May 17 2007, Jan 18 2007, Jan 15 2007, Apr 20 2006, Mar 7 2006 , Mar 5 2006, Mar 19, 2005, Oct 31, 2004, Jun 11, 2002

Roots creep over rock searching for refuge and nourishment, neglected bricks and mortar crumble under the elements and return to the earth, a mountain is slowly devoured by the sea forming a precipice – these are photographs of matter governed by time chosen to illustrate the relentless determination of nature, the beauty in impermanence, and the eternal cycle of creation out of destruction.

The medium and techniques that I work with are chosen to strengthen the sensory aspects of the photograph in order for the viewer to feel more directly connected to the world within it. I believe that the authenticity of the final image should not be based on how loyal it is to reality but how well it conveys its message.

I have a natural inclination toward black and white photography as its inherent qualities of abstraction grant it the power to intensify the emotional impact of a place while leaving space for mystery. It’s in the shadows that you find the true nature of the subject. Grain is one of the creative tools that I like to employ to further my expression, like a painter’s brushstrokes. I particularly like the additional level of atmosphere that grain can bring to a photograph when artfully used.

I primarily use medium format, as there is a nice balance between being able to push abundant grain out of the film and retaining a high level of detail. Prints are made using pigment on cold pressed archival cotton rag producing an extraordinarily rich tonal quality, excellent sharpness and archival permanence.

As a Director, Visual Effects Supervisor, and head of visual effects at C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures, I scrutinize the framing, lighting, and intent of images from minute details to the comprehensive overview. I apply the same filmic sensibilities to my photography, requiring that everything within the composition be necessary and as well crafted as possible in order to strongly and clearly communicate the story.

This is my Artist Statement for the Landscapes Revealed show. The exhibition was part of the 10th Anniversary of the Contact Toronto Photography Festival and ran from April 24 to June 3, 2006.

The February 23, 2006 LensWork Podcast/Commentary by Brooks Jensen, “When the Art Demands Your Attention”, reminds me of a perspective changing lesson that I learned in a first year photography class.

As part of an assignment I presented a photograph of a barn on a lakeshore. To my mind it was the best work I had done to date. I was pleased with my composition, film exposure, print exposure, paper choice – everything.

I received a D+ and I was not happy about it. I scheduled a private consultation with my instructor. With the assuredness of youth I demanded he explain why I was graded so low – surely he must have made a mistake. His response was that the composition was nice; the tones were good, the exposure was adequate, that it was an okay print and that he could possibly raise my mark to a C. I asked him to explain how I could have satisfied all of the aforementioned requirements and only receive a D+ or a C? Why not an A? His response was that it just wasn’t an A print.

As I left in frustration I walked down the photography lined halls of the Photo Arts building and something dawned on me. In front of me were hundreds of technically proficient, sometimes meaningful, sometimes beautiful, photographs yet only a few grabbed hold of me, forcing me to stop and study them. It was revelation.

Since this epiphany I've tried to evaluate my work with the following in mind; if I were walking by one of my prints, and I somehow forgot that it was my own, would it grab me enough to stop and study it.

Regards,
bret

This is from a deputation letter sent to the city of Toronto to voice my objection to the demolition of the Bridgepoint Half-Round building, one of the best examples of fantastic 1960’s architecture in our city, and the transfer of public parklands to a developer for condo and retail development.

I am unable to attend the March 6, 2006, Administration Committee meeting to make a deputation in person. I request that the contents of this document to be entered into the record on my behalf.

As a South Riverdale resident I am concerned about the possible demolition of the Bridgepoint Health building and as well as public land being transferred to Bridgepoint Health for condo and retail development. Additionally, I would like it to be made clear that I am not against a new hospital on the existing palatial site.

Bridgepoint Half-Round

There will never be another building in our city like the Bridgepoint Half-Round. It is a one-of-a-kind, architecturally significant, sound structure and for these reasons should be saved. Historically the city of Toronto has been ignorant of the importance of our historical and otherwise significant architecture and has been terribly negligent in preserving it. We’ve got to change this before our buildings of significance are gone and we continue the slide into a generic, soulless, uninviting, pre-fabricated, shoddy, developer designed with only the bottom line in mind, city.

