7 minute read
Volunteer Story: From Behind the Lens
By: Jaime Eschette, Director of Marketing and Communications
When it rains in Santa Barbara, a stroll around Santa Barbara Botanic Garden is probably not high on your priority list. But for Greg Trainor, Garden volunteer and Channel Island Professional Photographers Association’s Nature Photographer of the Year (2022), it’s an invitation he simply can’t resist. That’s because, as Greg put it, “When you catch it just right, the rain amplifies the natural beauty of the Garden in a way you can only witness from behind the lens.” He claims some of his favorite pictures were captured in these brief moments between the perfect and even more perfect weather we experience here on the central coast.
Whatever the forecast, Greg loves nature and being in the Garden. You can often catch him roaming the trails with his camera at the ready. So, when we (literally) crossed paths over two and a half years ago, we were thrilled he accepted our invitation to become one of our Garden volunteers. Since then, he has helped us share the power and beauty of native plants through his art of photography. Today, his photos can be found across our website, social channels, and even throughout this magazine.
Photography and nature weren’t always central in Greg’s story. Growing up in a military family mostly in the suburbs of Illinois and Michigan, Greg was accustomed to moving around during his early childhood. As he traveled from place to place, he remembers a time when he explored with his family dog and snapped photos with one of his very first cameras. Once he had a family of his own, he dabbled in “photo safaris” with his children when they were younger and shared an affinity for photography with his wife, Janice. Through these experiences, and Greg’s analytical and inquisitive nature, the seeds were planted for a future in photography. However, it would be many years before this creative hobby would blossom.
In 1993, Greg’s career in information technology and project management brought him and his young family to Tucson, Arizona, where they would spend much of their time exploring nature — hiking on the local trails, biking, and even scuba diving. Yes, scuba diving! Being so close to Mexico, Greg would often take trips south, where he finished his training and is now a certified dive master. In Arizona, a passion for nature emerged and it was there that Greg first fell in love with native plants. His experiences across land and sea during those years also sparked a desire to tell others how important and precious our wild spaces are to our overall health and well-being.
When it was time to look at retirement, Greg and Janice, his wife of 35 years now and still going strong, knew exactly where they wanted to be. Greg was familiar with California, having moved here — and met Janice here — in the late 1980s. So, it was an easy decision to relocate to Janice’s hometown of Santa Barbara, a place that Greg notes, “rival(s) the beauty of the Tucson deserts.” Janice remembered the Garden, though she hadn’t visited in more than 30 years, and knew it would align with Greg’s passion for exploration, nature, and photography.
Greg still remembers the first time he visited the Garden in 2016. He was astounded by the beauty of it all with “this breathtaking meadow and pristine mountain backdrop and the biggest array of native plants” he’d ever seen in one place. He knew during that early visit that he wanted to return, and this would be where he would hone his photography skills and make good on his dream of sharing the beauty of the natural world in the hope of protecting it. In 2021, he was approached by Guest Services and Volunteer Programs Manager Kathy Castaneda to become a volunteer photographer for the Garden. Greg humbly agreed and launched into his first assignment taking pictures of various Garden oaks (Quercus spp.). He’s been going strong since and shares that he truly loves being surprised by what he finds in the Garden.
Through his drive, passion, and technique, Greg has been able to capture the beauty and essence of California’s native plants through photography. And through his dedication as a Garden volunteer, Greg has helped impart our mission to conserve native plants and habitats for the health and wellbeing of people and our planet. Our entire volunteer community has a magnified impact in this way. We are forever grateful for your time and talent in helping to conserve native plants and habitats here in Santa Barbara and beyond — for generations to come. O
Enjoy the Garden and nature through Greg’s eyes by following him on Instagram @sbshutterbug or checking out his website at sbshutterbug.myportfolio.com.
