(c) Deborah Lewinson
Photography is a passionate hobby that is useful in my work and vital to my recreation. I truly love all aspects of digital photography, and although I’d rather be shooting than processing, there is great pleasure in creating an image from the shoot through the workflow.
I mostly enjoy nature, landscape, and wildlife photography, with early morning my favorite time of the day. It is the wonder of nature that attracts me, and that wonder includes its rhythm, harmony, tonality, and composition. As a nature photographer I try to tell a story, share a mood or emotion, and demonstrate nature’s beauty in a way that is both personal and engaging to the viewer.
More than a beautiful scene, nature consists of elements large and small that deserve attention, and are often overlooked. The natural world includes things we miss or cannot perceive. Using techniques such as split second timing or slow timed exposures, and assorted lenses and filters, more of nature can be revealed in photographs than is apparent to the naked eye.
(c) Deborah Lewinson
Wildlife intrigues me because animals make so much sense. They have their own societies, social structure, and habits that are inborn and instinctual. I like to capture the beauty of wildlife which often requires knowledge of the animal’s habits and habitats. The importance of a wildlife image is in its story.
I started taking pictures when I was in high school. My mother was the amateur travel photographer in the family. She taught me the basics of 35mm SLR and 16mm movies. I grew up in NYC where a friend had a closet converted into a darkroom. We would shoot and develop black and white photos. Even with this early interest I never took my own photography seriously. I used it as a documentary of friends, family, and travel.
My move to digital photography in 2003 inspired me to want to study photography and get out of the auto shot mode. This led me to join BetterPhoto. In 2004 I took my first BetterPhoto workshop. Between the instructors’ materials and feedback I was hooked. Both constructive critiques and positive reinforcement really set me thinking about what I was doing, and wanting to learn as much as possible to continually improve. Eight years later I’m still taking BetterPhoto classes and shooting as often as I can.
I am inspired by the beauty of the earth, nature, and wildlife, as well as shape, color, and light. I enjoy bird photography as a sport and as an artistic venture. I'm always looking at nailing that bird in flight, and thrilled when light falls on the feathers of a bird and when it gives me that catch light in the eye. Photography satisfies both the nerd and the artist in me. There is always so much to learn and such pleasure derived from creating something new and unique. Most days I enter an image into the BetterPhoto Photo Contest. This competition inspires me to evaluate my own work and process at least one image a day.
(c) Deborah Lewinson
(c) Deborah Lewinson
I'm probably an overachiever which means I work hard, tend toward perfectionism, and am always striving for my personal best. From camera and Photoshop technique to composition and portfolio development, every BetterPhoto workshop has resulted in a goal achieved and a new bar raiser for my personal best. Recently I’ve been uploading some of my earlier BetterPhoto classes onto my Motorola Xoom. This portable library is a handy reference when considering how to approach a particular shoot and a great refresher for inspiration.
Besides the classes, BetterPhoto is a community where people really support one another and friendships are created. A highlight for me was the BetterPhoto NYC workshop. It was great fun meeting people whose work I knew from the contest and BP instructors who had so much to share.
My photography wish list is huge. I'd like to go to Bosque Del Apache, Yellowstone, Alaska, Antarctica, the Galapagos, and Africa. Although I love new places and travel, I treat local outings, mostly New Jersey and the East Coast from Virginia to Long Island, as an adventure. There is always diversity in the landscape, along with weather and season changes. This area includes a significant migratory track for birds, and the intimate landscape is ever changing and always fascinating.
I typically shoot with two Nikon bodies and an assortment of lenses from a 16mm fisheye to a 500mm telephoto with a 1.7 teleconverter. My camera bag includes a flash, polarizer, variable ND, grad ND, a remote cord for the flash, a remote shutter release, along with lots of compact flash cards and extra batteries. Essential for stabilization is my Manfrotto tripod, Really Right Stuff ball head, and a sturdy bean bag for over the car door shooting or ground level at the beach.
(c) Deborah Lewinson
Also, her work appears in a new book:
Photography Instructor:
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