I Am A Fortunate (Artistic) Son of Missouri

St. Louis-based writer-photographer CB Adams

Missouri Arts Council Names Writer-Photographer C.B. Adams A Featured Artist

 I am blessed (and somewhat burdened) to be a hyphenated artist – a writer-photographer. Even when I was in high school and contemplating my career, I weighed whether to become a writer or a photographer. I chose writing as my career path – a career that began at the University of Missouri School of Journalism and comprised stints as a trade journal editor, feature reporter for the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, publications editor at Washington University in St. Louis, creative director for a deluxe international travel company, and my day job today as a senior writer for a technology company – with other steps in between.

 As I progressed in the writing world, I also earned a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. My short stories have found homes in prestigious journals like River Styx, Zoetrope All-Story Extra, and Elder Mountain: A Journal of Ozarks Studies. In 1995, I was awarded the Missouri Arts Council’s highest (now defunct) literary award, the Writers’ Biennial. The Riverfront Times took note of my writing, dubbing me “St. Louis' Most Under-Appreciated Writer” that same year.

 I’ve also taught as an adjunct at a variety of writing and photography courses in the St. Louis region, including St. Charles Community College and Laclede Honor’s College at UM-St. Louis, Webster University. I also review local theater, musical theater, opera, dance/ballet and symphonic music for Poplife STL and KDHX radio.

“Glaring No Gazing” is a silver gelatin photograph from my decade-long project, True North, which has been exhibited in shows at St. Louis Artists Guild and Art Saint Louis.

 Throughout my adventures in the writing world, I never put down my cameras for very long. But approximately 15 years ago, after a serious health scare, I elevated my work and practice in photography. Since then, amidst the familiar sights of my own backyard, I've crafted a sizeable portion of my body of work that has been exhibited and celebrated across the country. My aim has always been to capture the essence of the universal within the local, to create art that speaks to a broader truth while rooted in the everyday.

 I approach photography as a medium to convey stories, using a diverse array of formats (35mm, 120, 4x5 and 8x10 film cameras) to capture moments that invite viewers to delve deeper. From the meticulous detail of large-format bellows cameras to the unfiltered authenticity of cheap plastic ones, each tool provides me with a unique perspective on the world around us.

 My work has been featured in more than 35 exhibitions nationwide, displayed in galleries from St. Louis to New York City, Paducah, Salt Lake City and New Orleans, and embraced by a small cadre of collectors. My photographs have been also published in esteemed publications such as Genre Urban Arts (twice), Midwest Review, december, Fatal Flaw, and Tiny Seed Literary Journal. I also write a lifestyle blog called Life On Snob Hill.

 Currently, I'm immersed in the development of "True North," a decade-long photographic exploration of North St. Louis, aiming to transform it into a captivating solo show and monograph. Through my work, I strive to invite others to see the world through fresh eyes, to find beauty and meaning in the everyday tapestry of life.

 In April of 2024, I was named a Missouri Arts Council Featured Artist. Most days I am content to quietly make a good photograph or produce a well-wrought sentence or two. But sometimes I am discouraged that all my efforts are no more than shouting into the void with no response. Recognition from outside, such as the MAC’s Feature Artist, is both encouraging and a relief. I don’t work for that recognition, but it’s sure nice when it happens.

“Black Matter” is a silver gelatin photograph that was included in 2021’s Missouri Art Now: A Bicentennial Celebration, a statewide traveling art exhibition. I photographed this scene just a few blocks from my home in St. Charles.

 I was born in Missouri and have lived here all my life. And even though I don’t believe this state’s government supports the arts enough (hint: it will never be enough), the people of this state indeed do support the arts in all forms. And for that I am grateful and encouraged. I took special delight when my silver gelatin photograph titled “Black Matter” was included in Missouri Art Now: A Bicentennial Celebration, a statewide traveling exhibition visiting: Arts Council of Southeast Missouri, Cape Girardeau; The Center for Missouri Studies, Columbia; Spiva Center for the Arts, Joplin; Hannibal Arts Council, Hannibal, MO; and Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art, St. Joseph.

