Printer Friendly Version - Bob White's Photography Benefits GLCT

Bob White shares photographs capturing remarkable scenes in Guilford nature (like this beautiful print featuring water lily leaves framed in a reflective North Guilford lake) at a special exhibit at Cilantro's now through February. Proceeds from sales of professional prints, and Bob's small photo book, benefit Guilford Land Conservation Trust.

Whether he's leading hiking or canoe trips in the Western United States or Europe or simply trekking through the great Guilford outdoors in his hometown, Bob White has an eye for all seasons-and his camera to capture it.

This week, a new exhibit of Bob's breathtaking local landscapes-featuring Guilford open spaces or focusing on the features, themselves (such as highly defined, mercurial splashes of silver water racing down rocks in a Westwoods stream)-has been mounted at Cilantro Specialty Foods, 85 Whitfield Street. Proceeds from sales of each exquisite print, as well as those from Bob's self-published small book of his Guilford photos, will benefit non-profit Guilford Land Conservation Trust (GLCT).

Born in Guilford, Bob moved to Branford when he was three, growing up there at a time when it was "more rural, and you could ride your bike anywhere in town," Bob recalls.

Thanks to his grandfather (for whom he is named), Bob cultivated a love of the outdoors, and the ability to appreciate its various vistas and creatures, from a very early age.

"He fished, camped, canoed, and was a passionate bird watcher and photographer," says Bob, who later in life became a birder, capturing many in photos with birding trips to Africa, Europe, and Central and South America (he now participates regularly in New Haven Bird Club activities).

While Bob didn't take up fishing, he loved to walk in the woods with his grandfather and recalls being fascinated by ponds and streams-and endlessly entertained by the turtles and snakes he'd find at these natural waterscapes. Even after he graduated from Branford High School and left the area for college and medical school, Bob came back to the woods and shoreline he loved as a kid, returning in 1975 to study psychiatry at Yale. By the mid-1980s, he and his wife, Charlotte, found the ideal parcel of land in the Guilford woods on which to build their family home.

"It's a wooded area that abuts the Nut Plains Woods," says Bob, who has dozens of acres of preserved GLCT woodlands stretching past in his backyard.

Bob's first step toward outdoor advocacy arrived when he became active with the successful campaign to turn back Guilford Golf Course from proposed development at Timberlands. He soon joined GLCT and volunteered with the trails committee, helping to mark trails in Nut Plains Woods.

Bob is someone who not only hikes in Guilford, but also leads some pretty amazing hiking, canoeing, and even sea-kayaking trips. This summer, he'll lead a portaging hike in Ontario, Canada, for the Appalachian Mountain Club, carrying two-man canoes from lake to lake with a group of 6 to 12.

He'll also be canoeing in England's Lake District and peak climb England's tallest mountain edifice, which "mirrors Mt. Washington in difficulty," Bob notes.

He's taken sea-kayak trips in Mexico and leads kayaking expeditions launching from Stony Creek and other points in the summer months.

"I lead a lot of Connecticut trips all over the coast," says Bob, adding that if he's hiking, "I'm taking my camera."

During his high school, university, and post-grad years, Bob tried his hand at photography, but recalls, "It was hard work in those days, when it was still film and dark room processing. I took it up again when digital cameras along."

When he was out in nature, Bob began to bring along his digital camera and tripod because, as he says, "you never know when you're going to see something really good."

Bob's photography is strongly influenced by the Chinese practice of Taoism as well as Japanese Zen Buddhism.

Noting that painting in the Tao or Zen style is done with a brush and black ink as the artist strives for the wabi-sabi aesthetic (which Bob describes as "the depiction of transience and imperfection"), Bob says he brings that ideal to his photography.

"It refers to the loneliness of living in nature. Sabi literally means 'rust' and depicts the beauty of imperfection. These are the qualities that I would like to capture in a photograph," he says.

"Light comes in countless qualities and will set the mood of the image," explains Bob. "Mid-day light is harsh and yellow, leading to sharp contrasts. Early-morning and late-afternoon light is softer and often has blue or orange tones. Cloudy days present an even light, but often the sky is quite bright. Then there is the light of fog or snow. The cold and crisp weather of winter gives a different light from the hot and humid summers. In composition, I am always trying to express yin and yang: foreground and background, the flow of water and the stillness of the bank, earth and sky, darkness and light."

Finally, Bob strives for technical perfection with proper contrast and sharpness of the image. He always uses a tripod to ensure a razor-sharp shot. Bob also taught himself the complexities of Photoshop and uses the program to gather all of these fine details into the final form. Now, many of those images are ready to help further the fine efforts of GLCT (to learn more about GLCT, visit www.guilfordlandtrust.org).

About three years ago, "I was searching for a direction to take my photography," Bob says. "Documenting the outdoors of my hometown would allow me to explore the diverse sections of the town in all seasons. The idea of benefiting the Guilford Land Conservation Trust also came to me at that time, but I wanted to wait to gather a body of work before deciding how it might be used."

Now, Bob has selected at least 12 of the prints, professionally printed for framing, which he feels best capture the wilds of Guilford for his exhibit at Cilantro's. The exhibit will remain in place through February.

"The idea is to have different areas in Guilford, in different seasons, with different sets of light," says Bob.

He's also just published a small photo book, Wild Places in Guilford, with wonderful reproductions of his local photography that's being made available through the same exhibit.

This marks Bob's first public display of his photography, and he says he is very grateful to Cilantro's for providing the public space and to GLCT President Sarah Williams, who helped champion the effort to hold the exhibit here.

"I approached the land trust about a year ago to offer my photography to help raise funds, and Sarah came up with the idea of asking Cilantro's," says Bob.

The professionally processed and printed 11- x 14-inch color images, signed by Bob, are matted (framing available) and being offered for $100 per print. The book is available for $45 per copy. All proceeds after printing costs will go to GLCT.

"Guilford is so blessed in having all of this open space," says Bob, who feels strongly that "these open spaces are one of Guilford's greatest assets and need to be preserved."

Prints and books from Bob White's exhibit to benefit GLCT may also be ordered by sending an email query to