With a new book under his belt, photographer Nicholas Hlobeczy will give a free lecture at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa on Wednesday. A protege of friend and teacher Minor White, Hlobeczy is known for his black-and-white and color photographs detailing nature — from studies of a lone rock island to close-up portraits of flowers.

Using images, words and concepts from the book "A Presence Behind the Lens" (Hohm Press, $29.95), Hlobeczy will show the development of his work as a photographer over the past 45 years, talk about the influences central to his evolving aims as an artist, and will discuss the source and nature of creativity in people's lives.

While here, Hlobeczy will also teach a noncredit daylong workshop at Pacific New Media. Students will explore the relationship between the digital camera, Adobe Photoshop, and the intent of the photographer.

The goal: to use color and tonality in an expressive manner, and discover the relationship between color and feelings, and the emotional content of creative work.

In the introduction to his book, Hlobeczy writes: "Is art a vehicle? Then where does it carry us? I have the strong notion that art carries us another step in our evolution. It need not deplete the human store but rather enriches it."