Sunday 12 September 2010

One Shoot Sunday: Interview with Photographer Roger Allen Baut

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Welcome to One Shoot Sunday!
I'm Adam and for today's festivities I've decided to post an interview with Detroit area photographer Roger Allen Baut (@ChasingTao on twitter). Roger's work continues to gain a loyal following through social media. He's also very kind and went out of his way to provide great info and insight into his photographic art, including his view of a connection between poetry and photography.
Enjoy!

Do you find similarities between photography and poetry?
"Yes. Poetry is a wonderful art form that creates visual images within the mind of the reader of a poem, and photography brings a visual image ‘captured’ in a ‘moment’ of time to the person viewing it. Poetry and photography are mirrors for one another in that both create images within the mind of the reader and viewer, and from these images one may gain new insights and perspectives into the world around us, as well as our own place within the cosmos."

Do you have a personal philosophy of about photography?
"Photography is an art form that gives one an opportunity to ‘capture’ a moment in time, a specific moment which might otherwise have gone unseen, were it not for the photograph, and the ability to share that moment with others.I also view the photographs that I have been fortunate to take, as gifts from the universe. I know I have been ‘guided’ or ‘intuited’ to them, from a greater consciousness than my own. One example of this, is entitled Green on Green, which I really wasn’t looking for, but some ‘inner’ guidance drew me from the path I was hiking, to find a wonderful small green frog sitting on a leaf."

Tell us a little bit about ‘Contemplative Photographic Art.
"I define Contemplative Photographic Art™ as certain photographs which may lead the viewer into a calm, thoughtful, peaceful, and/or lightly meditative state."

"In this contemplative state an individual may connect, gain access to, or come into resonance with his or her own inner being, and from this connection, perhaps gain insights that will assist that person on their Journey of Life on Planet Earth."

Where are some of the places you’ve shot photographs?
Michigan: Huron National Forest, Alpena, Au Sable River, Oscoda environs.
Ohio: Indian Mounds, Blue Hole, Mound City, 7 Caves.
Germany: Black Forest, Rhine Fall.
Japan: Tokyo, Nikko, Osaka, Kamakura, Nara, Ise Shima.
Switzerland: Berne, Basil, Zurich.

Do you have any favorite locations/spots?
"Not really. I usually “intuit” where I should go, and follow my ‘inner’ direction to where I should find my photographs. For some reason I really like bronze and/or lead statutes, stone sculptures, et cetera. My very favorite is from the Shrine of Eve, and as I call it I Offer you Wisdom. The beauty of the sculpture and sheen of colors on the metal I think are wonderful."

What would you suggest to people just starting out?
"Learn the basics of your camera. Get ‘in touch’ with your ‘inner’ nature, and let yourself be guided by the ‘you’ that resides within your physical body. Think not of making money, but what your photographs can tell others about life, mankind, nature, et cetera."

What kind of camera, lens, filters do you use? What f-stop/settings do you prefer?
"I am presently using a Canon PowerShot S5IS 8.0 MEGA PIXELS, with Canon Zoom Lens 12x and Wide Converter 0.75x. I do not use any filters, nor do I have any f-stop/settings I prefer."

Could you please recommend a few photography resources for individuals who wish to know more about the art form?
"My first recommendation is to keep it simple. One doesn’t need thousands of dollars worth of equipment, tools and software to take a photograph. Also, there are scads of people who ‘photoshop’ their work. I don’t do that. My feeling is that if one has to manipulate a photograph to make it look attractive, then maybe it wasn’t attractive in the first place. I will ‘crop’ or trim a photo when necessary, but that’s it. When you view my photographs they are all ‘raw’ images. Secondly, a good reference book that helps select appropriate photographic equipment is helpful. Peruse a local bookstore and perhaps ask a staff person which books are the most popular for beginning photographers. Again, one doesn’t need tons of books or equipment to take an exceptional photo. Remember: keep it simple."

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Hope you enjoyed the interview. Your feedback is always appreciated.
You can also visit Roger's website to view his excellent slide show.

12 comments:

One Stop - The Place For Poets, Writers and Artists said...

Thank you Roger it would be fun to shoot with you I would learn alot.
Adam as always thanks for the great One Shoot.


Moon Smiles

dustus said...

Happy Sunday! Thanks again, Roger, for sharing with us.

Brian Miller said...

nice. i like the mixing it up by highlighted an obviously talented artists work...love the interview responses as well...find the you and let that be your guide holds sound for many of the arts...

Marshy said...

this is a fantastically well thought out piece and the interview is superb..thanks for introducing Roger to me..cheers pete

annell4 said...

Thank you for the introduction to Adam. I love his photography, and enjoyed the interview. He is a man after my own heart.

Caty said...

Thanks for sharing this interview. It's encouraging for new photographers that they don't have to spend lots of money. Loved his photos :)

Anonymous said...

Great article and wonderful photos, Rodger - I loved them, particularly the ice-covered trees. It reminded me of an old sonnet I wrote several years back. I pulled it out and re-wrote it in free style, a much improved version, I must admit. I put your photo and the link to One Stop at the top of my post, encouraging others to come here and enjoy your work. This site is a true poet/writer's dream. Thank you One Stop! Only one problem though...I tried to make a link to brokenpen with your Mr Linky, but he seems to be sleeping in. He wasn't there.

One Stop - The Place For Poets, Writers and Artists said...

Hi Brokenpenwriter...many thanks for taking the time to visit and comment...comments like this that you have said about what we are creating at One Stop are taken with such pride...it really is appreciated..

so sorry to hear of the problems with Mr Linky but the problem would be not that he is sleeping but that he is closed presently. At the end of each One Shot Wednesday we close that link and open a fresh one for the next Wednesday...so when One Stop comes around again by all means post your link..

thanks again for your kind comments and we look forward to seeing you again..all the best

Pete

Anonymous said...

Adam, thanks for sharing this interview and wonderful work. Spectacular Roger, as a writer/artist I have enjoyed in creating art from photos so this was wonderful to read! I so love the inspirational placement of photography/art alongside the writing to grant some vision. Beautiful photography! I really just dabble more in programs from photos taken with a cheaper older digital camera, but it can be such a reward to create something different with it. (always learning/always can use tips too!) Thanks so much for this, such a pleasure to see and read!

Maureen said...

Excellent interview.

I enjoyed readig Roger's responses to questions about poetry and contemplative photography. My friend Diane Walker is a superb photographer; one of her blogs is called Contemplative Photography; in one she posts images and commentary on her readings; on another she posts her images and poems.
(http://woodenhue.blogspot.com).

Anonymous said...

Adam, you should do more interviews. You ask the right questions, which is half the battle in a decent question and answer session. Keep it up!

Roger, I love your answers. They reveal you to be a true artist. And quite frankly, I love the rawness of your images. They are simplicity itself. Very nice.

buttercup said...

This was wonderful Adam and you should do more of these interviews. Superb and well penned. Thanks to Roger too ~ Hugs