Nancy Baron

Visual artist, Nancy Baron, was born in Chicago and is now based in Los Angeles and Palm Springs, California. In her fine art documentary photography, she uses portraits, landscapes, and architectural photographs to record the world nearby with a hopeful bias. Her background in filmmaking, including the documentary form, has inspired her to honor the still image while giving it a cinematic tone.

Nancy’s prints have been shown in group and one-person exhibitions internationally and are held in public and private collections. Her photography has been published in notable magazines and newspapers worldwide, including The New York Times, Madame Figaro, W Magazine, Architectural Digest, The Telegraph Magazine, Conde Nast Traveler, Fast Times, Mother Jones, and on the Apple, CNN, and BBC websites.

Baron’s two monographs, The Good Life > Palm Springs and Palm Springs > The Good Life Goes On are published by Kehrer Verlag and are held in the collection of the Library of Congress and in various museum libraries, including MOMA, LACMA, the Getty, The Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, and The Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas, Austin.

Nancy’s third monograph, Palm Springs Modern Dogs at Home, was published by Schiffer Books in September 2020.

Book Cover : Palm Springs Modern Dogs at Home

Interview by Dana Stirling

Lets first start at the beginning – why photography? How did you first start in the medium and what is it about photography that captivates you?

I’ve always been a visual person, observing and pondering the sights around me, as well as those captured in photographs. It makes sense that motion pictures would be included in this passion. My love for movies led me to work in the medium. As much as I loved working in filmmaking, after a hiatus to raise my daughters, I decided to simplify things by telling stories using still photography.

 In your new photo book Palm Springs Modern Dogs at Home you take an interesting perspective that is often over looked – people’s pets inside their home and space. Can you tell us what first drew you to this project and what made you decide to focus on the dogs instead of the people?

In the fifteen years since I made Palm Springs my second home, I’ve enjoyed documenting the lovely lifestyle in this unique and storied desert oasis, and Palm Springs Modern Dogs at Home is my third book of these observations. While photographing the people and/or homes of Palm Springs for my first two books, the dogs of the house would often follow me around and make themselves comfortable in my frame. While editing, I appreciated the warmth that the pups added to their surroundings. Dogs are the chosen family members of many of the mid century modernists of Palm Springs. They really up the comfort-and-warmth factor in these beautifully-preserved homes and I wanted to put them in the spotlight where they dwell and deserve to be––illustrating that their homes are their castles.

Charlie

Cooper

Palm Springs is known as a place of retirement, sun, vacation and luxury. There is a sense of this place being its own microcosms of a lifestyle that many of us are not as familiar with or do not have access to. Can you tell us about your own personal experience in the place? What about it interests you and how you found yourself being a part of it?

After years of visiting Palm Springs for resort weekends, I was able to make it my second home. I was surprised to find that, as a town, it was nothing like the place I thought I knew. In addition to being a resort town, it’s a small, but sophisticated, American town with a world-class art museum and a yearly Modernism Week event that draws tens of thousands of visitors to this mecca of mid century modern design. The preservationists of this unique design are a large, friendly group and within a few months, I became part of this tight-knit, welcoming community with a passion for both the lifestyle of mid-twentieth century America and the desert. One of the great things about Palm Springs is that there are so many things to do and explore––hiking, desert day trips, vintage shopping, architecture tours, spas, tennis, golf––and, above all, relaxing. In spite of the warm climate, Palm Springs is the perfect place to chill.

 I’ve seen many photographs of architecture, interiors and dogs, but somehow not always all at the same time and in this manor. I can’t fully disconnect the dogs from the interior; they almost seem to be a “part of the décor” or another part of the lifestyle that is presented in the photo. The dogs fit perfectly to that home and they become another element that defines its homeowners. Can you tell us bout your work process and how was it to not only find these homes but the interaction with the owners and the dogs?

Palm Springs is all about comfort and the pursuit of The Good Life and dogs are the perfect companions with who whom to enjoy this peaceful calm. The modernists open their homes to entertain their friends and for tours and events, so the homes and the dogs are generally familiar to all within the community. Once I began reaching out to people for the project, they opened their doors. Word spread and I had the best time hanging out with these precious pups and their people, some that I already knew and some that I met in the process. The sessions were fairly quick. Once I determined what would be the best scene, the dogs seemed to find their light and their pose. It was fun and heartwarming to get an inside look at the relationship between the dogs and their owners.

