In the Spotlight: Linda Hubbard, a Connecticut native who recently moved to Sherman, is quickly becoming a recognizable name in the local art community. Known for beautifully photographing animals and birds in their natural surroundings, she also has a keen eye for capturing inviting and picture-perfect gardens and landscapes on camera.

Although many in town are just discovering Linda’s stunning photographs in places like the Sherman Historical Society’s Old Store and the Sherman Library, she has already left her mark in Beacon, New York and the Hudson River Valley region. Not only is she well-regarded as a talented, professional nature photographer, but she’s also credited with being an entrepreneur and visionary who co-owned and opened one of the first art galleries in Beacon 14 years ago. She was also integral to putting the area on the map and making it a destination place for the Arts.

Linda’s photography business is in transition. She just left Riverwinds Gallery, still has a large presence in the Hudson Valley area, and is “starting over” in Sherman, a place she now calls home.

Linda’s “Visions of Ireland” series of photographs can be seen on display at the Bannerman Island Gallery in Beacon, New York until the beginning of April. Her passion for intimately discovering her mother’s native land shows through because her photographs from “Emerald Island” are simply breathtaking. From rural farmland to the ocean side, one has a strong sense of place where time stands still.

Even though Linda thoroughly enjoys international travel, and recently took her camera with her to Scotland as well, she doesn’t need to go far to find plenty of inspiration in her own backyard. Starting with her gardens, Linda is known to spend seemingly endless hours outside with her camera looking to capture a cardinal puffed up in the snow or hone in on a flower with a droplet of water on its petal.

Linda especially loves to photograph the Naromi Land Trust nature trails and preserves throughout the year. She likes to go up Route 39 North near the swamp and can literally spend hours trying to intimately photograph just one of the many indigenous birds that finds refuge there. “Birds just don’t cooperate,” she all-knowingly said with a smile… and a sigh.

Linda is looking forward to spring so she can kayak and take her camera with her to photograph nature in all its glory on Candlewood Lake. She finds the blue herons to be magical. “We are very blessed in Sherman with the different trails, lake, and countryside,” she said.

Another favorite place nearby is the Squantz Pond State Park in New Fairfield. Linda enjoys walking on the trails along the pond with her two young grandsons who live in New Fairfield. She and her husband moved to Sherman so they could live near family and be more involved in their grandchildren’s lives.

Linda also loves the Great Hollow Nature Preserve and Ecological Research Center trails and thinks they’re nice. “If you’re a nature lover, it’s an amazing place to be,” she said. At the end of April, she’s giving a “Capturing a Garden” photography workshop for all ages at Great Hollow. “I love nature. I love being out in it. I love capturing it. And, I love sharing it with others,” she said.

As a nature photographer, Linda finds beauty in things that others might overlook. “I see things very differently than when I’m just out for a walk. I notice things more. Somehow, through the lens, I can see a whole different world.”

Recently, she gave a photography workshop on how to photograph gardens at the Sherman Library. “At the time, gardens were pretty much done. So, I went around the library and photographed elements of the garden and not the dead part of the garden as a whole. I found there was still a lot of beauty to photograph in the garden.”

Another place where Linda’s photographs are being shown until the end of April is at the Front Street Gallery in Patterson, New York. This group show’s theme is “Unity” and Linda’s showstopper is a black and white photograph of a mama gorilla carrying her baby on her back.  “Normally, people don’t usually think of gorillas as beautiful. However, I love this photo because the expression on the baby’s face was just pure love. Love comes in all different shapes and sizes,” she said.

Linda shared some of her tips for capturing great nature photos. “You should photograph things you have a passion for. If you really love butterflies, then you will get good pictures of butterflies. It’s all about light and composition. Also, take the time to first learn about where you are. Look at the big picture before you start figuring out what you really want to hone in on and start photographing.”

She added, “I like to see the elements of beauty. Sometimes it’s close up. Sometimes it’s in man and nature and how they interrelate, like man and a bench by the river. I want to be there sitting on the bench looking at the river.”

Linda also enjoys photographing scenic places all over New England. Her most favorite photo was taken in Nantucket along the seaside.  “The white Adirondack chairs are in a circle and they’re overlooking the ocean. It’s very inviting and makes you want to just sit down with your friends and have a glass of wine!”

As for getting output that’s gallery quality, Linda embraces today’s technology and only takes pictures with digital Canon cameras. She takes various lenses with her on every outing.

Although Linda started photographing nature with a Brownie camera as a Girl Scout Brownie ages ago, she loves how the days of waiting for film to be developed are long gone.

She prints everything herself on archival paper using an Epson printer. “I do my own printing because I like to print what I saw with my eyes versus having somebody else do it,” she said. Linda uses Adobe Lightroom for organizing and editing her photos.

Over 20 years ago, Linda began selling her photographs at craft shows throughout New England. As soon as she opened the Riverwinds Gallery in 2003 with her business partners, she stopped participating in them because they required a lot of travel and time away from the gallery. Linda also helped create “Beacon Arts” and served as President from 2009 through 2013. She founded ArtAlongtheHudson.com and chaired it for ten years. “We brought the art organizations of all the towns together to market Hudson River as a place for art,” she said.

Photography was not Linda’s first career choice. “Although I always loved photography, and came from a family who enjoyed photography, it wasn’t until I retired when I decided to take photography seriously. On my first day of retirement, I signed up for a photography course,” she said.

Prior to, Linda worked at IBM for over 30 years. She held different positions in programming, marketing, and finance. Linda broke the glass ceiling. At one point, she was the highest-level mother and first woman manager at the Poughkeepsie location. She graduated from Bates College in Maine where she studied Math and Physics.

Linda is looking forward to participating in the Merwinsville Hotel’s 2nd Annual Spring Arts and Fine Crafts Show in early May in Gaylordsville. Her matted and framed prints, photographic essay books, and note cards will be sold at the show. Visit Lindathubbard.com for more details.

This article and profile photo are by Alicia Sakal, originally written for Town Tribune.