Guilford Photographer Featured at McDonald's Reno

If you walk into the recently renovated McDonald's on Boston Post Road and look up at the walls, you'll spot the photography work of Guilford resident Bob Gundersen. Gundersen dabbled in photography in his early years, and has come to really enjoy the art throughout his life. It's remained a hobby for the local artist, so he was both surprised and flattered when he heard that the company representing McDonald's was interested in featuring his work at their Guilford location.

"I liked photography when I was much younger," Gundersen told Guilford Patch. "But you couldn't see the results right away, so it was hard to ever know if you got a good shot."

"When I started working in New Hampshire many years ago, I was overseeing jobs at several different power plant sites," said Gundersen. "To keep track of all the different job sites, I constantly took pictures, to let my bosses know about the progress. That's when I really started to pick up a camera again."

"My wife, Lorraine, is also an avid birder," Gundersen added. "We have taken several trips for birding over the years, and I've done quite a bit of photography surrounding that."

Gundersen says that while he does do digital photography, he tends not to alter his photos after they've been taken.

"I do enjoy doing night photographs with long exposure times, creating a very artistic outcome," said Gundersen. "Outdoor photographs, rare shots; those are my favorites. I think my engineering background lets me look at things through a unique perspective. I've never taken photography classes or done this for a job, this is just something I enjoy."

Since it's always been just a hobby for Gundersen, he was surprised to hear from that the McDonald's design team, Parisi Inc. was interested in his work. 

"I got a call from them one day, and they were looking for pictures of Guilford," Gundersen explained. "They had spotted my work on Flickr, and wanted to buy some for their use at the location. We came to an agreement, and they ended up purchasing 5 for the site."

 "My wife has always been very artistic," concluded Gundersen. "She's blown my pictures up and has hung them around the house. And my daughter went to school for visual arts in Manhattan. They've both inspired me and supported me. And I really enjoy doing photography. I'm very flattered that I was chosen for this opportunity."

Gundersen's work has also been featured on websites, The Audubon Shop in Madison, newsletters for organizations, and several other places. After just retiring this past May, he hopes to get more involved in the local art scene.