Wood on wood: A photographer's journey back to Oakland

Scott Lineberger’s love for trees and photography led him to find unique idea of printing a picture of wood on top of wood.


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  • | 2:01 p.m. June 1, 2016
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On a trip to the Ponce de León Lighthouse, something collecting dust in the corner caught Scott Lineberger’s eye. 

The Oakland resident saw photographs of the lighthouse printed on wood. He was so interested in them that he bought them. 

Lineberger, a fellow photographer, loved to photograph trees and thought the wood prints would be a great way to display his art. 

“I thought the neatest thing would be to have something of nature on wood — like wood on wood,” Lineberger said. 

Eventually, he tracked down the company who could do it for him — Mill Wood Art based in Raleigh, North Carolina — and it began a new form of art for Lineberger, who already had a long career in media. 

BEGINNINGS 

As soon as he could get his hands on a Kodak Brownie camera, Lineberger chased his parents around their Montverde home trying to take photos. At 8, he started experimenting with 8 mm movies.

In those days, he had no idea that the time he had left with his parents was so short. When he was 11, his mother died of cancer. It was unexpected — Lineberger didn’t know she was as sick as she was. Then just two years later, his father died suddenly of a heart attack.

He was sent to South Carolina to live with his older sister’s family. It was in the days before Walt Disney World, and his home in Montverde was quiet. He didn’t want to leave, but once he arrived in South Carolina, he felt the world was opened to him. 

He had just seen behind-the-scenes videos for the newly released “Star Wars.” His high school in South Carolina was five times larger than it would have been in Montverde. A guidance counselor saw potential and invested time in him. He attended a summer broadcasting program at the University of North Carolina.

At University of South Carolina — Columbia, he earned a degree in media arts, and he ultimately created a successful media career, including producing “Storm Clouds,” a made-for-TV movie. 

REDISCOVERING A PASSION

Recently, he has rediscovered his passion for photography. 

About four years ago, his wife died. Soon after, his brother, whom he had not seen for a long time, invited Lineberger to come take photos of waterfalls with him. 

Then, he discovered the wood prints and put a photo on wood. 

The experience launched him back into the world of photography, and upon his return to Central Florida, to help care for his grandmother who lives in Oakland, he began to work with wood prints. 

One photo depicts cars rushing by the majestic oaks of the town.

“Here’s these guys — they’ve been here 200 years,” Lineberger said. “I just imagine what they’ve had to put up with and watch us go by with our little attitudes. We put so much importance on every single second. They’re just standing there having to weather it all. I think trees are so neat.”

He takes many photos of trees and local scenes and prints them on wood. Lineberger still works with video and video editing, as well as in the real-estate photography business. But his wood-print photographs have become a new passion, as well as his work taking photographs for the town of Oakland. 

 

Contact Jennifer Nesslar at [email protected].

 

 

 

 

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