Photo Final Book

ANTHONY GUNTERT
PORTFOLIO

To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about
finding something interesting in an ordinary place... I’ve
found it has little to do with the things you see and everything
to do with the way you see them.
Elliott Erwitt, 2015
The bright moon alights like a christmas angel atop the pine tree; where
it provides just enough light to walk by.

ANTHONY GUNTERT
Table of Contents: Page One
Artist Statement: If these photos have a mission, it is this:
capture the beauty within every scene and environment
and present them in an interesting way. It may be a lone
tree in a green carpeted valley or the dark blue of an
ocean wave. I want to call attention to the things that others
ignore, because it is usually the hidden things that are
the most beautiful.
My hope is that these images will stir up unexpected feelings
and thoughts in whomever stumbles upon them. My
choice of subject comes from a place of instinct and is fuelled
by an ardent desire to partake in the stories that unfold
around me. I seek the uncommon photos that may
be invisible if not actively looked for. I like to take photos
of nature’s great balance; of the good and bad that correspond
to each other. I also take delight in photographing
people in their natural ways because I am curious of what
lays behind their eyes.
Through my photos, I share the passage of time and the
inevitability of fate. I have recently begun on an album
of urban landscapes, attempting to use the scenery as
a motif to show the idea of imagined space. This is because
I know that through my viewfinder, I am creating
the world I see.
01
“The Tree Topper”
06
“Stretch”
08
“Andy Warhol Tribute”
09-10
Close-Ups
11-12
Drought Project
13-14
Landscapes

Table of Contents: Page Two
15-16
Studio Shots
17-20
Nature: Black and White
21-24
Sports Photography
25-27
Odds & Ends
28
Bio
Back Cover
“Nectar Pots”
During our outdoor fashion photo shoot, Story sets a laidback pose
resting with her back against a patio pillar.

Potrait
The widows weep beside their limestone husbands in the
churchyard, and he sings.
On a rock, off the coast, alone.
Even the birds stop. Time stops to listen.
He is not a man, not a boy, not a woman, nor a girl-child.
He sings tears and salt, blood and smoke.
He sings love.
He sings the moonlight, spills glow on his
skin, his black hairspray-wet
and glistening.
He sings for a soul he does not know, has never met.
His song is always the same.
“Find me.”
-A.

Blue Bottle:
The small, tightly grouped baby blue leaves of this flower attract my
attention as I walk around the Art Patio.
It’s A Bug’s Life
In this close up, a lazy ladybug sluggishly parades across a broad
green stalk. I watched for three minutes as she crawled and nibbled at
aphids. I named her Ruby.

First Drought Photo
This fallen log is surrounded by snub nosed grass and a few odd weeds.
I find this spot after trudging through a small valley for ten minutes.
Second Drought Photo
In this second installment in the series, weeds and small plants as well as the grass have
begun to grow up and around the fallen log.
Third Drought Photo
Mustard grass and other weeds have almost completely obscured the log from vision. It
has become a yellow field.
Stalking Prey
As I approach my drought project shooting position, I notice a small bird has allighted
atop my fallen log. As I creep towards it in the tall mustard grass, I feel like a tiger stalking
its prey.

Field of Dreams:
When I shoot with a slightly slow ISO for the current light I capture a
dreamy yellow landscape, similar to those described by the ancient
settlers of the timeless steppes.
Larkmead:
As I am leaving my shooting area, I decide to do a small series of closeups
on these almost violently yellow flowers and am rewarded with
this.

Bashful
Slightly embarrassed, Chloe doesn’t realize the radiance in her smile. Throughout this
studio shoot, Chloe refused to believe that she looked good in any light. I believe these
prove her wrong.
Slightly
Feigning embarrassment, Miles pretends to hide his face.
Simply Smiles
A sarcastic masking smile covering the uneasiness within. With a little added light by way
of directional lamps, I am able to brighten only one side of the face.
Hazy
Looking off to her left at a comment from Miles, Chloe gives a good frontal view of her
face. This is a hard shot to get, when people aren’t preparing their faces.

Entranceway To The Fairy Kingdom
Come away with me to the fairy land. Come away my angels, to the cliffs of fairy isle,
while night is still anew. Walk under the arch which has protected us these many years.
Don’t let the wayward branches slow you down.
Peter’s Cross
The sacrifice of a friend...and the headrush of decay. This photo from the Santa Cruz
mountains is a metaphor for the sins of man.
The Bubbling Brook
On a hardwood trail in the Santa Cruz Mountains, a small brook rushes to and fro, wrapping
around rock and fallen logs like a gleeful imp, washing everything smooth.
The Straight & Narrow
Down a winding mountain forest path I tread, careful not to trip on little exposed roots
that periodically popped up along my way. Covered by banks of trees on both sides, I
wandered into the gorge.

The Goblin’s Game:
Morning and evening, Maids heard the goblins cry: “Come buy our
orchard fruits, come buy, come buy”: for we have your eternal treasure.
Here in this secluded pocket of dense tree roots, Goblins reside, blocking
out the sun.
Tips:
I am the Redwood. Grant me deep roots. Solid branches. Let the fires
pass me by. Let generations of squirrels and blue jays hop on my limbs.
Let me breathe fog, chew sunlight and look down upon my world, a
giant. This is the world of trees, where fires cleanse and human
ambitions are dwarfed.

Exhaustion
During the baseball team’s first game against Orcutt Academy, I try to document their
physical and emotional feelings. At the bottom of the fifth, Gavin trots offield looking
down and out.
Infield Fly
Number twenty four trots in for an easy out on a high flier.
Power
Our power pitcher lithely throws a scorcher towards the opposing batter.
Rejuvenation
Gavin finds his second wind on his fifth at-bat during the sixth inning.

Safe At Second:
Number twenty-three slides in for a dusty “safe” at second.
Yerrrrrrr OUT!:
Spencer narrowly clinches the out by tagging the sliding runner from
Orcutt. This was a close game with each team continually one-upping
each other for a final score of 10-9 Orcutt.

Sunlight
Durign our fashion shoot in a small farm near Los Olivos, Chloe strikes a confident pose,
and with the help of a little directional light, positively glows.
Surf’s Up!
During Spring break, my family and I go down to my Grandma’s old house in Santa Cruz
where on the rocks in front of the house I witness these two boys preparing to dive into
the water and swim to the beach.
Old Camera Shoot
A simple studio shoot using light and shading in lightroom. I try for an old-timey
magazine look but in color.
Mercury
In a field near Los Olivos, an antique pink Mercury lies abandoned but beautiful in the
tall grasses.

God’s Reckless Grace:
A warm haze of purifying rain drizzles over the Ria Bellore next to Saint Mark’s square in
Venice, Italy. This was taken right after a major storm.
My Bio
Anthony Guntert grew up in Stockton, California and has
been traveling since he was a baby, taking pictures on
those trips since the age of seven. His parents have no
photography experience but he picked up his camera on
his own. He loves taking shots of buildings, monuments,
close-up nature shots, and urban photography. He is currently
a sophomore at the Dunn School in the wonderful
wine country of Los Olivos, California.
The Vineyard:
At dusk in an old vineyard, carpeted in gnarly brambles and vines that creep ever so
slowly through the ground, I find a stand of trees apart from the rest that seem to blend
into the soil with the setting light of the sun.

This photo portfolio was made by Anthony Guntert
for Ms. McEnroe’s Photo 1 Class