Memorable B-Sides: Rachel Barlow’s “Core Creek

The Memorable B-Sides series spotlights writing and art submitted to us that weren’t selected for print, but that are fantastic in their own right. Each introduction tells you why we returned to the piece. As a disclaimer — we aren’t experts, only fans offering possible interpretations.

As a writer, I struggle against the urge to wax nostalgic — I care about the time and place, the specificity, yet so often my stories fall flat. I’m obsessed with shadows, but can’t always do them justice with only language. Rachel Barlow’s black and white photograph is a story — an intriguing one, to be sure. It divulges, and withholds, secrets. We can enter the setting and be there, too, almost. Core Creek isn’t wholly unknown. It’s as if you can smell smoke in the distance by looking at the inky shadows, absorb memories that weren’t necessarily yours in the first place (or perhaps recall a personal fragment). I’m a Girl Scout camp counselor again, shivering on land after someone stood up in the canoe. Photography can be such a powerful medium — at once intimate and fleeting, speaking when words aren’t enough. Sadly, though, I believe it’s often overlooked because it’s not traditional “literature.”

Barlow demonstrates such artistry, with her use of contrast, depth. Since I’m no expert on photography, I asked the artist herself to tell me about her technique and process. She says, “For this photo I used a Canon AE-1 35mm camera with a 200mm telephoto lens and 400 ISO film. I used the rule of thirds to make the photo more appealing. During the printing process I used filters to increase the contrast so the canoes would be the focal point, with the lightest parts of the photo automatically catching the viewer’s eye.”

I’m a monochrome lover. This one, “Core Creek,” lingers with you.