The tribal world of Guizhou captured with digital infrared

My earliest memories are of spinning a globe, always drawn to the last mysterious corners of the world. Photographing the people, festivals and sacred sites in the tribal areas of Asia, my passion is to visually capture the rituals that define our lives and to create images that explore our human connections as they are formed. My ongoing body of work, “Still Points in a Turning World”, explores our universal cross-cultural truths: the importance of family, community, ritual and the amazing diversity of its expression.

 When I began my photography career I was immediately drawn to the world of infrared imagery and light. Many of my early mentors talked about pre-visualizing your work, however that did not function for me as part of my process. I preferred to go on a journey with my photographs. I like adding the element of surprise that naturally happens when working with light you cannot see.

In my darkroom days, I was a Lith printer, which is a unique and unpredictable process that worked well in combination with Infrared film. It was a dance in the darkroom and no two prints ever turned out exactly alike. Traveling the world with a changing bag and temperamental infrared film was challenging. It got harder as security increased in the airports after 9/11. I was thrilled when I discovered the new world of Digital Infrared. It liberated me in many ways. I now had more freedom in exposure, aperture, and shutter speed as well as, for the first time, an idea of what I was capturing. I now travel with two infrared cameras, Canon 5D Mark II and Canon 5D. I usually shoot with a wide-angle lens for environmental portraits and occasionally I use the 85mm 1.2 or the 70-200mm.

I import the images into Adobe Lightroom and they first appear with a purple tone that I do not care for. I worked for years experimenting with different techniques in Lightroom and Photoshop and sometimes use Nik silver efex to achieve a tonality I like. I also have created a custom profile and use it from within Lightroom to create a split-tone similar to my darkroom lith prints.

I have just begun to experiment with infrared video and it intrigues me though I am not sure how I will incorporate it into my work. I have been to some openings where artists are projecting video in the gallery during their show and I plan to experiment with that idea.

My imagery is interpretive in nature. The photograph is the first step in the process. Using digital infrared cameras adds an element of mystery when creating the work, which, I feel, suits the subject matter and the timeless quality of the images.

“Into the Mists of Time – Guizhou, China” is the next chapter of Terri Gold’s lifelong body of work. Indigenous cultures are disappearing. It is predicted that in the next few decades, China will experience the largest human migration in the world’s history, from rural to urban.  At risk is a vast archive of knowledge and expertise of healers and weavers, silversmiths, poets and saints. We all lose when ancient skills and visionary wisdom are forgotten. As a ‘visual archeologist’ I am interested in capturing these last moments of the tapestry of tribal life.

Gold’s work has been published and exhibited worldwide. Recently, she was featured in aCurator Magazine and Lenscratch and was a winner in the International Photography Awards, Prix de la Photographie, Paris (Px3), Planet Magazine and London International Creative Competition. The current series will be presented at Keyes Art Projects from November 3 to 28. Opening reception Thursday, November 3^rd from 5 PM to 8 PM. 551 West 21st on the 4th Flr in New York, NY.

For more info:
ttgold@aol.com
www.terrigoldworldimgery.com

Exhibit Invitation