Portrait of an Artist – From Darkroom to Digital and from People to Places

Alan Plisskin Nature Photographer

50 years of photography

“I am a purist, my concern is with the loss of integrity of the art.  I have a rule, if I couldn’t do it in the dark room I won’t do it in photoshop” – Alan Plisskin

Professional photographer and San Rafael resident Alan Plisskin has a talent for working both hemispheres of his brain – He is a wiz with numbers and has a knack for capturing beautiful photographic images. Both skills have had a significant place in his life. Alan is the Financial Director on the Marin Open Studios Steering Committee. He is also very involved with Artisans, a cooperative of Marin artists, as a member for the last 8 years, on the Board of Directors for the last 6 and serving presently as President. After being in another San Rafael art gallery for the past 2 years, Alan is excited to be moving his studio to Art Works Downtown in time for the 20th anniversary of Marin Open Studios May 4 and 5. Within all of these important Marin Arts Organizations he is usually using his skill with numbers in helping them to stay in the “green”. But numbers are not where Mr. Plsskin’s heart is.

On his fiftieth birthday in 2000, Alan retired from the industry to pursue his passion, Nature Photography! Photography has played a very central role in his life since he was 13 when his parents bought him an Olympus Pen to take on a vacation to Europe with his family and some neighbors. The shots he captured were so much better than then any of the other folks on the trip, they all asked to buy his. Alan immediately became a committed hobbyist.

Like many young and adventurous in the late 60’s Alan came west after graduation from Purdue University to pursue an alternative life from what was waiting for him in his field of Industrial Management in Cleveland. He decided he wanted to be an artist, a photographer. Hello San Francisco 1969. Armed with a new Nikon SLR he got his first job as a family portrait photographer for SF Studio.  With grueling long days of 24-30 different stops at stranger’s homes, schlepping the equipment (camera, background, strobe, umbrella, tripod) around the Bay Area for very little pay, he quickly realized this wasn’t exactly what he had in mind. One positive thing the experience did was to introduce him to the beauty of the Bay Area. 

When in 1972 Alan took a 14-day backpack trip to Sierras he knew portraits were out and nature was in. He was hooked on nature photography. 

Realizing he had to make a living and support his passion, Alan took his good math skills and got a job in 1975 making loans in a finance company and then in 1979 opened his own mortgage company in San Rafael. Being his own boss, Alan was now able to take several long photography vacations each year mentoring with world-renowned photographers and honing his skills in Marin County, in the American Southwest and in 2007 and 2009, Asia.

In 1995 he started producing the popular Marin Visions Calendar and though it as documented and publicized the beauty of Marin to the world over.  http://www.aspimages.com/calendars.php. Expressing the difference between his beginnings as a portrait photographer and a nature photographer Plisskin remarked, “Shooting people is just not “me.” I’d much rather be out on the ridge waiting for the light to change.”

After 27 years of darkroom experience in producing fine art prints, Alan, converted to digital in 1999. He now uses the chemical-free, Giclee process, which offers the additional benefit of 100+ year archival life to the finished prints. And, Alan is glad to no longer be putting al those toxic chemicals used in the production and developing of film into the environment. 

A full time photographer now for the past 14 years who has transitioned from darkroom to digital and who has traveled the world capturing its beauty Alan Plisskin has a few things to tell us with his words and with his work: “The change to digital has so many levels of ramifications. Last 20 year huge evolution most of it very good. Just don’t want to see the integrity of the art lost in the computer, in digital art. Film and developing chemistry is toxic – digital is environmentally healthier. Also, the control is much greater now and productivity skyrocketing. No more artist test prints that took an hour before you were ready to make your first print – Now we just adjust in photoshop. Do it once and it is done.

“Photography is simply the capture of light – that has been lost somewhat. Capturing light and the modification has now gone to extreme and should be disclosed.  In the dark room we did manipulate things – dodge and burn and change color balance but if you do things beyond that I feel it is not longer a photograph but a photo illustration and the viewer should be informed.  There should be disclosure. I am a purist, my concern is with the loss of integrity of the art. I have a rule, if I couldn’t do it in the dark room I won’t do it in photoshop”

View Alan’s Nature photography and discuss the current state of photography with him at the 20th Marin Open Studios May 4 & 5 from 11 – 6 at Art Works Downtown, 1337 Fourth St. San Rafael.

For more information about Alan Plisskin visit:

http://www.aspimages.com/bio.php

http://www.marinopenstudios.com/