Following his departure from the entertainment industry in 1989, Oliver began to pursue knowledge in Photography.
He learned the 19th Century Wet-Plate process from Stephen Berkman and studied with talented photographers like Cole Weston and George Tice. After years of learning, the former actor eventually became a master of antique photographic processes.
By using different historic/pre-industrial technologies, he explored the intersections of various nineteenth-century photography styles. While exploring, he performed a Wet-Plate process in Ireland and Romania for Guinness commercial and Cold Mountain motion picture.
Barret Oliver (right) in one of his exhibitions (Source: Mtvnimages)
The multi-talented artist wrote articles on photography and contributed to workshops and demonstrations.
He also worked at the Getty Conservation Institute, cataloging the nineteenth-century printing methods by re-construction and scientific examination. His work led to the first-ever documentation of several obscure and significant advancements in graphic technology.
His print works were featured in various gallery/museum exhibitions, publications, and motion pictures.
Oliver even authored a book titled 'A History of the Woodburytype' — the only scholarly analysis of important printing process and the photomechanical industry.
