Vermont Social and Natural Commentary in Black and White

Vermont Photos

Vermont's rich cultural and environmental history is captured visually in black and white still photography. Each of these images offers a distinct glimpse or glance at Vermont life. Some images portray non-human subjects ranging from animals to landscapes to architecture. Several are macro, or close up, shots of Vermont's minutia. None of the images are portraits, which is significant because it allows the viewer to perceive Vermont without the added lens or filter of social life.

An image of a Pullman Car appears in green and fills the frame. The composition suggests movement, as the horizontal lines of the rail car and the tracks beneath it all move in the same directions. The original Pullman Palace cars were decorated ornately on the inside. Yet the viewer is invited to look inside at the big green Pullman Sunbeam, which rolled into Manchester in Spring of 2012 from South Carolina. The moving work of art suggests the continuity of cultures in the United States and the color is evocative of Vermont.

A series of black and white images adds an ironic twist to the naturally verdant hills that Vermont is famous for. The upper left image is of a peaceful cow in the middle of winter after a snowstorm. The cow looks directly at the viewer, and is undeterred by the barbed wire. His presence symbolizes the pastoral lifestyle and rural landscape of the state.

A series of macro shots are paradoxical, in that they depict flowers in black and white. Flowers symbolize bursts of color. Therefore, these flowers ask the viewer to contemplate what is missing from the picture. Vermont winters can be dark and gloomy; perhaps these are suggestions that even from the darkness of winter, spring emerges. On the other hand the opposite could be true. During the heat of summer when the flowers are fully in bloom, the darkness of winter will soon descend. One of the macro images is also of a tree fungus, asking the viewer to pay close attention to the details in the forest. It is too easy to miss the small details of Vermont, amid the lush rolling hills that captivate the eye in the background.

Water streaming from a pipe reminds us of the lifeblood of our community. Vermont is blessed with clean water and this image reminds us of that fact. Framed so that the viewer thinks only of the water, there is a sense of purpose and movement in the image. This image is juxtaposed with tree trunks covered with snow in the winter, and their tubular forms are reminiscent of the hose. The stark white background allows the gray scale trunks to stand out strongly. Water is the theme and subject of two other images that celebrate the beauty of Vermont's lakes. One composition shows an old downed tree trunk pointing to the center of the lake. Its sawed off limbs and its compromised position belies the strength and evergreen beauty of the forest. The camera perfectly captures the way Vermont winters offer a contrast between stark whites and rich saturated greens.

In keeping with the winter theme, a clever composition of icicles is almost tangible. The photograph captures the texture of the ice, with its hairy filaments. A curious rodent takes a peek at the photographer. Its beady eyes are framed in the shot and the viewer meets his gaze.