Meet the Artist: Robert Henry

Robert Henry’s photography has been nontraditional in contemporary times. Henry did not go to a fine art institution of learning, rather, he sought out professional mentors to teach him what they thought made them successful.

Many of these professionals were affiliated with Eastman Kodak Company, and Henry considered himself lucky to know one of the Kodak employee photographers who travelled the world to shoot photos for National Geographic, which was invaluable to him for obtaining tips on how to photograph wildlife. The relationships Henry had with these professionals in his early years were more like a master and apprentice relationship.

As times passed, computers and the internet provided Henry with access to vast changing technology in digital photography. Henry receives emails every week from National Geographic Society and daily photo uploads from Instagram.

Henry’s knowledge about wildlife began when he was in grade school with his father teaching him about fishing the native species and trapping muskrats & mink. His teachings included annual changes and lifecycles of local wildlife and how time of day, weather, climate and season affected wildlife behavior. Twice Henry attended NYSDEC Conservation Education Camp at Rushford, where he learned about New York state birds, mammals, fishes and other species. Later, for multiple decades he fished and hunted small game, big game and migratory waterfowl.

As time passed he put away his guns and archery gear and started his photography journey with a 35mm film camera. He later advanced to digital photography and computer processing and printing. He took night school classes at a community dark room with four different instructors who were professionals in their fields of expertise.

Henry’s landscape photography developed over the years by experience in the field and reading books and magazines on outdoor photography, as well as regional magazines like “Adirondack Life” and “Life in the Finger Lakes.” Traveling in the United States, Canada and Western Europe has become a learning experience in photographing varying landscapes.