Some of the images are hard to pinpoint at first. A speck of red stands out in a cluster of black matter. A broken branch stretches out into a stark sky. In another, a cluster of twisted and fragile paper-like eucalyptus stand out against a tranquil blue sky.
For such a straightforward organism, trees can be some of the most visually complex and awe-inspiring subjects to photograph. This year, for its annual nature photography competition, the Wildling Museum in Solvang sought to capture the particular artistic oddity of the silent giants that loom above us.
The museum received more than 160 entries for the annual competition, featuring artists from all over the Central Coast, including San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. Each entry offered a unique visual perspective.
One of the big winners at the competition this year was Bob Canepa, a retired Atascadero schoolteacher and full-time photographer. Canepa won first place for his work Strength, a stunning infrared black and white image.
But don’t look to the artist for excited celebrations of victories. Canepa is reserved and humble about awards.
Through his Facebook page, Canepa shares images of the slivers of landscape and wildlife he captures in his lens with a breezy casualness. He writes endearingly of his love of places such as Yosemite and Mono Lake, documenting his travels back and forth to SLO and his favorite spots.
“It speaks to something in my soul,” he said. “You’re just smitten by what you’re able to see. It’s really hard to describe. You’re in a special place; it’s just you alone. Something forms in front of you and then you have a special relationship with the subject.”
Canepa credits the children he taught for getting him into photography in the first place. He was tasked with taking a class photo one day but didn’t have a camera to get the job done.
“A couple of [students] said, ‘So get one,'” he said. “It just cracked me up. So I got a camera.”
Awards for first, second, and third place were given at an opening reception in honor of the exhibit on Jan. 15. Winners in the adult competition included first-place winner Canepa; Gary Robinson, who earned second place for Sycamore and Cottonwood Fall Leaf Mix—Dash of Redwood; and Stephen Sherrill, who took third place for Paper Bark Tree. Honorable mentions included Robert Houchens for Tree on a Ridge and Lynn Hanson for Raven.
For the second year in a row, the museum also held a competition for photographers under the age of 17. Winners in the junior competition included Ali Stein’s first-place photo Crazy Hair Day, Sierra Fermin-Block who nabbed second for Nature’s Stairway, and third-place winner Karli Campiglia for Pop of Luck. Honorable mentions in the junior category also included Georgia Miller with Leaves and another piece from Fermin-Block titled Bare Roots.
Fermin-Block said she first learned of the Wildling’s junior competition in 2016 and was excited to participate. She said she mostly does photography as a hobby but plans to pursue it professionally in the future. Bare Roots was taken on Figueroa Mountain during a trip with Fermin-Block’s sister.
“I saw that the soil had eroded under the tree and you could see the roots,” she explained. “I came up a few weeks later took some pictures. It was really exciting because I knew I found the perfect image for the competition.”
Fermin-Block said she seeks out photographs that are unexpected and unique. She said she likes to train her eye to look beyond the obvious and find what speaks to her.
“I like things that people don’t usually notice, like small details or things that aren’t eye level,” she said. “When people see those pictures they see things they’ve never noticed. That’s my favorite way to take pictures.”
Much of the work in the competition hangs in the second floor gallery at the Wildling Museum, situated near the oak habitat mural created by artist John Iwerks. Work from junior competitors can be viewed in the Barbara Goodall Education Center.
“It’s nice to have your work seen by people who are not local,” Canepa said. “I do like getting out there and showing people what I’ve done.”
Arts and Lifestyle writer Rebecca Rose never shows her bare roots. Contact her at rrose@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jul 20-27, 2017.