BRATTLEBORO — Mary White takes joy from walking the streets downtown, seeing familiar faces during her daily routine. She also takes an extra second to snap a photo of something that catches her eye.
The retired librarian will present her photo series, “Downtown Reflections,” at the Brooks Memorial Library on Wednesday, Feb. 26, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Ever thought about seeing something without looking at the real thing? That's how White describes the final selection of approximately 100 images that capture downtown streets and buildings as reflected in - and abstracted by - a store window, a puddle, or a car hood.
In the photos, all taken between October and early January, people will find new ways of seeing and thinking about their familiar local environment.
A photo a day
White's photographic journey started a little over two years ago when she posted her first series of photos, “Brattleboro Street Art,” on Facebook.
“I did a post a day and I probably did 60 or 70 photos,” White says. “And people really enjoyed it.”
When taking photos, White has learned that not all shots can be winners, but by trying a different time of day or a new angle, she might give a photo everything it needs to become one.
This past September, White went to Portugal on a photography trip with Pete Souza, formerly the chief official White House photographer for President Barack Obama and the director of the White House Photo Office.
Souza offered guidance and mentoring to tour participants.
“That helped me focus a little more on lighting, taking my time, [and] setting up a photo [...] to make sure I got the right shot,” White said.
White said that with most of the photos she has posted in her “Downtown Reflections” series, locals can identify exactly where it was taken.
For the most part, she said, the photos are unretouched from her original phone images. Some she has manipulated into photoillustrations with Prisma, a photo editing app that can add artistic effects.
She said that, in the process of taking the images, she asked herself questions like “Why does it have to be a store window? Why can't it be a puddle? Why can't it be a mirror? Why can't it be a reflection on a copper tea kettle?”
White explained that the media have a tendency to point out the bad things in a community, and with that being noted, she saw her photography as a way to show the good in her town that makes her proud of where she lives.
“Part of the reason why I started the first one, 'Street Art,' and why I'm doing this one, is because every town has its problems, but Brattleboro I think works really hard,” White said. “Lots of people work really hard to try to make things be better.”