 One of my favorite songs is Creedence Clearwater Revival’s song “Fortunate Son.” I sing along to the refrain, “…It ain't me, it ain't me / I ain't no fortunate one, no…” The reality is that that song ain’t me because I am a fortunate son, in more ways than one.

“Barn In Landscape” is a digital color photograph, made with a 20+-year-old digital camera, that has won awards at the Heartland Art Club and Framations Gallery in St. Charles.

Heirlock Literary Magazine Publishes Fine Art Photograph 'Stille Tag' by CB Adams

“Stille Tag” by CB Adams. Silver gelatin print from 4x5 negative.

The latest issue of Heirlock, a literary journal dedicated to “Publishing the Future of Poetry,” includes a fine art black-and-white photograph made by St. Louis-area writer and photographer CB Adams. For the first issue of its second volume, the editors of Heirlock issued a call for entry for poetry, visual art and short story fiction that broadly interprets the theme of “Home.”

Adams responded to the theme by choosing several images that met his interpretation of the theme. Although Adams’s archive contains tens of thousands of images that he has captured during the past more than 20 years, the editors selected one taken recently, during March of 2020. The image was captured on a 4x5 view camera on film.

“I don’t usually consider my photography — my art making — as therapy, but there was a weekend early in the COVID-19, sheltering-in-place experience when I just had to get out of my house and make some photographs. I didn’t really care what I was going to shoot, I just needed to be active and feel like I was doing something more constructive than sitting around the house and binge watching television,” Adams says.

Adams often shoots in industrial locations throughout St. Louis City. To comply with COVID-19 recommendations, he decided to head west along Highway 70, where he believed he could safely shoot without being around others. He loaded his car with gear and left early on a Sunday morning because he heard a cold front was moving toward St. Louis later in the day.

“The front arrived much earlier than expected. It was a freaky front that started dropping snow within five minutes after I began shooting the first of several scenes that had caught my eye along Highway 70,” he says. “I’m not afraid of weather, but a majority of my cameras are vintage analogue cameras and become fussy, especially in the cold. They are also hard to replace, not to mention expensive if I damage them, so I wasn’t sure how long I could shoot.”

After an hour, the weather intensified and Adams cut short his “photo expedition” and headed home. A few miles later, he spotted a scene that was being transformed by the snowfall. Although he drives a small sedan that doesn’t handle well in snow, he exited and returned on the outer road. Large format photography requires a lengthier set up and composition process than other formats, which was complicated by the still-heavy snowfall he encountered.

“It was dangerous to be on the side of the road with a narrow shoulder, setting up my tripod across from the car as trucks and other vehicles passed by. One gentleman saw my emergency flashers and stopped to help. By the time I clamped the camera onto the tripod, the bellows was covered with snow and I wiped the lens off with my coat sleeve. I couldn’t see through the ground glass in the back of the camera because my breath kept fogging it up. I didn’t want to use my light meter because it dates back to the 1960s. Not only was it the only meter I had brought along, it was also my favorite. I made my best guess for composition and exposure and shot the last two sheets of film,” according to Adams.

The snow-covered Toyo 45CF large format camera Adams used to capture ‘Stille Tag.’

Adams returned home and let his gear — especially his film holders — warm up and dry out. A few weeks later, the best photo he took that day was the one that Heirlock accepted for publication. After scanning the negative, he named the image “Stille Tag,” which means “silent day” in German.

“It reminds me of the almost apocryphal story that Ansel Adams used to tell about the making of one of his most famous photographs, ‘Moonrise Hernandez.’ He was challenged by a lack of time and a light meter and so he did some calculations in his head and make the image. He wanted to take a second, a back up, but the light changed and he was left with the great photo we know today.,” Adams says. “I’m not saying ‘Stille Tag’ is on par with that iconic photo, but at least it shares a similar back story, though I think such moments aren’t uncommon for photographers.”

