Pilot photographer’s work to be showcased

TONY DODERO

Photography has always been one of my passions, specifically

photojournalism.

When I was young, my family subscribed to National Geographic and

Life magazines and I kept up a subscription to the latter for most of

my adult life, until it went out of business.

As a college student, I took photojournalism, studying under L.A.

Times photographer Tom Kelsey, and fancied myself as a crack

shutterbug, that is until I went to the work in the real world and

met real photographers -- real photographers like the Daily Pilot’s

Kent Treptow.

Treptow, some may recall, wowed readers last month with his photo

essay of the wildlife, plant life and serene landscapes of the Upper

Newport Bay.

The publication of those photos brought in tons of praise from

readers and community leaders.

And now, those who were wowed by Treptow’s work will get a chance

to purchase some of it, as his outdoor photography will be the

feature of a month-long exhibit this coming May at the

county-operated Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center on the

northern edge of the Upper Newport Bay.

All of which has caught the quiet and reserved Treptow by

surprise.

“All I ever thought was it would be for fun,” he told me this

week. “I figured you guys (the newsroom staff) would like it because

it was really pretty. I wasn’t even going to put it in my portfolio.”

Instead, he’s going to be the feted artist in a show beginning May

15 and lasting an entire month until June 20. There will be a

reception for Treptow before the opening.

“The right people saw it and were impressed enough with it,” he

said.

One of those right people was Dennis Baker, a retired teacher who

is on the Newport Beach Arts Commission.

Baker had one word for Treptow’s photography.

“Wow!”

“I saw the picture on the cover and I thought ‘wow, that’s really

cool’,” Baker said. “When I opened it up to the spread, it just blew

me away. I immediately turned to my wife and said this guy is really

good and I want his work out there.”

Baker went into action trying to track down Treptow for the

exhibit.

Before hooking up with Treptow, though, Baker went up to the

interpretive center and he asked the center’s chief ranger Joanette

Willert if she had seen the photo essay in the Pilot.

He said Willert pointed over to a desk and there was a stack of

about 15 issues from that day.

He said he asked if she’d be interested in an exhibit and she

immediately said yes. When he suggested a weeklong exhibit, she

suggested a month. And the city arts commission has agreed to lend

its name to the exhibit.

“There’s a lot of people out there who want this to happen,” Baker

confided.

So there you have it, our very own Ansel Adams with his very own

exhibit.

Treptow’s photography will be offered for sale and during the time

of the exhibit, he has agreed to provide a percentage of his sales to

the Newport Bay Naturalists and Friends, a group that Baker is also

affiliated with.

And who knows, maybe I can study under the master and renew my

photojournalist passion once again.

*

While we are on the topic of photojournalism, fans of that medium

are in for a treat as Times photojournalist Don Bartletti will be

showing his work this week at Sage Hill School in Newport Coast.

Bartletti won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize in photography for the

Times’ series “Enrique’s Journey: A Boy Left Behind.” He’ll be at

Sage Hill on Thursday as part of the school’s Community Speaker

Series. The event starts at 7 p.m. and the school is at 20402 Newport

Coast Drive in Newport Coast.

Advance tickets are $5 for students and $10 for adults, or $12 at

the door. For reservations and information e-mail [email protected]

or call (949) 219-1395.