by Erin Zabarnick
Staff Writer
Photographer David Paul Bayles spoke to students about his work and signed books at a special reception recently in the University of La Verne’s Carlson Gallery.
Bayles’ exhibit “Urban Forest: Images of Trees in the Human Landscape” is being held in the University of La Verne’s Carlson Gallery through April 1.
“It was a delight to talk with students because they were interested in the philosophy and content of the pictures more than the technique parts,” said Bayles.
Bayles has been taking photographs of trees in cities and suburbs for more than 20 years. He also owns and operates Fine Portraits, a portrait studio in Seal Beach, California.
Gary Colby, professor of photography, saw Bayles work in his Sierra Club Magazine and liked his work so much he wanted to share it with the people of La Verne.
Bayles’ work has also been published in Architectural Record, Outdoor Photographer, and the Los Angeles Times Magazine among other publications.
Oddly enough, Bayles used to be a logger. He logged for four years to pay his way through college and become a photographer.
As time went on, he began to look at his surroundings and became inspired.
Bayles had a conflicted soul, wanting to save and preserve trees, while cutting them down to survive. In the preface of his book, “Urban Forest,” Bayles writes, “In researching society’s relationship to trees, I learned that, while the average family has shrunk somewhat since 1950, the average size of a new, single-family home has more than doubled. Today, a majority of Americans describe themselves as environmentalists, but how many of us bother to recycle our newspapers? Society condemns loggers, but it demands more and more lumber and paper. I had been a logger. How was it that I had begun to think like an environmentalist?”
Colby inspires his students in class to take a closer look at their surroundings.
“I have thought for a long time about humans in the environment from where we emerge and create,” he said. “Every time we spit we change the world.”
“I want people to open their eyes to nature,” Bayles said.
“I think most people think of nature as the national forest and parks but I want them to see the nature in their front yards,”
The message of the exhibit is to see the world in a whole new light. It is not meant to inspire people to start saving trees but for people to notice how we change our environment every day.
Deborah Nunez, administrative assistant said, “It’s disturbing to see our environment ravished that way.”
“I like that he is a working man. I like that he takes pictures not asking you to take sides but he comments on how we treat nature,” said Colby. “He has good technique and his book ask more question then it gives answers.”
All of the photographs are of trees but their surroundings are completely different. There are pictures where logging has destroyed forest, a picture of a huge oak that stands in the middle of an intersection and a beautiful tree behind a tire dumping ground.
“I think the photographer did a great job. He was really able to get across the meaning of his photographs and what we are doing to nature,” said Kelly Cruz, freshman liberal studies major.
Andi Nunez, senior, said, “I think the photographs were well taken and I understand the meaning of a few of the pictures but some had no meaning to me at all and others were just deep.”
Bayles said, “The pictures are a lot like portraits and each tree can be replaced with a person. I think the way we treat our environment is a reflection on how we treat other people.”
Erin Zabarnick
