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For photographer, art comes into focus with black, white
The Columbiana man is taking photos for a show on local artists.
EAST LIVERPOOL — Bob Frost can stand between a photograph of a young lady and a photo of a bug.
And both are beautiful.
Both photos are part of the eclectic work of Frost, 52, of Columbiana.
The exhibit is on display at the Mary Patterson Gallery at Kent State University.
Frost got his first camera when he was 10, worked on photography when he was in 4-H, and received a 4-H merit badge for his work when he was 13.
The book, “The Camera,” by legendary photographer Ansel Adams, “really opened my eyes about what you could do with black and white [photography],” Frost said.
He said he went on to read all of Adams’ books. He added that when he was 20, he bought his first serious camera.
The photographer uses a camera that creates a 4-by-5-inch negative, and develops the film using a high-definition agent for black and white prints. The result is a sharp and detailed photograph.
In the case of the bug, the enlarged photo made it interesting. Frost said he has not been able to identify it.
Frost also does color photography. One of the photos he named “Red Sunset” that is on display at the show is of red tree leaves at the height of their autumn color. That photo has won a few awards.
“I generally have a camera with me everywhere I go,” Frost said.
The photographer said he had gone to Niagara Falls one summer and was surrounded by tourists. He went back in winter and took a shot of Horseshoe Falls surrounded by snow and ice.
Several of the photos in the show appear to be thin abstract swirls on a white background. Frost said he was trimming photographs he had made and noticed the paper shavings. Instead of throwing them out, he photographed them.
When he isn’t taking photos, he’s the manager of Gwenn Gary Nursery Inc. in Columbiana. Some of the photos in the display are of flowers planted around his own garden.
“I guess you can say I am attracted to beauty wherever I can find it,” he said.
His next project will be sometime in March at the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown. No date has been set.
Dr. Louis Zona, the Butler’s executive director, described Frost as a “dear man.” Zona said Frost approached him with photos he had taken of local artists and explained he was taking others.
The result, Zona said, will be a show of photos of local artists.
wilkinson@vindy.com