Cathy Russ
Raymond area photographer Cathy Russ plans to self-publish her hardbound book "Barns: Pacific County Backroads and Highways" at the end of this month through Chehalis-based Gorham Printing.
"The people we bought our property from [are] dairy farmers," said the now-retired Russ, who moved to the area with her husband 21 years ago from New Mexico. "I started noticing very quickly how we were losing dairy farms around here, and so years ago started photographing some of the farms."
Eventually Russ became focused more on barns specifically and the result is her soon-to-be available book, which has been about six years in the making. With all the photos she's accumulated there may be more to come, she said.
"There'll probably be a Barn II book," she stated, indicating a desire to feature barns from areas beyond the scope of her current book, which is mainly focused on the barns of Pacific County, though it includes some other area barns as well.
"There are obviously a lot of barn books out there, but they are for other counties," Russ reasoned. "I have not seen one geared to just Pacific County."
Russ said one of her goals was to capture as many of the barns as possible before they're gone, as many of them are in a state of disrepair and are being torn down or reclaimed by nature.
"I grew up with horses. I love barns," Russ explained. "... It was a way of life for people. It was a journey for me to do this. Pacific County's not really large. It's something that's doable ... Even though I'm not from here, I just wanted to capture some of the history."
Some of the barns featured in her book have already been razed, Russ noted, and she indicated it pains her to see many of them gradually going by the wayside.
Though the book features some relevant data and historical information on the barns featured, Russ said she conceived of the project as primarily a coffee table-type book and hopes that readers will be able to appreciate the barns for their aesthetic and social value.
"It has some historic information in it ... But I hope the people who do pick it up, when they look at it they're going to see the beauty of old barns and really appreciate the families who grew up there. A lot of them are now third or fourth generations involved with the barns," stated Russ.
Russ said she wants people to be able to enjoy her work and to that end has tried to keep the glossy-paged, hardbound book to a reasonable cost. She indicated it will likely sell for about $35 or $40.
Asked about the self-publishing process, which saw her doing much of the design and layout work herself, Russ said she thinks the hardest part was finding a printer who would be both feasible and cost effective. Gorham Printing, which was recommended to her by a friend, fit that bill, she said.
Russ, who currently uses a Cannon 7D Mark II camera to capture her images, admitted she often uses Photoshop in order to bring out the best in a given picture and to better tell the story of the barn in question.
"I do like color. I like having the colors of the old wood. I like for it to really show through and people, I hope, will gather my passion when they see this," she said.
Russ is heavily involved in sharing her work online and a photo of hers taken at Waikiki Beach at Cape Disappointment State Park recently earned her an award from her online photography peers. She said that though she also loves film, she believes the internet age has its advantages.
"Since we went from film to digital, I think it's really a great age to be in photography," Russ opined. "You're able to see what you're working on immediately [and] make changes."
In terms of subject matter, Russ said she generally prefers places and objects to people, though the denizens of New Orleans might be one exception, and that she derives much inspiration from her travels both domestic and international. She named photographer Ansel Adams and painter Georgia O'Keefe as further sources of inspiration and influence, especially O'Keefe's simple and abstract approach to depicting flowers.
Asked for her advice to new photographers, Russ said she encourages them to read their camera's instruction booklet and to carry it with them at all times, as she still does herself. She also said one should not to let the desire to create perfect pictures keep one from taking advantage of those opportunities that present themselves.
"Don't' be afraid to experiment and to try creative things," she advised. "If you can't get the perfect shot, take the shot. Because you may never be back there again."
In that vein, Russ mentioned that some of the barns she had meant to photograph disappeared before she ever got the chance to do so.
The value of photography workshops was also touted by Russ, who mentioned those offered by Grays Harbor College and the Pacific Northwest Arts School in Coupeville.
"The one I took it was kind of like, 'Oh gosh, I'm not going to be as good as these people'," she said of her Coupeville experience. "You get over those insecurities when you see, 'You know what? I can do this. ... I have something to offer in the class when we go to critique' ... It really got me out there trying new things."
"There's a lot of opportunities out there to engage you in photography these days," Russ concluded. "Keep taking pictures. Everybody has their own perspective when they do things."
Cathy Russ can be found at cathyrussphotography.shutterfly.com or on Facebook at cathyrussphotography.