Cliff had always been inspired by the works of photographer, Edward Curtis. He still owns the first camera he ever dabbled with. In the late 60’s, Cliff and Pat owned a landscaping business. Pat’s brother suggested that Cliff use his photography skills to document the landscaping projects he worked on. In the late 70’s he carried on the practice by photographing projects he worked on for the Vancouver Housing Authority. Cliff found when he started attending Clark College, that there was a need for photographers in the journalism department. Being a little older than the other photographers on staff, he was excited about the opportunities he had to photograph people like Ralph Nadar , while the younger students were often more interested in covering the sporting events. He soon became a valuable part of the college newspaper staff. As time progressed, he was given more opportunities to photograph other events. Pat joined the newspaper staff and learned about photography and printing. Like many of us, often times, a portion of their small home was taped off to light so that a hallway or bathroom could serve as a temporary darkroom. It became a way of life for their 3 children.

After college, Cliff pursued the editor of a local newspaper to hire him as a photographer, only to be met with closed doors. When the editor of the paper needed a photographer to cover a story ASAP, he went down his list of names, and Cliff’s name was next on the list. Pat received the phone call that day. That particular day, Cliff found himself in the unemployment line with 3 children to feed. Pat was able to track Cliff down in the unemployment line, soon Cliff was on his way to cover the story. Barbour’s Photography was born. More than 20 years later, Cliff still shoots assignments for The Reflector newspaper. Through the years, Barbour’s Photography has offered many types of photography. Stock, commercial, portrait and wedding photography have all helped the studio build a client base that consist of long time clients turned friends.

The Future: When asked about the future, the Barbour’s feel their best work is yet to come. Pat was inspired after attending a Bambi Cantrell seminar a few years back and has been an important part of the photography team ever since. They liken the digital aspect of photography to the time when color became a choice for photographers. Cliff is awed by the potential digital photography has for the “wow factor”. Wedding albums printed on site or a slideshow being shown at the reception are realities that could have never been imagined with film technology.The Barbour’s have been a team in life and work for many years now, they have perfected it so well, that I suspect they will be a successful team for many more.

Originally published in The Contact Sheet 5/2003