Customer Reviews

Light and Air: The Photography of Bayard Wootten

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Many times, it's amazing how much "color" can be seen in a black & white photograph - the smile of a child peeking out from under a tattered hand-me-down hat, the knowing look from the eyes of a man who's lived a century and has seen more than he can bear. New Bern, NC born Bayard Wootten, captured this sort of color throughout the 1920s South, creating an artistic record that's both beautiful and many times heartbreaking.

In his book "Light and Air," Jerry Cotten, photographic archivist at the North Carolina Collection, University of North Carolina Library at Chapel Hill, shares the story of Wootten, a determined and independent woman who illustrated local color in a variety of ways, all on black & white film.

Wootten was a trailblazer for women photographers and a true artist behind the lens. She excelled at portraits and landscapes, photographed gardens and architecture, but is best known for capturing the true soul of the 1930's south - the hard working people in the lower reaches of society whom other photographers of the day for the most part ignored.

To our advantage, Cotten stumbled upon two envelopes of Wootten's photography in an out-of-the-way cabinet when he first started working at the North Carolina Collection in 1972. He was, as many are when they first see a Wootten photograph, taken with the artistry of the photos, as well as the subject matter. Since that time he has researched and collected Wootten's work, and lucky for us has produced a book that not only tells about the pioneering lady photographer, but lets the reader see first hand the amazing ability and vision of one of NC's own.

In "Light and Air," Cotten details Wootten's personal and professional life, her early struggle for acceptance in a field dominated by men, as well as Wootten's later involvement in helping herself and other female photographers gain an equal footing in the profession. Many of his sources are family and friends of Wootten who provide personal insight and quotations that add a special touch to the work. But moreover, Cotten lends a great portion of his book to the photographs themselves - pictures that show the true beauty of black and white photography and the amazing ability of Wootten to create a work of art from a subject as simple as a man or woman sitting in a chair.

"Light and Air" features 190 illustrations, including 136 duotone reproductions of Wootten's photographs - many of which have never before been published. These images of Southerners in the lower reaches of society during the 1930s will many times tug at your heart, yet one will quickly notice the dignity and charm in their eyes that inspired Wootten to stop along the road or walk down a dirt path to photograph an otherwise unlikely subject.

"Wootten's artistic skills, her success as an early woman photographer, and a career spanning half a century," Cotten tells us, "have secured her place as a dominant figure in the photographic history of North Carolina."

For a look at the life and work of this talented photographer and independent and inspiring woman, "Light and Air" is a brilliant combination of written text and illustrations. Whether you call North Carolina or New York home, the photo collection alone will make this a book you'll want to own - there's something special and naturally beautiful about each image that will have you looking through the pages again and again.

I wanted to know more about her work. Lovely book.She was a genius before her time and I hate that she had such a hard life. Her pictures speak volumes.

This is a wonderful biography and portfolio of a great photographer of years past. The quality of the photographs is great and have great historical value. I would recommend it.