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| In Photos & Phrases, Robert Bonanno Shares Some Fire Island 'Lessons from the Beach' |
by Bruce-Michael Gelbert
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Photo courtesy
of Robert Bonanno |
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| Book Cover |
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Been invited to dinner in Fire Island Pines or Cherry Grove and at a loss about what to bring as a host or hostess gift? Suddenly have to come up with a tasteful birthday present? The Pines' Robert Bonanno has assembled a selection of his beautiful photos and observations they inspire into a sensitive slim volume entitled, "Lessons from the Beach," and subtitled, "Reflections from Fire Island," and that may be just the solution you're seeking.
"Working in the beauty industry as a salon owner, retail consultant, and a hairdresser[, Bonanno] is always looking for the next creative outlet," the book jacket informs us. Priced at $22.95 and available from businesses in the Pines and Grove and on the South Shore or from www.lulu.com, the glossy paperbound book, his recent such outlet, includes his striking views of the ocean, sunset, Fire Island flora and fauna, a rainbow, found objects on the beach, the walks in the Pines and Grove, and the annual Grove Invasion of the Pines and his thoughts as he contemplates these images.
Shortly before Fire Island season started, I chatted with Robert about his new "Lessons from the Beach: Reflections from Fire Island."
Q News: What camera do you use?
RB: A compact Olympus digital camera, 5 years old, which was a gift.
Q News: Your book focuses on the peaceful, beautiful aspects of Fire Island-the breathtaking sunset, the beach, the swans. Just two photos include people's faces-the one of the boatload of cross-dressing Invaders from the Grove on the Fourth of July, 2005 and the one of people on the dock watching the setting sun. What led you to choose those particular pictures of people and why did you decide to exclude others you may have that show people's faces?
RB: I tried to keep people anonymous, because Fire Island is a place where people come to get away from everyday life and I try to respect people's privacy. The Invasion photo is about the people. If you know anything about the Invasion, you know that "We all have the right to be who and where we are" is not only the story, but our way of life. That's what the picture said to me. In the sunset picture, I wondered about that first sunset onlooker ...
Q News: Well, he was in a public place.
RB: Exactly.
Q News: "Creativity is seeing art in the ordinary," you've written, and your photos include footprints in the sand, some broken seashells, and even broken boards on the walk. What draws you to such images?
RB: The first picture that started this book is of the tire tracks in the sand. I said to myself, "I want to get my camera." The words followed immediately. This book is a labor of love. It was originally intended to be a gift to my ex-boyfriend and ended up being a tribute to him and the beach. The broken boards on my walk-that's Sky Walk. I said, "I just have to get my camera"-seeing something so ordinary, it can become an art piece.
Q News: Your photos were taken in the Pines. Do you feel that your "Lessons from the Beach" will appeal to people in the Grove as well? to people in Fire Island communities beyond the Pines and Grove?
RB: Absolutely. This book is about the beach. Does it focus on our beaches in the Grove and Pines? Yes, but the pictures could be anywhere. The beach is beautiful. There are seven pictures from the Grove in that book. One includes a sign that mentions the Grove Dunes Fund. The one of some Adirondack chairs was taken in Grove. The one with the rainbow is of Greene Walk. The beach is a place that resonates with everyone, gay and straight. I have sold many of my books to clients in the salon. The greatest success of this book will people getting it.
Q News: Getting it as in obtaining it or as in understanding it?
RB (laughing): Both actually, but mostly, understanding and embracing it. When other people appreciate it is when it becomes valuable.
Q News: Do you prefer Fire Island when it's quiet or when it's bustling with activity?
RB: I love both of them. I think that's the great thing about Fire Island. Fire Island can be whatever you want it to be. You can be reading a book on the beach at 4 o'clock as things are just starting to bustle in the town, when it's getting ready for Tea Dance. I like both sides of the coin. My favorite time is in the morning when I get a cup of coffee and my dog, Chaos, and walk out to the beach and there's nobody there, just the magnificence of Fire Island. That's when I say to myself "How lucky am I?"
Q News: What is a typical weekend in the Pines like for you, if there is such a thing?
RB: Many times, I get out there on Saturday nights and that's usually when everything is just starting to kick up. My house is not a typical house. It's George Bolender's house. He's postmaster in the Pines. He makes it different. I have a garden at his house and I do a lot of gardening on the outdoor pots. I like contributing to the house.
Q News: How long have you been coming to Fire Island?
RB: Since the late '70s. You couldn't give people the experience of the '70s now. A lot of these younger people missed it. It was Fire Island at its best. There was rusticity and innocence to that time that's never going to happen again, but I guess every generation says that.
Q News: Are you already thinking about a next collection of photographs and observations or do you have other projects in mind?
RB: I'm trying not to have a lot of expectations for this, because I don't want to be disappointed. I'm waiting for the response now and I'm very excited about it. I'd love to create a web site and have people send me photographs with words that mean something to them. That's a possibility. I have postcards of my pictures and framed enlargements of the pictures. They'll be for sale at Sip 'n' Twirl, Garden Grove, hopefully at Summer Solstice and the Pines post office and Long Island South Shore communities, including Sayville.
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