Editor's note: Last year, Gulfport artists organized and hosted a home studio tour, ArtJones. Over the course of one weekend, anyone interested in seeing how artists work could walk, bike or drive to home studios featuring Gulfport's working artists. These artists may or may not be well-known locally, but they're all working artists. This go 'round, meet photographer Larry Busy. Here he is, in his own words:
Drop and give me 7200 Kodachromes!
I am Larry Busby and I am a fine art photographer.
Instead of printing on paper, my work is etched into aluminum. I prefer aluminum because of its light-reflective quality. Paper tends to absorb light and flatten colors, where aluminum reflects the light creating a vivid, bright three-dimensional look.
My love of photography began in high school. Shortly after graduating, I decided to join the Navy, where I attended the Naval Schools of Photography. During my military career, I was exposed (no pun intended) to a world of unique photographic challenges and experiences. I have used just about every type of camera and photographic equipment you can imagine. As a young navy photographer, I met and worked with photographers both military and civilian with many different specialties and points of view. All of this shaped the way I see through the lens. I met a National Geographic photographer while stationed in Bermuda. He was happy to share his tips and tricks with this young military photographer.
I was mesmerized. This was the holy grail of photography. One of the many things he shared was the number of frames he would shoot to get one or two usable images for the magazine. He would burn through 200 rolls of 36 exposures, that’s 7,200 Kodachrome slides. That's always stayed with me. I shoot hundreds of frames to get the one great shot that wows everyone. These days with digital, it is affordable for anyone to do. The only downside is the hours and sometimes days spent editing on the computer to get that perfect image.
One of the tips I give beginning photographers is to capture sunrises, not sunsets, for their vibrant colors. The camera lens sees light differently from the human eye. Sunrises have a cleaner and more crisp light because the day's dust from traffic, construction and other human activity has settled overnight. My photographs, especially my sunrises, are often mistaken for paintings until they are inspected up close, and I believe it is due to this light quality.
There are no rules, only the laws of physics apply and those can sometimes be bent. For me, photography is a form of meditation and a Zen-like experience. I can be out in the field for six or seven hours without even realizing it. I often shoot alone to avoid the distraction of knowing someone is waiting on me. The most important tip I pass on to all budding photographers is to simply have fun.
I am Larry Busby. I am ArtJones.
ArtJones is an annual open studio tour of Gulfport’s professional arts community. 2018 dates are Saturday and Sunday, December 1-2. This series features the musings of ArtJones artists.
This article appears in Nov 15-22, 2018.