As a companion exhibit to “Florida Through the Looking Glass” that focuses on Gandy’s photographic legacy, the “Bearing Witness from Above” exhibit details Gandy's life and how it informed his work as a photographer. George “Skip” Gandy IV (1942-2020) was a commercial photographer who focused on documenting the changes in the Florida landscape as uncontrolled development sprawled across the state. Living in Florida for most of his life allowed Gandy to see environmental threats evolve from poaching, to dredging, to tourism.

During his childhood, he grew up on Davis Islands and observed extreme heat from lack of landscaping, air pollution from phosphate dust, and oil spills from big companies owned by Tampa’s elite. Gandy’s negative experiences as a child from pollution and development only fostered his love for the outdoors and seeing it protected.

After high school and serving in the Coast Guard, Gandy joined his father in the aerial photography business. One key factor in their success was their development of a gyroscope-mounted camera. This camera produced high-quality, level images that were ideal for surveying purposes. Although his aerial photography primarily benefited developers, Gandy also utilized it when he worked for the Tampa Bay Estuary Program, surveying the perimeter of Old Tampa Bay so that scientists could compare seagrass coverage over the years. Regardless of who hired him for a project, it is clear that Gandy’s rich visual legacy is a valuable resource that chronicles several decades of growth, decline, and revitalization in and around Tampa Bay.