Heirlock is a thrice-yearly digital magazine that publishes primarily poetry, as well as visual art and short fiction. The magazine was conceived by a small, close-knit team of Northwestern University graduates that are currently based in Chicago. They are all equally passionate about supporting rising creatives and sharing their work with the world. According to the masthead, “The name Heirlock comes from this focus – we hope to publish the future of poetry and to be a buffer zone between the individual starting poet and the ever-expanding universe that is the writing community at large.”

Although Adams is also an active literary fiction writer, he was not familiar with Heirlock before their call for entry. “Of course, I’m pleased to have my photograph published, but that feeling is enhanced because of the quality of Heirlock, especially its design. It’s also interesting to me to see which poem the editors chose to be next to my work — that always makes me see my work from a different perspective.”

Adams is preparing to print in his wet darkroom a limited number of matted gelatin silver prints, 8x10 inches and 16x20 inches of “Stille Tag.” Contact him through his website for pricing information, www. qwerkyphotography.com/about.

Midwest Review Publishes 'Négatif Endommagé' by CB Adams

Midwest Review 8, a publication of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has published ‘'Négatif Endommagé” by St. Louis-based writer-photographer CB Adams. The French title translates to “damaged negative” because the camera Adams used was experiencing a shutter malfunction.

Negative Endommage, image by CB Adams created with a Diana+ toy camera on medium format film.

“I was surprised when I developed that roll of film,” Adams says. “I was using a Diana+ toy camera, which by itself can product erratic, unpredictable images, and I could tell by the sound of the shutter that something wasn’t right. I’m still not completely sure what happened, but the negatives were significantly overexposed and have a double exposure quality about them. Out of the 12 exposures on that roll, I am pleased with three or four of them, which is a pretty high success rate.”

Midwest Review is an annual literary magazine that features work by writers, photographers, and artists who live in, have lived in, or have spent time in the Midwest—that diverse region of the north-central United States that includes the Great Lakes area and the upper Mississippi River valley, and the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas and Missouri. The annual publication seeks to publish well-crafted, thoughtful and thought-provoking writing and visual art that examines, interprets and redefines the full spectrum of life, past and present, in the Midwest.

“I am a Missouri artist who spends a great deal of time documenting the City of St. Louis. I am proud to be a St. Louisan, but my work often captures the grittier parts of the greater metropolitan area. I consider much of my work to be a sort of reverse-boosterism because the work depicts aspects of the city that could be — should be — better,” Adams says.

Adams shoots with a variety of cameras, from 35mm to medium- and large format, to capture these scenes. I regularly also use the lo-fi toy cameras like the Diana+, the original 60s-era Diana, and the Holga, as well as a hand-built camera made from components of multiple toy cameras.

“My approach is to match the fidelity of a particular camera with the way it will best render a subject, Sometimes, the aesthetic result that I want can only be — best be — made with a toy camera,” Adams says. "I was pleased to see 'Négatif Endommagé' on the same spread as the poem ‘Winter, Thirty-Seven Years Before His Death’ by Anemone Beaulier because tone — stark and cold — matches the tone of my photograph, even though it is a summer scene.”

Adams is preparing to create a limited number of matted gelatin silver prints, ~8x8 inches, of “Négatif Endommagé.” Contact him through his website for pricing information, www. qwerkyphotography.com/about.

Spread from Midwest Review 8 featuring the work of CB Adams, photographer, and Aneomone Beaulier, poet. Beaulier lives in Fargo, ND, and her poetry has appeared in The Briar Cliff Review, Cimarron Review, Jabberwock Review, The Pinch, Poetry Daily, Prairie Schooner, The Southern Review and elsewhere.

Freaks and Beeks Blog – Announcing ‘Hive Minded’ Project by CB Adams

Missouri Beekeepers deserve some attention and respect. I finally found a way to combine three of my loves: writing, photography, and beekeeping. I am announcing “Hive Minded,” my new fine art photography exhibit and book project focused on the work, dedication and activities of Missouri Beekeepers. This is a long-term photography project inspired as much by Missouri Beekeepers as it is by author James Joyce’s statement, “In the particular is contained the universal.”

