Robert Tobey has been an eye for the Advocate family since he began working for the New Haven Advocate 31 years ago. "In 1977, I worked as a staff photographer and also wrote music reviews," Tobey recalls. "It was a real lifesaving job at the time."
Tobey's approach to photography—if a sentence could describe it—is to document the candid in the way an observer trying to show the heart of any moment might. His work cuts right to the middle. To accommodate that approach, he has always embraced alternative journalism.
"I worked for a couple of years in more mainstream journalism," Tobey explains, "but I felt very inhibited. I will forever feel terrifically fortunate for the five years I spent on staff with the Valley Advocate (1980-85)." Those years, according to Tobey, people on staff were very close, sharing passions for work—and for one another. He says, "We had creative freedom, interesting assignments, fascinating people to work with, a fair share of romance, and even a small paycheck."
After several of the original publishing staff set off for New Orleans to start a paper there, there was additional pressure, increased financial burden. What had seemed to be a relatively "smooth ride" got "tough." While Tobey believes the publishers tried hard to maintain the mission, this was complicated by the desire to become a more profitable entity. He says, "Standards solidified and got more reliable, but maybe less passionate. The paper got more lifestyle-y."
This past year, Tobey believes the paper's begun returning to its roots. He says, "I appreciate how the Advocate embraces my work, my style. Moreover, its perspective knows some outrageousness is essential. The First Amendment offers this amazing protection, freedom of speech, but to ensure it is upheld, we have to test its limits."
