I first met Barbara Alper when I was photo editing at The New York Times. She was a favorite photographer of mine--always ready for assignment and able to shoot pretty much anything and everything. When you're working for a newspaper that is an invaluable asset. Barbara is the featured artist on the Griffin Museum of Photography's virtual gallery right now with her "Sea Samba" underwater series. As a long-time member of ASMP, I thought this would be a good time to ask Barbara about her work and career.

Tell us how you came to photography
I loved taking photos from the age of 7 when I sold Christmas cards to get my first camera. A few years post-college, I was living in Boston surrounded by friends who were artists and photographers. I was inspired to get serious about my love of photography. I bought a better camera, the Olympus OM-1, took a couple of basic courses in Cambridge, then presented a portfolio to the Creative Photo Lab at MIT, headed by Minor White. They were impressed enough to allow me to audit a year-long course. Everything seemed to fall into place from there, and I began freelancing shortly after.

Give us a short round-up of your career
I started working for The Boston Phoenix, Boston Magazine, and moved on from there. I was also one of the Polaroid artists, working with the SX-70 and exhibited at Polaroid as well. After moving to New York City, my first clients included The American Lawyer magazine and the LA Times doing their celebrity portraits like Daniel Day-Lewis, Sting, and Spike Lee. Based on the strength of my work, I became one of the regular freelance contributors to The New York Times for 10 years, and a variety of magazines such as Barron’s, SmartMoney, as well as corporate clients.

Along with my editorial work, I pursued my personal interests in subjects such as Rockaway Beach, the Gulf War as televised, and “Sea Samba”. These works have been exhibited nationally and internationally. “The Gulf Channel” was featured at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London as part of the exhibition “Warworks”. During the annual photo festival in Arles, France, I was honored to have images of Sea Samba be among selected works for the evening outdoor projection. Shortly afterward Sea Samba was exhibited at FNAC in Paris.

When and where did you shoot Sea Samba? Was it on assignment?
I’ve worked on Sea Samba for over 10 years, in a variety of locations: Hawaii, Florida, Dominican Republic and the Bahamas. I shot humpback whales on assignment for Greenpeace and the rest I’ve pursued on my own. I’d like to see the full series as a book some day.

Why did you choose to shoot black and white?
I started out as primarily a black & white shooter. The Rockaway series was done with infrared, which I found to be a perfect choice for the beach. When shooting underwater, b&w made the scene more abstract, drawing attention to the interaction between species, the sense of space and place, the playfulness, the fun, and the joy.

How did the show end up on Griffin’s website?
Last year when the photography writer Ros Smith, who has written about my work, was presented with an award at the Griffin Museum I joined her for that celebration. There I met the director and learned that she was considering an exhibition of underwater images, so I sent her a disc. My gallery in Boston, Tepper-Takayama Fine Arts, followed up and arranged for the show.

What do you most enjoy shooting?
I enjoy the challenge of creating a good image. No matter what I’m shooting, it’s like assembling a puzzle – figuring out how to put the composition, lighting, and emotion together to make the image work visually.

Any other upcoming shows?
None scheduled at the moment, but I do have a spread coming out in March in a Greek photography magazine, Antilipseis, of images I made in Burma.

Do you still shoot assignments?
I shoot events, such as the announcement at the Guggenheim Museum of their collaboration with Abu Dhabi for a major international art fair.

Do you sell prints?
I’ve sold a lot of limited edition prints. In addition to private collections, my prints are in a variety of major collections including the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the Maison Européene de la Photographie in Paris, the ICP in NY and The Brooklyn Museum, among others. The print sizes have been as large as 30x40 inches.

How has the business changed in the last three years?
It’s been unfortunate to see big “players” in the field selling photography cheaply, undermining the value of the image. The time, the skill, the artistry that the professional photographer contributes doesn’t command the same respect that it used to.

Additionally there’s the internet, offering amateur photos for peanuts. As a result, the distinction between amateur and professional in the public eye has been narrowed. Moreover, across the board, budgets have been cut back due to the current economy.
However, there are still people with a discerning eye who respect and value high quality artistic images (larger than 72dpi) for publications, ads, collections, museums, and galleries.

Any comment on the future of photography or on your own photography?
I’m constantly working on new ideas and refining my technique to keep up with the latest technology. I’m pursuing both freelance work and fine art projects, expect that I always will. The most recent series is Orchid Portraits. Beyond their lush color and sensuality, I’ve discovered different characters and distinct personalities in each. I’m really excited about large scale prints of these images.