Carla Bowman-Smith Photographer

Carla Bowman-Smith, currently head of the Visual & Performing Arts Department at Malibu High School, has been a photography and Graphic Design instructor since 1997. Previously she worked in the field of Graphic Design after receiving a BS in Art and Design with Photography Concentration from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. She has a MA in Education from Pepperdine University.

She has participated in various photography contests and has been awarded in the following:

Photographer’s Forum Best College Photography, 1993

Photographer’s Forum Spring Photography, 2003

Westlake Village Art Guild, HM, 2020

Westlake Village Art Guild, 3rd place 2021

Her work has been shown at the following:

1989 Peter Strauss Ranch, 1995 Cal Poly State University, Dexter Art Gallery, 1995 Earthling Bookshop & Cafe San Luis Obispo, 2000 Faculty Art Show Malibu, 2002 Graphaids Inc. Agoura Hills, 2003 Allegria Restaurant Malibu, 2003 Ca’ Del Sole Restaurant Los Angeles, 5/2015 Evening under the Stars Pop up gallery Malibu, 8/2017 Julia Dean Gallery Hollywood, 5/2019 Radical Beauty Malibu Rising Malibu City Hall, 9/2019 Radical Beauty Part 2 Malibu City Hall, 11/2019 Agoura Hills Event Center, 3/2020 The Birds and the Bees, A Celebration of Spring in Malibu, Malibu City Hall, 6/2020 Westlake Village Art Guild Gallery, 1/2021 Westlake Village Art Guild Virtual Show, 1/2022 Westlake Village Art Guild/Thousand Oaks Gallery, 5/2022 "Malibu Perception" Malibu City Hall, 6/2022 Westlake Village Art Guild Juried Show, 10/22 Casa Art Fest, 8/23 Hillcrest Center for the Arts

Carla enjoys traveling and is continuously inspired by her environment and in particular the works of contemporary and modern photographers.

Her series of “collaged images” were inspired in-part by some of David Hockney’s work but she especially enjoys her technique of shooting so that a contact sheet will itself makes one image.

•With these images Carla is able to produce one image out of 24 to 36 frames and is able to adapt her image in creative ways.

In this series, images often capture periods of time, such as a woman walking through a street scene, or eggs frying on the stove. Captured in those spaces of time, the viewer is able to get a glimpse of the activity and change which often creates a dynamic image.

Long Exposures and Available Light

In her series of “long exposures” Carla particularly thrives in the mysterious world of the nocturnal, where she is able to capture glimpses of the unseen; something the human eye does not detect, but the camera does; ghostly shadows of people, streaks of light from the movement of a train, a car or a boat, or ominous shadowy lights in a dark alley. These concepts and mode of media afford the viewer an alternate view of an everyday experience.

Digital Infrared

She shoots on a Canon 20D converted to infrared sensor. Here are a few....

Italiani

Carla was born in Vicenza Italy, and has many family members in Italy that she visits with often.

One of the side projects she enjoys when visiting is to capture the older generation. Here are some in that series.

She shoots with a variety of camera formats including, but not limited to, digital and small format and medium format film.

Some fun whimsical and typical...

Created By

Carla Bowman-Smith

Appreciate

Credits:

Carla Bowman-Smith