, while I was standing on the bow of the ship, one of my guides told me that I was currently the furthest person North in the world. "What at first might appear to be a close-up of the human body is actually miles of cascading sand dunes that ebb and flow, each grain of sand playing its part in the bigger picture." My photographs are often exhibited in large-scale prints, highly detailed and influenced in part by architectural sensibilities and an appreciation for how spaces can impact us in emotional and physical ways. My vision is constantly being defined and redefined, and is often based on instinct and a certain feeling about things and their impact on me. The large scale of the works invites the viewer to almost step inside the frame. What at first might appear to be a close-up of the human body is actually miles of cascading sand dunes that ebb and flow, each grain of sand playing its part in the bigger picture. "We are not separate from nature, as much as we try to make ourselves believe this. We are connected, nature is within us, nature is us." My happiest and most vivid memories often involve being immersed in the natural environment. Something as subtle as the smell of pine trees or the feel of grass underfoot, or the sound of a trickling creek can trigger a deep emotional response for me. When I am working, a place will engage all of my senses. I am a very kinesthetic, emotional person - sensitive to touch, sounds, smells, sight. Even though the work ends up purely visual in its final presentation, for me it invokes the sensory experience of a place in its entirety. The power of that is inspiring. I have a deep respect for the force of nature. We are not separate from nature, as much as we try to make ourselves believe this. We are connected, nature is within us, nature is us. What does your process look like before, during, and after photo? I start with a lot of research. Research on places, histories, accessibility, significance to my practice etc. I scour a lot of satellite imagery and NASA’s archives. Once I know my place and my goal, I start planning logistics. For the actual shoot, I often need to charter a plane or helicopter and pilot to take me where I need to go. After the shoot it can take up to a year to edit, work through and finalize the final series. Who or what inspires you lately? Being in lockdown means I have had a lot of time for reading books I had started but never finished. Some recent gems that have inspired me are Zami: A New Spelling of My Name by Audre Lorde, Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, Between the World and Me by Te-Nahisi Coates, Contact by Carl Sagan, Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brow and The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli. How has COVID affected the way you work? I have been working on personal art projects, exhibitions, writing and creating music during this time, but also have given myself time to just exist - I have tried not to put additional pressure on myself to do something other than to just ride out the pandemic. It’s an unprecedented time that comes with a lot of physical and mental health issues, so we all need to take care of ourselves in whatever way we are able to. *This interview has been condensed.
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Our Top Five Products
Art has been proven to de-stress and improve brain function, so it's safe to say that we are filling our walls these days. Skyframe is proud to help families around the world display their most meaningful treasures for almost 40 years. We are now making it easier (and safer) to shop from the comfort of your own home. Read more about our most popular products below and how they could work best in your space! Free shipping automatically applies to purchases from our web store.
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Artist of the Month
Our July 2020 Artist of the Month is a perfect fit to set the scene for summer. William Steiger takes us on a road trip down Nostalgia Lane with his mechanical and architectural drawings. "I've always chosen subject matter that has fascinated me since I was a kid. I've been devoted to the landscape even when the images are sometimes devoid of land and instead rely on line and shadow to shape the vista." "By re-examining the form, I focus on design rather than function. My subjects all first existed to serve a purpose; be it a bridge or a plane, a silo to hold grain or a tower to hold water, a train, or just the signal to direct a train, a ride up a mountain in a tram or a circular ride at the amusement park. While not initially created with aesthetic objectives, I visualize these objects and reexamine their lines, shapes and shadows so that suddenly their design is very much in focus, as if it were always the intent." "By zooming in on a passenger car dangling from a Ferris wheel or how light illuminates the roof of a grain elevator, the scenes eliminate references to time and place. We are effectively transported to both another time and frame of mind." "I spend a lot of time doing research. I study from life, from books, manuals, and vintage photography. Anything that inspires me. I have books and cabinets full of material in my studio. I want to learn everything I can about a subject before I begin." "Growing up my family took long roads trips through the midwest and western states in our old Dodge station wagon. This was in an era before cell phones etc, so as a passenger I basically just spent all my time looking out the window watching the scene slowly change as we’d pass farms and endless rows of telephone poles. I think these visual experiences are the foundation of my art." "Look around a lot and draw inspiration from anywhere and everywhere. Maybe it’s an exhibit at a museum or gallery (where you might expect to be inspired) but it could just easily be a scene in a movie, a passage from a novel, something you see when you least expect it - like when you’ve gotten lost on a road trip (before Waze or Google maps) and stumble upon an old trestle."
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