Bob Younger
Bob Younger has been photographing since the mid-60’s when he traded his grade-school Brownie Starmite for a 35mm rangefinder. He picked up a 4×5 in the late 60’s and has been working in larger formats ever since. Artistically, his work has gone from dramatic landscapes to closer, more abstract or metaphorical images. In the 20-30 years Bob has discovered the value of spending time with a subject, of developing an understanding of a place or objects, and their relationship to him and the world. This has led to a realization that there is an inherent interconnectedness between the photographer, the subject, the photograph and the person who views the image; that there is an interdependence of all things in the world. The photographer must develop a mindful understanding of his or her relationship to the larger world and to the subject of the photograph; and must wait on that understanding.
Artist’s Statement
I’ve been photographing since early childhood, but it took me decades to understand why I’ve always felt compelled to make photographs. Finally, I realized there was something about the process itself that I found emotionally and spiritually fulfilling. Fully engaging with whatever I was photographing, I felt an overwhelming sense of completeness. I found through the years that large format cameras helped me to slow down, to pay attention, to be much more present with what I was photographing. I realized somewhat after the fact that photographing had become my means of meditation.