By Lauren McSherry
 Deane Little, a Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District board member, displays one of his photos. The Committee for Green Foothills will honor Little for his work Oct. 2. |
Los Altos resident Deane Little is probably best known locally for his work as a political activist and environmental steward. What most people don’t know about Little is that he is a rising amateur photographer.
Little has served on the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District’s board since 1998 and is well-regarded for his work leading non-profit organizations. On Oct. 2, the Committee for Green Foothills will honor Little for his nature photography with the 2005 Jane Gallagher Award. Although the award includes a small cash prize, it is most important for the recognition it brings to Bay Area artists. Little is among seven other regional artists to be honored.
“The event honors all the artists and photographers whose work conveys the beauty of the natural world and inspires people to protect scenic landscapes and natural resources,” said Joan Sherlock, committee board member and juror for the competition.
The Oct. 2 fund-raiser will include an auction and an exhibit, “Nature’s Inspirations: Celebrating the Arts,” featuring work by the award winners. The auction will include one of Little’s prints and a two-day photography workshop led by him.
Photography is Little’s longtime hobby. “I started in college many years ago,” he said. “And then I took a long break from it. I would take my camera on vacation with me, but I wasn’t seriously into photography.”
Then, last winter, Little bought a digital camera and got hooked. As a district board member, he was familiar with much of the Santa Cruz Mountains,
where he takes the majority of his pictures.
He submitted five photographs taken on district land to the art competition. His images reveal an intimacy and sensitivity to the surrounding landscape, which Little has acquired from years spent hiking there. He takes his camera with him wherever he goes these days, and many of his shots are taken in his favorite preserves - Russian Ridge, Montebello, Long Ridge and Windy Hill.
“I’ve spent a lot of time wandering our preserves and I’ve gone off-trail to see more of the district’s 50,000 acres,” he said.
The titles of the photographs are a testament to the unique and fleeting moments Little has captured, such as “Breaking Storm,” one of the winning entries, a dramatic shot of an autumn ridgeline beneath gathering storm clouds.
“These moments are fleeting,” Little said. “You can be out there a long time and not get an image.”
Little received a perfect score from jurors judging the entries. They judged the submissions not only on their strong visual appeal, but also according to how well they matched this year’s theme: celebration of coastal art and photography.
“His photos definitely reflect the beauty and capture perfect moments of landscapes from the San Mateo coast,” Sherlock said. “We felt his work captured the breadth and beauty of the coast we love and work to protect.”
Some of Little’s best photographs have been taken at sunrise or sunset.
“It’s beautiful low-angle light,” he said. “In August I was getting up before dawn. There’s something incredibly fresh (about that time of day) and how the animals and plants react when the first light hits.”
The award is given in memory of Jane Gallagher, a dedicated committee board member and celebrated painter, and recognizes another artist whose work, like Gallagher’s, honors the places, people and organizations that inspire the protection of open space. Little’s work was selected out of 31 submissions by other artists.
Other artists to be honored are Robert Buelteman, Barbara Kossy, William K. Matthias, Mariellen Baker, Jim Caldwell, Mary Kay S. Jolley and Floy Zittin.
The fund-raiser will be held at The Ranch in Half Moon Bay. An art and photography exhibition and sale is scheduled for 4-6:30 p.m. The program and live auction begins at 5 p.m.
Tickets for the event are $75 and must be purchased in advance. For more information, visit www.greenfoothills.org or call 968-7243.
