As a landscapist, Frederick Eberhart considers himself fortunate not to have had to wander far from his Northern Virginia home to find such places - in the Tidewater, the Piedmont, the Blue Ridge, the Shenandoah Valley and in the Alleghenies. He bides his time on the quiet farm roads, by the rivers and streams, on the forest trails and the mountain ridges of his home state, and just beyond.
But his landscape photographs are often more about moments in quiet and removed places than the places themselves. These are moments of feeling rather than observation, when light and atmosphere conspire to awaken deep emotions. In seeking to capture and convey the essence of these moments, Eberhart has learned to be patient and selective, only taking out his camera when his whole body confirms that the time is right.
He can never predict when and where these transcendental events will occur, but times of transition - between day and night, between calm and storm - hold the greatest promise. He especially looks to early mornings, softened with mist or recast in fog, as light's special dominion.
For Frederick Eberhart, bearing witness to these moments in the landscape is its own reward. But he is glad if his images convey to the viewer some small part of his experience.