For Hive Minded, the particular will be Missouri Beekeepers and how they practice the art, science, and husbandry of apiculture. The work that Missouri “Beeks” perform is the same throughout the world. I’m reminded of the three hives on the roof of the sacristy of the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. They survived the devastating fire last year.

 I’m reminded, too, of 2019 Academy Award documentary nominee Honeyland about the work of Hatidze, a rural beekeeper in the mountains of Macedonia. She practices a near-forgotten type of beekeeping that includes foraging in nearby forests, mountains, and even crevices in abandoned buildings in her village. Her bee yard consists of skeps rather than the wooden box hives used by the rest of us.  

But the basics of her beekeeping are identical to those found throughout Missouri and the rest of the world. She understands the lifecycle of bees, the influence of the local environment, and the importance of maintaining a healthy ecosystem.

Hive Minded will be a photographic documentary of the way we Missourians “do” beekeeping. I am currently actively seeking Missouri Beekeepers to photograph for this project. I want to meet and photograph ALL Missouri Beekeepers, regardless of gender, age, location or skill level. There is no such thing as an “average” beekeeper, so I am open to working with practically anyone, anywhere in the state. If you’ve got a unique story about your beekeeping, even better.

The first step in the project is photographing beekeepers as they work with their bees. There are no costs involved for participants. In fact, participants will receive a print made by me in my traditional darkroom and be allowed access to use the images I make for their own purposes, whether private or commercial (with credit, of course)

When I have built up the portfolio of images, I will create an exhibition that will be available to galleries, museums, and other venues. Concurrently, I will be creating the Hive Minded book with curated and select images for publication.

This is a labor of love. I am pursuing this project and funding it initially by myself. It is not a “for profit” endeavor. I will make the photographs primarily using traditional analogue equipment on silver gelatin film. During each session, I will employ a variety of cameras in multiple formats: 35mm, 120, and 4x5 large format. I will use a mix of black and white and color film.  

For reference, when I shoot color 4x5 negatives, each shot costs several dollars, plus another $20 to process and scan. I’m willing to make this sort of investment because I want to promote importance of beekeeping – more important today than ever. I will initially pay for the costs associated with Hive Minded, including travel, film, equipment, processing, etc. out of my own pocket. I hope to solicit additional support from artistic grants and other type of funding, including a Kickstarter-type fundraiser for the book.

If you are a Missouri beekeeper and would like me to visit you and your hives, please contact me at 314.973.0239 or email me at cbadams@qwerkyphotography.com. I will keep information updated on this blog, Freaks and Beeks, on my website: www.qwerkyphotography under the “Language” section. If you know of someone, please refer them to me.

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I built my first Warre’ hives several years ago with my father.

CB Adams, MFA, is a writer and fine art photographer living in the St. Louis region. He received two of the Missouri Arts Council’s highest writing awards, the Missouri Writers’ Biennial Award in 1995 and the Missouri Writing! Award in 1985.

Adams’s photographs have been exhibited more than 30 shows, including most recently: A Smith Gallery, Johnson City, TX, Soho Photo Gallery in New York City, Yeiser Art Center in Paducah, KY, Lightbox Gallery, Astoria OR, Foundry Art Centre, St. Charles, MO, Art Saint Louis, St. Louis Arists Guild, and Columbia (MO) Art League.

The independent weekly newspaper St. Louis Riverfront Times named Adams “St. Louis’ Most Under-Appreciated Writer.” His short fiction has been published in more than a dozen literary journals, Zoetrope All-Story Extra, River Styx (twice), Elder Mountain: A Journal of Ozarks Studies, Thoughtful Dog, bluntly, The Distillery, Artistic Spirits of the South, and elsewhere. He has published more than 2,000 nonfiction articles in local, regional and national publications. He is a former reporter for the St. Louis Globe-Democrat.