Roman Barry

Roman Barry was born into an orphanage in Khabarovsk, Russia. He was adopted by two loving parents in 1997 and a couple years later Roman’s sister, Ilana was adopted from the Kirov region of Russia. Roman and his family resided in Raritan, New Jersey until 2002, when they uprooted and headed across country to Reno, Nevada. He started messing around in photography with his family’s Polaroid camera. He would take silly pictures on vacation and then in the seventh grade he took his first and only photography class for quite some time. It wasn’t until he studied abroad in Brighton, England in 2018 where he took his second photography class. He found a soviet era film camera and tried to capture what he thought was really English. Not only did he want to capture an American’s vision of the U.K. but also human connection as a whole. Roman has highlighted ephemeral parts of his world that he wanted to share with you. His subjects communicate meaning beyond light and shadow. He uses shadow to establish mood and obscurity. The enigmatic is very interesting to Roman and he wants to explore it further in his work. He recently moved to North Seattle and will continue to produce transient photography.

Your a new addition to the crayon box: Which color are you?
I’m a blue crayon because it’s my favorite color. And I am just one shade of blue that you use for the deepest part of the ocean. 

How did you become interested in art?
I believe that I have been interested in art from an early age. My adopted parents have always fostered my creative side. While growing up I was always looking for new ways to express myself and have interests in all mediums.

What did your path to art look like?
I am just scratching the surface of my journey with art. Up until now, I didn’t look at art in the same way, my view changed. I’ve always had the desire to create and somewhere through my education, I thought I could never be an artist; That it wasn’t for me. I had not taken art seriously and thought it wasn’t worth my time. That people wouldn’t take me seriously. Through recent experience and reflection I realized that the only person keeping me from being an artist is myself. The only person who wasn’t taking me seriously was myself. 

What is the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
The best piece of advice I have received is do your best and hope they do too. To me this means do your hard work and wish for others to succeed with you. Also, you can’t change everybody’s mind. 

What does a typical studio day look like for you?
I typically pick a handful of negatives that I want to work with that day. I then will produce several varying prints of the same image. Experimentation is key to me, you can have a really good idea how something will turn out, but in reality it could be completely different. I am also always listening to music. 

What made you decide to shoot film?
When you shoot in film, the taking of the picture is one of the most important steps in the process. The luxury we have with digital is that you can easily take a bunch of photos and immediately see them. Additionally, digital photographs are easily alterable and if my goal is to give photographic truth then I feel I would be less true to myself if I edit a photo to look like something it isn’t. A photograph is one of a kind, it is the capture of light and shadow not binary code. 

Do you ever shoot digital, and/or switch out the camera you’re using?
I do use both. I have a 35mm Zenit EM as well as a Canon DSLR. It depends on the mood I am in, sometimes when I go out I will bring both or just one. 

A lot of your work is presented in black and white: What makes you choose to present photographs in that way over color.
I want to explore my style with b&w film. One major advantage of digital is that color photographs can reach great vivid detail. Black and white photography is more straightforward to me. Color isn’t nearly as important, I solely focus on light and shadow and what textures/patterns I can bring to the front. 

Do you have a favorite part of the artistic process?
My favorite part is probably the first time when you see something that you think is art. It’s a magical moment inside you and then you decide to share it, to share the magic. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. 

Who are other artist that have influenced your work?
My influences are: Bill Brandt, Milton Greene, and Dorothea Lang to name a few from photography. I really enjoy Monet, Manet, Morisot, anything that melts that the world into feathers of color. 

Do you edit your photographs? What editing tools do you use?
I use a Beseler 67C photo enlarger and do things the old fashioned way. Digital has its perks, however I feel that it removes me to far from the process. 

What is your favorite tool to create with?
My favorite tool is my mind. I just hope I don’t lose it one day. 

How has your practice changed over time?
Overtime I have become more calculating in certain areas and free spirited in others. There needs to be a closed end and an open end on my creative process. To put it more clearly, I focus on  technical aspects and free aspects that are open to interpretation. 

Where do your find sources of inspiration?
I find inspiration around every corner when I am in a good mood. I also like to immerse myself in inspiration constantly, new art inspire me. 

If you could become one of your characters/works of art which one would you become, and why?
I would be the lone surfer on the North Irish coast. That is one of my favorite photographs and it reminds me of the ephemeral nature of life. 

“If I could have one superpower it would be the ability to fly like Superman. I have had dreams where I had been able to fly and it felt amazing, I wonder what its really like. ”

— Roman on "Which superpower would you have?"

How does the backdrop of the pacific northwest influence your work?
I can’t wait to capture the landscape and essence of the PNW right now, most of my work is from studying abroad in England and traveling throughout the U.K.

What is your favorite subject to photograph?
My favorite subjects are my friends and acquaintances.

What is your favorite accomplishment thus far?
My favorite accomplishment right now is my participation in art, so long I prevented myself from doing what I love. 

What is your ultimate professional goal?
I hope the world sees my vision and what I have to offer the community. To become exalted amongst the many great photographers, would be a dream come true. A Times magazine cover wouldn’t be terrible either.