Lillian and Rena

George

I did find it interesting that you chose to caption the images with the dog’s names and their breed alongside the architect of the home, yet no mention of the owners or the people who are part of these places. Can you tell us more about this choice?

I really wanted the project to be about the dog’s place in their particular mid century modern home. Although the people did comment about their dogs and Palm Springs on the page facing the portrait of their pet, they remain anonymous, letting their pup take center stage.

I think a big part of this work and book is color. All of the images are a vibrant celebration of color that is almost too sweet to look at – pop, vibrant and very primal colors that really define the overall feeling of the work and the place. Is Palm Springs really so vibrant? Does it really reflect the actual environment and the feeling this place has?

An astute observation! Light and color are two of the main subjects of my Palm Springs work.  And, yes, it really is this vibrant. The San Jacinto Mountains block the clouds and pollution from the town, making for the most beautiful blue sky. Mid century modern American design has a beautiful palette of bright colors that are made that much brighter by the sun shining through the clear air. This goes for the vintage clothes and cars, as well. The unique light and color play a big part in the overall upbeat Palm Springs vibe.  

The images definitely have a Hollywood, movie set vibe to them- they are all perfectly done, with the right colors and the right dog and it all seems so calculated just like a movie set. Is this just the illusion the final image is giving me? Was is more chaotic and crazy than seems to the eye? Do you think California and the rich cultural history it bares has subconsciously dictated the aesthetics of these images in a fun and crazy way?

The homes were all photographed as is, no styling or set-up. Modernism is an all-encompassing aesthetic––from home décor, clothing and cars, to food and drink. There is even a local radio station, 107.3, Mod FM, dedicated to the old standards of the 40’s and 50’s. All this is a documentary photographer’s dream. Each home or car is a set and if the timing is right, it’s perfectly lit, ready for its closeup. Palm Springs is the opposite of chaotic. What you see is what you get and what you get is a cool, calm setting, made even more comforting when starring a beloved, well-cared-for dog. I do think that both the California climate and its openness to invention and reinvention enable this unique Palm Springs scene. It’s kind of out there, but in a way that’s soothing. The mid century modern architects flocked here to create comfortable well-designed homes in a desert paradise that could suit any budget and the preservationists work to keep that dream alive.

Abbey

I am curious to hear about the compositions in the book – did the architecture lead the way on why you chose certain images and their composition or was it the dogs?

I’d have to say it was a combination. Of course, all of the homes in the book are examples of mid century modern architecture, so the location was the most defining aspect of the choice. Some of the dogs are very graphic in the setting and some are more subtle, almost camouflaged like Peanut in “Winston and Peanut” or “Gouda.” It all worked.

What were some of the biggest challenges you had making this project?

 I guess the biggest challenge was releasing a book during a pandemic and a generally tumultuous time in American history, which is ironic because the raison d’etre of Palm Springs Modernism is to reenact a peaceful, easy time in American culture.  Of course, it wasn’t a peaceful, easy time for everyone, but following WW II, people craved the calm that MCM design exudes.

Busy

Matilda and Wyatt

Lets dive into the book aspect – can you talk about the process of making the book? How did you edit and sequence the work? What was one thing that really determined the overall feeling of the book and the choices in it?

Unlike my previous monographs, I wanted to include information about the subjects and their homes. I also noted if a dog is a rescue. There is crossover interest in this book, with both the dogs and the architecture––and then there’s the photography aspect, as well. I wanted to give enthusiasts a little insight into what they were seeing, something to make them feel engaged and at home. The book is meant to give the reader/viewer comfort, the way dogs give comfort.

If you had to pick one image that you feel is your favorite from the book which one would it be and why?

That would have to be the portrait of my beautiful English Shepherd, Ella, who recently passed over the Rainbow Bridge. She was our one and only family dog and she entered our lives 15 + years ago, just before we bought our home in Palm Springs. She loved staying there in our one-story, light filled home, which is always open to the big back yard. She was the perfect fit for  The Good Life of Palm Springs. 

Ella

Happy

Rocky C