Photograph by Bill Stanley
Photographer Bill Stanley, whose work is on display at Nirvana salon, asked these young girls in San Pedro, Guatamala, if he could photograph them. They agreed, but did not smile as they were anxious to get on with their business, he said.
By SHARI KAPLAN
Photographer William "Bill" Stanley says he doesn't consider himself an artist in the conventional sense of the word.
The Sunnyvale resident holds a bachelor's degree in history and the rank of captain in the U.S. Marine Corps, and currently sells advertising for several high-technology periodicals. Among his loves, however, is travel, which he records and preserves by way of his other love--photography.
A variety of photographs documenting Stanley's six years' worth of trips to Central and South America, Europe, Asia, Canada, Alaska and the northwestern United States are on display through June 15 at Nirvana salon, located at 224-B N. Santa Cruz Ave.
"I've always been interested in photography, even as a little kid," Stanley says, recalling how he used to run around taking (and later showing) photographs of members of his family. He gained a greater appreciation for the art following some photography classes taken as an adult.
Stanley says he caught the travel bug in part because of the overseas work he did while in the Marines, in which he served for four years after his 1966 graduation from the University of Illinois. Upon leaving the Marines, he traveled through Europe for three months on a Eurailpass. In later work for the State Department, Stanley found himself in Africa. He settled in Silicon Valley in the early 1980s, when the CIA sent him here to monitor illegal transfers of technology to other countries.
"I think people would be much more productive if they could take time off to travel, and come back rejuvenated," Stanley said, explaining that his current jobs working with quarterly publications allow him the freedom to travel that he believes not enough people have.
Last spring and summer, Stanley, his companion, and his dog, Cuzco, set out on three months of driving and camping in Canada and Alaska, including the northwestern United States and Yellowstone National Park along the way. Armed with two cameras--a modern Minolta and a trusty 25-year-old Pentax--"it's a manual camera without all the bells and whistles"--Stanley captured much of the sweeping scenery on film, including mountains, lakes and sunsets.
People and buildings figure more prominently in the photos Stanley took several years ago while wayfaring through Central and South America and Asia. Doors are a recurring motif in Stanley's work, as are locks and windows, as well as still lifes. He also enjoys photographs that involve people, especially children, going about their daily lives.
"I don't like to take pictures of 'canned events.' That's like going to the zoo. I pretty much try to play the role of the unobtrusive tourist," says Stanley, who often goes off the beaten track to capture "real life." He advises that photographers follow local customs, try to blend in and refrain from taking photographs in churches or from photographing anyone who seems unhappy with the arrangement.
He particularly enjoyed photographing in Guatemala, where each village had its own distinctive color and style of clothing, as well as Bali, Indonesia, which he says has some of the most friendly people in the world.
One of Stanley's most recent endeavors is travel writing; he has written a handful of stories and articles on his adventures and is pursuing publication.
He is also trying to establish a photographic presence at coffee shops and other small businesses, including Printers Inc. in Palo Alto and Coffee Critic in Burlingame.
"I'm still trying to find out what I like taking pictures of best. This whole thing is an ongoing experience; it's not static at all," says Stanley, who estimates he snaps between 500 and 1,000 photos on each trip.
"When you're a photographer, you start out taking pictures of what you like, but then you have to think of what sells. I enjoy showing my pictures to different people because they all see different things."
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, April 3, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.