My plea to save the Bridgepoint Half-Round is for the same reason that we place value in the arts. Things that are created with great skill and craft, that are daring and beautiful, that are of historical significance, that make us think and feel, inspire us both consciously and subconsciously every time we are in their presence; in the case of a city’s architecture it’s every time we leave our homes. By example these achievements encourage us to be and do our best. The architecture of our city is the environment in which we exist and therefore has tremendous importance in our lives. Consider that the world that we create for ourselves defines who we are and at the same time reflects who we are.

Previous to moving to South Riverdale I lived in the Merchandise Building at 155 Dalhousie St, formerly the Sears warehouse. If that city block sized building can be converted into one of the most prestigious addresses in the city surely the Half-Round on the Don Valley with it’s dazzling city and sunset views can do the same.

Public Land Transfer

It is outrageous that public, taxpayer funded parkland is to be given to a developer in order to make a for profit condo and retail development. Please explain how provincial funding for a new hospital can be used for private development. It’s public land.

Public Consultation

Despite the rhetoric, the so-called public consultations have been a sham. This regularly played city council tactic has gotten old and must stop. Additionally, these meetings never included any information about a public land transfer.

I am asking that you defer all approvals on these issues until the community has been truly consulted and considered.

Thank you for listening,
Bret Culp

In my experience, one of the most common goals of many photographers is to produce photographs than when enlarged show little to no grain, or noise.  How often I have heard that you can make acceptable prints, which I take to mean acceptably low grain and high detail, only up to a certain size using such and such film, lens, or camera. 

Not me.  I like grain.  I typically shoot medium format, in order to have plenty of detail to work with, and use Kodak Tri-X film, which I choose for its classic grain look and tonal range.  I then push it up to three stops in development.  Not only am I not trying to hide the medium, I'm embracing it.  I love the additional level of abstraction and the atmosphere that grain can bring to a photograph when artfully used. As an example of my aesthetic leanings, one of my favourite motion pictures is Double Indemnity, which I belive to be the preeminent grainy film noir production.

I look at grain as one of the possible creative tools that can be utilized to further the photographer's expression.

This is my first Artist Statement that I put on this site. I believe that the sentiments expressed continue to be valid to my work and motivations.

I make pictures to impart an optimistic view of life by focusing on the strength and beauty that I see within it.

I am fascinated by the contradiction that life is both fragile and resilient at once. Acts by man and nature alike often have catastrophic effect on our world but in the end life cannot be stopped. I am comforted by the relentless determination of life to claim its place, to reclaim what has been taken, and to carry on against all odds.

I enjoy the energy, rhythms, and richness of culture that urban settings provide yet I am rejuvenated when photography takes me away from the chatter and stresses of modern life. My senses are invigorated as I become aware of the abundance and power of life around me, and my place within it. In that moment I return to a childhood state where everything is a mystery to be explored and experienced for the first time. My hope is that through my photographs the viewer can experience it too.

This is my Artist Statement for the Frieze Frames show. The exhibition ran from June 11 to the 23, 2002. The show consisted of abstract paintings by Gallery 888 owner Elizabeth Russ and my photographs that were impressionistic in content, technique, or both.

Painting With Light

It is my experience that many people maintain a very narrow view of what constitutes a proper photograph. For these individuals a photograph must be in perfect focus and properly oriented, be relatively grain or noise free, have realistic tones or colours – be a faithful representation of what was in front of them when they captured the image. On the other hand, what is accepted in painting, for example, ranges from photorealism to abstract expressionism. I believe that the authenticity of the final image should not be based on how loyal it is to reality but how well it conveys the artist’s message. Painters, musicians, writers, or photographers all have the same goal, which is to express something.

The photographs in this show range from the architecturally inspired Futurism, a black and white pinhole camera study of a cheese grater, to Atomic Hotel, an impressionistic Polaroid sx-70 photograph with exaggerated, bleeding light and colour, to Reflections on the Wall, a colour photograph of a flower growing out of a graffitied section of the Berlin wall. When rotated 90 degrees the graffiti appears as reflections on a stream. The impressionistic qualities were further enhanced in the choice of materials – prints are made on textured cold-pressed watercolour paper.