Press

The Arizona Republic Newspaper – Article written by Ty Young

Bob Estrin stands in the center of the San Marcos Hotel courtyard, considered by some as the most picturesque spot in downtown Candler.  The longtime landscape photographer peers at the sun through the lush leaves and flowers and is met with a thought.
  
“No, it’s just not right,” he said.  “Maybe an hour ago or a month ago, but not right now. Estrin 48, has been here before.  Like other professional photographers, he often knows what he wants before even looking into the viewfinder.

When he moved from Ahwatukee Foothills to Gilbert two years ago, photography was just a passion that supplemented a sedentary and admittedly docile computer systems analyst job.
But in the past five years, he has turned his passion into a profession.  Along with teaching numerous seminars throughout the Valley, Estrin is a popular photographer who can find an image where none seems to exist.

“Bob has a great sense of composition,” said Candee Lewis, exhibitions and arts specialist at Chandler’s Vision Gallery.  “In some of his images, he takes subjects that seem ordinary and non-descript and turns them into something beautiful.”

Estrin and 14 other local artists will show their work Saturday at the Rowena Theatre in Chandler.  The historic Chandler building is now used by di Sciacca, a specialty retail store featuring mouth-blown, hand crafted glassware and unique ceramics.
Showing his work is nice, Estrin said.  But getting into the environment – rural or urban – is what drives him.

“I like to get off the beaten path and shoot things that others haven’t,” he said.  “Sometimes it involves shooting things in ways others haven’t  thought  of.”

Walking from the opulent hotel courtyard, Estrin turns his attention to a simple, unnamed building nearly 100 yards from the courtyard.  He picks up his tripod and camera and saunters down the road, stopping every few paces to squint down the road.
 
He has found his subject – a 40-yard walkway bounded by eight ionic Greek columns.  The afternoon sun shines down on the roof, a series of parallel wooden beams slicing a ladder line shadow pattern along the walkway.

It is here, next to a building with no name and an out-of-place walkway, that Estrin finds his shot.  His image will be artistic, but his explanation still hints of his computer and cubical days.

“I am excited about the power and magic of photography and its ability to capture my own unique selective perception of the moment in a form that I can share with others,” he says.

At his most recent seminar a landscape photography class at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park in Superior, Estrin detailed some of the finer points of landscape photography.  When teaching, he tries to inspire others to see the world for themselves.

But he will also step in to lend a guiding hand.  “I don’t want to tell them how to take pictures,” he said.  “I just want to give them the perspective from a more trained eye.”

Photography tips from Bob Estrin