From Feb. 27 to April 4, the Michael and Noemi Neidorff Art Gallery will be filled with images of the trees and travelers throughout the Redwood forests. The exhibit’s work is by David Woody, an award-winning photographer and lecturer at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt.
Although the photographer did not attend the soft opening on Feb. 27, his friend Adam Schreiber, Trinity professor of photography and event organizer, guided viewers through the monochromatic photographs. While the photos may be in black and white, Schreiber said they evoked the vibrant experience of being immersed in nature.
“If you look at the pictures [carefully], I think that’s a lot like being absorbed in a forest. If you are looking closely, you’ll notice that things are rapidly changing around you,” Schreiber said. “Your own awareness is changing, but also, the things around you change. There is a simultaneity of life occurring at different rates, and you’re one of those elements.”
While the photos may appear to be effortless snapshots, Schreiber emphasized how much skill, effort and luck go into each piece. Lisa Castro Endresen, manager of the Neidorff, said her favorite photo is “Comet Neowise, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Eureka, California.” Thanks to a lucky moment, Woody was able to capture a single comet passing through the sky.
“It’s my favorite piece because we will never, ever see it again. And it was captured so clearly,” Castro Endresen said. “It’s like I got to share that moment.”
Marina Oquendo, senior art history, global Latinx studies and Spanish triple-major, heard about the exhibit from her professors and attended the opening night. Oquendo, who organized an exhibit of Chicane Trinity alumni work at the Neidorff last semester, said she was blown away by Woody’s ability to capture vibrancy and life in his photos.
“It’s just amazing that a camera is capable of doing this — of creating work this beautiful and capturing these things that are so beautiful,” Oquendo said.
The exhibit is free to view during Neidorff’s regular hours. David Woody will visit Trinity to give a lecture on March 19 with Christa Noel Robbins, art history professor at the University of Virginia.
