Gulfport Photographer Brightens Familiar Scenes

By Lynn Taylor

Photographer Larry Busby is well known for his unique aluminum print photos that capture landscapes, sunrises, sunsets and Bay area landmarks. His love of photography began in the Navy where he served as a photographer – but it would be many years before he embraced it as a creative passion and learned to manipulate his photos into unique works of art.

Busby got the idea of transferring his prints to aluminum to retain their vibrancy, something he says paper does not do as well.

“Paper soaks up too much light. When you look at a photo on a computer screen it is bright; then once it’s printed, it’s not quite as bright,” he says. “Aluminum prints

reflect the light back so well, it’s like looking at a computer screen.”

Busby’s more recent work is of the Skyway Bridge at night and a foray into black-and-white photography.

Gulfport Beach Bazaar displays his photographs, and he recently licensed some photos of Gulfport settings on postcards and coffee mugs that will be for sale at Stella’s Sundries. The first week in December, folks can see Busby’s work in the fourth Art Jones studio tour in Gulfport, at the Enroy Foundation, 5814 23rd Ave. S.

Busby’s newest and most personal work is a series of three photographs he created while attending this year’s USF Contemporary Art Museum’s Breaking Barriers, a five-week series of artist-led photography workshops

free for military veterans. This year, there were more than 30 attendees, with classes added to accommodate more veterans. The workshops culminate in a portfolio review, curated exhibition and catalogue.

This year, USF’s Breaking Barriers was selected, along with four other organizations, to be part of Love IV Lawrence’s “The Art of Healing,” which provides art therapy programs for mental wellness.

“The program helps a lot of veterans, particularly those with PTSD,” says Busby. “USF started it for that reason. There was such a huge response that the VA got involved.”

Busby recalls his own difficulties leaving the Navy and how

Of "Marina Blues" Busby says, "My love of water began when my father and uncles took me into a spring-fed creek near my grandmother's farm to teach me to swim. I took to the water immediately and began to doogy paddle. Guess that is why I joined the Navy and where my love of all things nautical began. This photo was taken in my Florida room at my condo overlooking a marina. I wanted a self-portrait with a sunrise, but due to poor weather I decided to create my own inside, looking out. This is my happy place surrounded by all things nautical."

Larry Busby

photography ultimately helped him make a successful transition to civilian life.

“As part of my therapy, it was suggested that I pick up art or get a hobby,” he says. “I hung up my camera when I got out of the Navy, but I used to be a good photographer back in the day.”

Busby discovered that not only had he changed since he left the Navy, but so had photography.

“The Naval photography cameras I used are now in museums,” he says. “Digital was just starting up and I didn’t know a JPEG from a Megapixel. It was a struggle.”

He learned about the Breaking Barriers program three years ago, and attended every year since.

“Professional photographers teach the workshops, so I learned about lighting, including the painted-light technique, which uses a moving light source to add light to a dark subject when taking a long-exposure photograph,” he says. “I also learned how to edit photos.”

This year, there was a new twist: Breaking Barriers told veterans to leave their cameras behind. The program focused on using cell phones to take professional-looking photos. Each attendee submitted a series of three cell phone photos using what they learned in the workshop.

“The photos I submitted used different techniques,” says Busby. “All

were taken with a three megapixel camera, a Samsung Galaxy A20. Apps make the difference and can turn any cell phone into a great camera.”

Attendees wrote a 100-word caption for each photograph, and a longer piece for photos selected to be part of the Breaking Barriers

catalogue. Busby’s photo, “Marina Blues,” was one of them.

The workshop culminates in a virtual exhibition, “Breaking Barriers 2020: Me, Myself and Eye,” which runs December 9 to 11. For more visit ira.usf.edu/CAM or fb.com/ USFCAMfan.

Busby's inspiration for "One Too Many and Then Some": "Ever have a little too much at your favorite watering hole? My inspiration for this photo was wanting to use a timed feature on my camera to capture multiple images. I combined a 30 second exposure with a painted light technique using a held flashlight as I walked across the street at night. So, the results of the shoot were the inspiration for the title."

Larry Busby

"Another Day in Paradise" was inspired, says Busby, by "having to pause for reflection as I prepare for my retirement as a state park ranger. Over the span of 28 years, I have had the pleasure and opportunity to do things that few have. I have helped create a new nature preserve from literally the ground up. As a wildland firefighter, I fought several wildfires to protect my community as well as flora and fauna. I have served as a first responder operating chainsaws and heavy equipment to open communities devastated by hurricanes, so that first responders like fire, police, electrical crews and others could get in."

Larry Busby

Larry’s Tips for Great Pics with Your Phone

Most of us have a phone with a camera – but do you really know how to use it? Larry has some pro tips for us:

“The most helpful tip for me was buying a cell phone mount for a standard photo tripod. This allowed me to use many different techniques such as low-light photography, timed settings for long exposure and professional self-portraits.

“Most cell phones now have a Pro setting. This mode makes it possible to use a cell phone like a regular 35mm camera. It has manual settings that shutter speed and F-stop values as well as other manual settings, giving the photographer total control over the image, not just point and shoot.

“Another thing that helped immensely was learning to use several apps designed for the cell phone to make creative,

professional-quality photographs. There are hundreds of apps that do things such as creating photos that look like they were taken in the 1970s, and will time stamp the photo with a 1970s date.

“One of my favorite, and mostused app is called Snapseed. It is a photo editor that allows the photographer to make corrections just like in a darkroom. It is a pretty sophisticated app for a cell phone.

“Another app is called Camera FV-Lite, which is also free. This app allows for timed longexposure photos and multiple exposures in a low-light setting. It also allows for many other techniques. If your thing is lowlight photography, this is a must have app.”