Tamara Bahry: The Microcosm of Light and Memory

“I use colours to evoke various emotions.” For Canadian photographer Tamara Bahry, the camera is not merely a recording device, but an instrument of translation—converting the mundane into the metaphysical. Her practice is defined by a boundless curiosity and a mindful quest for the unseen, finding vivacity in subjects that the naked eye might dismiss as ordinary.

Tamara Bahry holding a camera in a field

This pursuit of the overlooked often begins in moments of stillness. Bahry recalls a specific reverie at her cottage by the beach, where the simple act of blowing bubbles with her children shifted from a playful pastime into a profound study of optics. “I was blowing bubbles… in a dreamy state, and I started observing the reflection in the bubble,” she notes.

Reflections captured within a soap bubble

The Physics of Ephemerality

To translate this fleeting fragility into permanent images, Bahry adopted a microscopic approach. Utilizing a macro lens—optics typically reserved for the compound eyes of insects—she sought to enter the world within the sphere. The technical process involved a surprising intervention: the addition of motor oil to the bubble solution. This viscous element introduced brilliance and structural tension, allowing the surface to hold complex reflections.

Vibrant colors swirling on the surface of a bubble

The resulting Bubbles & Reflections collection presents the world distorted yet clarified. Sunsets and outdoor landscapes are not captured directly but are seen bent across the iridescent surface of the bubble. It is a microcosmic lens that compresses the vastness of the horizon into a fragile, floating orb. These works, which have been exhibited at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Art Toronto, and the Petroff Gallery, invite the viewer to look into the subject rather than merely at it.

Abstract reflection of a sunset on a bubble surface

The Chromatic Dance

Bahry’s sensitivity to color is deeply rooted in the kinetic memories of her childhood. Attending traditional Ukrainian dance performances left an imprint of swirling hues that continues to inform her visual language. “I remember being mesmerized by the oranges and reds of the poppies, and by the yellows of the sunflowers,” she reflects. The memory is one of motion; as the dancers spun, the garlands and costumes dissolved into “a swirling bouquet of brilliant rainbows.”

This early exposure to dynamic color is evident in how she manages light today. Her images often emanate the same joyful spirit as those dancers, yet capturing this vibrancy requires a disciplined manipulation of time. For the Bubbles & Reflections series, Bahry returned to the same body of water repeatedly from September to May, cataloging the shifting temperament of the light.

She discovered that time is the ultimate filter. “The timing was critical. If it’s 2 p.m. on a sunny day, it’s going to be very difficult to capture that colour because it’s going to be blown out,” she explains. instead, she hunts for the “magical hour”—dusk. It is in the afterlight of a sunset that the spectrum shifts; a bright pink softens into a brilliant fuchsia, and the surreal becomes visible.

A split image showing water textures: dark blue ripples and golden light on water

Layering the Horizon

Equipment choices further alter this reality. Bahry notes how a wide-angle lens might render water as a dark, black void, whereas a macro lens reveals a rich blue. In Diamonds in the Rough (pictured above, left), the sunlight striking the water creates an illusion of gemstones rolling across a velvety sea, or “tiny nymph auras dancing.”

In her Wanderlust series, specifically the work Sky Lake, the amber horizon serves as a meeting point between heaven and earth. To achieve the ethereal glow that defines these landscapes, Bahry employs “bracketing”—a traditional technique of taking three identical shots milliseconds apart at different exposures (under, over, and neutral) and merging them.

“I’m creating my own drama by layering the images and playing with contrast,” she says. This stacking of time allows for a depth of feeling that a single shutter click often misses. For Bahry, the sky is a reflection of the divine, and the technique serves the spiritual intent: placing the viewer in a state of tranquil balance.

A large framed photograph of a horizon in a modern living space

The Rembrandt Influence

During the confinement of the COVID lockdown, Bahry’s gaze turned inward, moving from the expansive horizon to the domestic tabletop. The inspiration came from observing a bouquet of flowers in her kitchen and noting how the changing daylight altered their emotional weight. This observation led her to the studio to experiment with a technique rooted in the Dutch Golden Age.

Bahry cites Rembrandt as a primary influence, particularly his mastery of chiaroscuro—the dramatic contrast between light and dark. “He could capture the nuances of human expression… and this all stems from his deep understanding of the human psyche,” she observes. Drawing specifically from Rembrandt’s Flora, a portrait of the Roman goddess of spring, she created the Flowers in Isolation series.

A single flower illuminated against a stark black background

In these works, the subject is isolated against a blacked-out background, illuminated by a single point of light. The technique strips away context, forcing a confrontation with the subject’s form and texture. “The drama was about isolation,” Bahry explains. “It reflected the flower in isolation, as I was in my own isolation.”

A close-up of a dramatic flower portrait with deep shadows

Yet, within this darkness, there is a deliberate luminescence. The art became a “peaceful outlet” during a time of suspended reality. By juxtaposing the deep voids with the fragile beauty of the flora, Bahry creates a duality of optimism and sorrow, using the language of light to navigate the complexity of human emotion.