Listening to Landscapes

October 01, 2011 — Fine art photographer Craig Varjabedian has covered a lot of sky since Rangefinder introduced him to readers in the October 2009 article “A Matter of Time.”

An award-winning, extraordinarily gifted and dedicated photographer, this former Canadian has a unique gift for capturing the spirit of the landscapes, people and lifestyles of New Mexico. By thoroughly immersing himself in his environs, listening and absorbing rather than imposing his ideas on his subjects, Varjabedian has created remarkable black-and-white, large-format prints, many of which are now on view in traveling exhibitions.

Since many readers have become familiar with the technical aspects and mastery of his work, this article will focus on the passionate, philosophic artist he is—sharing his thought-provoking insights, enduring connection to his art and environment, and his lifelong dedication to being a photographer.

Storyteller at Heart
“Only twice have I had flashes of insight into my life,” Varjabedian says. Once was when he recognized he should marry the woman he was dating. They’ve been married over 30 years. The other was when he looked at Ansel Adams’ images of clouds, storms, waterfalls and desert scenes and decided that this was how he wanted to spend his life. “I’ve come to realize that I am a de facto storyteller,” Varjabedian says.

“I’ve been asked to come and tell stories to various groups about my pictures. As an artist I provide the pieces, but the viewer may come along, begin the story and end up making it her own.” Varjabedian points to DaVinci’s “Mona Lisa,” as an example of this interaction. “It touches something different in everybody. You can break it down in formal terms, but what’s really interesting is when you look at that image you become so fascinated by the way she’s looking at you.”

In Love With Light
Varjabedian claims the light in New Mexico, where he lives, is unlike any other place he’s ever been. Having lived there for so long, he says, he can tell fall light from winter light from summer light, though he cannot pinpoint what sets them apart. “My sense is that Georgia O’Keeffe was fascinated by the relationship between color and the subjects she painted. I’m fascinated by the relationship between light and the subjects I photograph.”

While many photographers believe the best light is early in the morning, Varjabedian says he is not wedded to just one time during the day. Instead, he is interested in capturing an image at the moment it should be photographed. “If I see a great subject today at a certain moment and don’t have time to capture it right now, more often than not it doesn’t work the next day,” he says. “What I was feeling at that particular moment is gone.”

For Varjabedian, the process of photographing is an emotional one. He’s connecting with the subject in some way, and when that connection reaches critical mass, he becomes compelled to make a photograph of it. But often,he says, other photographers capture only the surface of a subect, as in commercial photography. “Pretty car, pretty woman. They’re both supposed to be attractive,” he says. “There’s no need to look for deeper meaning. However, I’m looking to create an image that compels you to come back again and again and that teaches you something new every time.”

He is also intrigued by the relationship between man and the environment, as well as the relationship between constructed and natural environments. “Sometimes things just line up in a way that has a beauty and certain pragmatism. I’m fascinated by how it seems when you look across the landscape that there is something fortuitous about where things are built.”

An Inside Look
Sharing some of his favorite images from his upcoming Landscape Dreams, A New Mexico Portrait, his New Mexico Centennial anniversary project, Varjabedian describes serendipitous events and unforgettable moments he experienced while making these exquisite photographs.
3  “Planning can make for a wonderful photograph, but it can be rendered useless when nature behaves independently of the photographer’s desires. I planned for this photo long and thoroughly, but in the end I received a gift when the moon rose above the clouds, creating a moment of serenity and joy,” says Varjabedian.

4  “Lost, I followed light and shadow. In the desert, under the sun, walking over the sand, I gazed at the glittering horizon. Then I realized I was in a luminous white bowl within the dunes, with a blue canopy of sky over me. In front of me was a shadow moving down one side of a dune to embrace the light, arcing out to meet it. The sky seemed to join light and shadow together, a heavenly yin and yang,” says Varjabedian.

5  Just as he was preparing to photograph Archie, his dog Buddy wandered into the scene. “I’ve talked about recognizing the precise moment, and this was it,” says Varjabedian. “Buddy sat down, then lay down and started to chew on his leg. Archie looked down at him with an amused look. I said, ‘Archie, look at me,’ and he shifted his gaze to me. He had no time to react to anything—he was still in that moment of being with Buddy.”

6  Driving up the road, through the dust, clouds moved in quickly and he could see many potential images unfolding. Says Varjabedian, “Driving as quickly as I could, I tried to race the storm. I reached the corral and knew I had to be up high to give a sense of it within the landscape. I backed the truck in, set up the tripod fairly high and stood on the tailgate to focus and adjust the camera to achieve the view one would get from horseback. A hole opened in the tempest of clouds and illuminated the scene. I had to readjust the lens for the extra light. I said, ‘Oh, my God, look at this,’ and made the photograph.”

7  Varjabedian had tried several times to make a winter picture of the cathedral only to be foiled by too little snow, wind blowing the snow off the trees or automobiles parked in front of the building. Then, a stroke of luck. “The nearby hotel was doing major renovation work and had closed off the street,” says Varjabedian. “So I set up my camera and waited for more light. Suddenly, the sawhorses were pulled away, the construction crew jumped out with their coffee and started setting up their gear, including a large crane they were about to move in front of the cathedral. Maybe it was the peacefulness of early morning, I don’t know. I looked at them, they looked at me and they held off moving the crane until I had finished.”

8 “This picture transcends a portrait of a cowboy and horse,” he explains. “It presents a moment of trust and affection. The image is tied together by the afternoon diffused light and the adobe wall behind the pair. What I see is Sparrow’s [the horse]’s trust of Richard, Richard’s care for and attention to her, and their openness in sharing this all with me.”

Project Update
Since Varjabedian was introduced to Rangefinder readers in 2009, he has been creating new images, teaching workshops and keeping clients, editors, museum directors and collectors informed about his newest work. Here’s a snapshot of his most recent projects:
A traveling exhibition based on his sixth published work, Ghost Ranch & the Faraway Nearby—winner of a Wrangler Award for Outstanding Photography Book, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum—will be at this museum in Oklahoma City, OK, through January 2012 and continues traveling through 2015.

Awarded a grant for a traveling exhibition by the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, Varjabedian launched a six-city tour of “My Camera in New Mexico,” in celebration of New Mexico’s Centennial anniversary. This exhibition will conclude at the Gerald Peters Gallery in New York City, Spring 2013.

In the fall of 2012, Varjabedian’s book Landscape Dreams: A New Mexico Portrait, will hit the stands. This collection of black-and-white photographs presents new images never before exhibited in public alongside selections from the body of work Varjabedian has created over the past 25 years. This is his seventh book published by the University of New Mexico Press.

Workshop attendees and photography students often ask Varjabedian how he knows if he’s taking good pictures. He answers that he listens to what people say about his work, whether aloud as he walks through a gallery showing anonymously, or later in written comments. “With ‘My Camera New Mexico,’ I have the opportunity to take my work to what the museum calls an underserviced community, showing it to people not jaded by reading a lot of art reviews in The New York Times. They are responding to the images based on their life experiences,” Varjabedian says. “For me, this is a huge gift because I’m really getting at their truth. Sometimes they’ll look at your pictures and tell you things you didn’t even know. Their honest, straightforward comments may the best way to find out if a picture is successful or not.”
For more information on Craig Varjabedian’s books and exhibitions, visit his Web site, www.craigvarjabedian.com.