Conversations with Marc McClish

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marc McClish

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I studied at Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, CA from 1991-94. In 1994, I moved to NYC and spent the next five years assisting Richard Avedon, four as his first assistant and studio manager. Avedon was a master of using light while making a portrait or fashion image and then working with the printer in the darkroom to give the photograph the emotional and visual presence he wanted to put into the world. Probably the greatest gift from my time working with Avedon, was becoming a master black and white printer with a critical eye and exacting standards.

Upon leaving Avedon’s studio, I opened a custom black and white lab, SilverWorks, in the Chelsea neighborhood of NYC. SilverWorks’ clients included Annie Leibovitz, Steven Meisel, Steven Klein, James Nachtwey, Bruce Davidson, Frank Ockenfels III, Patrick Demarchelier, and Richard Avedon to name a few. In 2006, I closed the lab and traded the city life for the Rocky Mountains, moving with my (then) young family to Nederland, CO.

Today, I continue to live in a house I designed and built in Nederland and I make Chromascapes of places I visit. It’s been an adjustment trading the interactive dance with the enlarger light, rocking trays while the images appear on the paper, and the solitude of the darkroom for a souped up Mac and big Canon printers. Despite the changes in processes, I still feel the same thrill from the darkroom, while working in my studio today making big beautiful prints of my photographs.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
One of the great challenges after spending 16 years in black and white darkrooms using film to create rich gelatin silver prints has been the transition to crafting beautiful color prints using large format Canon printers. I print all of my edition prints in my studio at 8200′ in the Rocky Mountains and the road to masterful prints has not been without challenges. The learning curve of color management, constant software and print driver updates, custom rips, and paper and ink limitations have all presented challenges and the opportunity to learn more about my craft. Seeing my 48″ and 60″ Chromascape prints in different collectors’ homes confirms that for me the journey has been worth it.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a photographer known for a highly structured abstract photographic series I call CHROMASCAPES.

Chroma | ‘kröma | noun | intensity of hue; saturation of a color.
-scape | skeip | combining form | denoting a specified type of scene: cityscape

As a technical photographer who is drawn to beautiful light and color, I find great pleasure in seeking opportunities to blend and abstract found scenes. All photographic effects are captured in-camera while on location combining precisely controlled movement with a single long-duration exposure. These are not post-production Photoshop effects or composites. Many images are created during twilight while nature’s colors change rapidly with the rising or setting sun. I find being present in one place witnessing the morphing intensity and saturation of light and color rejuvenates my spirit. Each photograph holds a memory of a place or person I was there to visit. I craft each Chromascape edition print in my studio perched at 8200’ in the beautiful Colorado Rocky Mountains.

What matters most to you? Why?
When it comes to my art, what matters most to me is the experience of being present in a location while capturing and blending the light and color of the scene as it evolves over time. There are almost always surprises and gifts in the moment.

A close second to creating the images is sharing them. Having the opportunity to meet art enthusiasts and collectors during studio visits and sharing my Chromascape edition prints and the stories behind the images is a true joy.

Pricing:

• Limit Edition Print prices are available on my website store

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.marcmcclish.com
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/marcmcclish

Image Credits
All photos courtesy Marc McClish Photography