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Barney Maple

CCP asks Barney Maple the deep questions about their craft

What gets you out of bed every day?

Sunrise! and photographing it! The quick changing morning light is so unique, accompanied by the feeling of a new day starting with all its possibilities

2. Who is the photographer/artist that has inspired you the most?

Many have provided inspiration over time; however I have been in a David Moore period for a while now, and have always loved his work.

3. What current software are you using that could be useful for future exhibitors?

I’m shooting digital and film at the moment - Digital is a OM System, OM1 mkii and film with my original 1959 Nikon F

4. In the Gallery do you play music?

I don’t listen to music or have headphones in, I get distracted... I like to be connected to the landscape, to feel the breeze, listen to the sounds, smell the air, and try and capture all those sensory moments in the image.

Other essentials are – LensPen, ND filters, hat, sunnies, and mints (for me, not the camera :)

5. In the digital world how important is the print?

It’s everything… The print is the most important thing. If a printed photograph is worth a thousand words, the image on a screen is only a short paragraph.

6. B/W - Colour - Analogue - Digital.

Put these words in your order of preference and tell us why.

Hmmmmm……. It’s like asking to put your children in order of preference….

Lets go with B/W – Analogue – Digital – Colour

7. How important is the framing process to you?

I have exhibited my work, and the framing process is hugely important. I have learned over exhibitions that to showcase your work properly, and not detract from the work, custom framing with ArtGlass or similar is so very important

8. What defines a great image?

Composition, content, construct, but more importantly, the emotion that it derives from the viewer…. Remember – “Photographs are what feeling look like”

9. What is your favourite photo? Why?

Tough question…. I have a few favourites. Opera La Femme is my current favourite as people see different things when they view this image. Some see the upper half of the female form, some the lower half (I do), and some even see the opera house.…!

I love the Opera House showing her sensual side, her female form and the reactions and conversations it draws out in people. These conversations showcase peoples willingness (or not) to be comfortable expressing themselves about viewing the female form…..

This sometimes confident and sometimes shy public discussion about how each viewer see’s the female form from their eyes is magnified by the fact that we are all just viewing the Opera House

10. Have you ever exhibited your work before?

Good question… being mostly self-taught it’s hard to know. However, I still (now) bless my art teacher at school where we took almost no photos, or learned how to take a good photo, or anything to do with the image at all! (hated it at the time) We just learned technical stuff about shutter speed, aperture, film speed, developing etc, all of which is the basis of everything I do today. (I only shoot manually).

11. When you are not printing or framing or being in your gallery, what are you doing?

Sustainability! My love for the environment is strong, both for the natural and built world.

I have just completed a Bachelor of Sustainability university degree and have worked in this space for almost 20 years.

I’m passionate about how we as people interact with the world and the need for us to change our social, political and economic systems for a sustainable future.

High Point

When I’m in the ‘flow’. When the camera and I become one and the images just happen. The feeling of connectedness to the artform and the world around is indescribable….. a true high point!

Low Point

Often just before I take my best photos, I usually have ‘writers block’ and question my ability to photograph, I feel down and disillusioned… pushing through these times is crucial, as the next high point can sometime be literally moments away, sometime a lot longer. But always keep pushing through.

Barney Maple

Feb 2025

Barney's Photo Gallery

Sydney Symphony

A love story….These two Sydney icons in majestic unison, their structures so intertwined in Sydney life and known globally. They complement each other so perfectly and are forever intriguing… a perfect match.

Wigwam and a Teepee

Building a shelter in the landscape is what humans have done for millennia. This is a beautiful example of a community coming together and collecting washed-up driftwood and building these monuments to a basic human need. There is something so elegant in the simplicity of these handmade shelters.

Stranger on a Train

Sliding door moments, when a single seemly inconsequential moment in time alters the trajectory of future events. Impossible to predict, and often a life-changing direction follows. Whilst capturing this sleeper train carriage, a stranger popped into the shot and was instantly gone.

Serengeti Sunrise

Cue a pride of lions, or African elephants to enter this sunrise shot! Although taken here in Urunga, NSW. The power of the sun is on full display, bathing everything in its powerful orange glow. This burning ball of life-giving energy supports us all and makes for beautiful imagery

The Protesters Walk

The vibrant energy of these old-growth forests is a positive force to be reckoned with. Our mind, body and souls relax to the never-ending soft curves, dimensions, and gently ever-moving landscape, bringing us tranquillity and revitalising energy.

Sandy Soldiers

A fantastic community display as these little soldier crabs traverse the sand flats. They exhibit the movement and behaviour of a single animal foraging, yet they do so as a group. The soldier crab's behaviour is something humankind can aspire to. When we harness our collective power and work together, we create individual and community successes.

Riding the Rails

The perfect moment between the change of tides when the river stops still, turning into a flawless mirror. The ideal geometrical steel structure nestled in a stunning natural landscape. Train lines often take the scenic route, allowing us to gently rattle around in our minds, as we ride the rails taking in the vista.

Opera La Femme

The Sydney Opera House, an architectural beauty that is a wonder from every angle. She has had her image captured countless times, by countless photographers.… but this time she discreetly reveals her womanly sensual side, for those willing to see…

Ollies Tree

This wonderfully playful little group of trees defying the odds near the river mouth. Having braved floods, storm surges and the daily tides, the resilience of the trees in their precarious position is a testament to their strength and is rewarded by the beauty they see from their unique position.

Night at the Opera

A lone woman takes centre stage amidst two architectural masterpieces, which seamlessly integrate into each other. Her figure epitomises the beauty and spellbound joy experienced at a night at the opera….

Luminaries Nebula

A portal into another world… A glimpse into the swirling galaxy of light and ideas that are bound inside the minds of the brightest of humans. These luminaries change our world for the better, when they untangle the nebula inside their minds and allow us to know and to see.