Glenn Scarboro, a native of Danville, Virginia, has been capturing moments through his lens for an impressive 62 years. His photographic journey, beginning in the 1960s with street photography, has grown into creating dynamic abstract images. Scarboro, also a licensed clinical social worker, has consistently pursued his singular interest: finding beauty in all moments of light.

Light, for Scarboro, is a poetic reminder of faith and an ever-present source of beauty and calm. His early work in Danville, particularly from the 1960s, offers a raw and honest portrayal of his hometown. These images are more than mere documents. They reflect both the photographer and the world; he observed with intuitive honesty.

Scarboro’s images from Danville in 1963, such as “Soldier with Children” and “Friends at Danville Fair,” reveal the hard edges of race and class in small-town life. These photographs capture silent yet pervasive tensions, difficult to describe without visual narratives. They document the photographer’s journey, showing us not just the external world but also his internal reflections.

In Scarboro’s work, there is a patient listening, an observant wandering that captures the essence of moments. This listening and observing, integral to revelation, underscores his belief that pictures made today may well form a lasting body of work. His photographs from the 1960s, filled with social and racial unrest, document a time of distrust and tension, revealing the photographer’s effort to make sense of both his inner life and the outer world.

William Faulkner once remarked that the aim of every artist is to arrest motion, to hold life fixed so that it moves again a hundred years later. Glenn Scarboro’s images, made over fifty years ago, achieve this aim. They capture moments of history, seen anew with each viewing. Eudora Welty’s idea of the camera as a “hand-held auxiliary of wanting-to-know” resonates with Scarboro’s work, as he revisits and reflects on earlier moments, enriching his understanding of observation and history.

His work marked Scarboro’s early years as a high school photographer for The Commercial Appeal, a weekly newspaper in Danville. Meeting Emmet Gowin in 1963 was a turning point. Their shared love for photography and books, such as Henri Cartier-Bresson’s The Decisive Moment and Edward Steichen’s A Life in Photography, cemented a lifelong friendship.

Throughout his career, Scarboro embraced his influences, studying faithfully and opening himself to the history of art and photography. His work, influenced by the “lyric documentary” style, captures authenticity and beauty. In the 1990s, Scarboro’s focus shifted from the specific to the abstract, creating light drawings and photograms. His experimental approach led him to photograph everything from x-rays to tomatoes, challenging conventional photographic norms.

The Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History has twice featured Scarboro’s work in solo exhibitions. His 2018 retrospective, “The Light in Fog,” showcased a wide range of his work, from early portraits to abstract images. His book Other Ephemeral Moments, featuring street photographs from the 1960s and 1970s, won accolades and found a place in prestigious collections.

Glenn Scarboro’s photographs are more than images; they are a testament to his enduring love for light and beauty. His work captures the essence of moments, revealing the world through his wandering eyes and intuitive honesty. Scarboro’s journey, from street photography to abstract expressionism, underscores his belief that every place and moment is imbued with eternal light, worth capturing and preserving.

The Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History presents To view more of Scarboro’s photography along with works of his friend, Emmet Gowin visit “Double Exposure: Photographers Emmet Gowin and Glenn Scarboro,” a new photography exhibit running from September 14th to November 1st at the Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History. This show celebrates the 50th anniversary of Gowin and Scarboro’s inaugural exhibition, “Two-Man Photography Show,” which marked the reopening of the renovated Jennings Gallery.