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Unlike many photographers, I rarely set out for an organized shoot, and rarely use a tripod. Rather, I carry my camera wherever I go, and try to capture moments as they occur naturally. Thus, most of my images are candid, with little or no set-up or advance planning. With the exception of color correction (and the occasional removal of intrusive spots) almost all of the images that you see were taken without digital manipulation, special effects, double exposures, sandwiching, or filters. I like being a purist and I take first impressions. I even try to avoid cropping the images. Benevolent critics might call me a purist; cynical ones might call me lazy. These spontaneous images show some of the visual events that transpire right in front of us every day�we need only take notice of that which is not ordinary. My images are printed in two ways. Cibachrome prints are a positive-to-positive process in which the prints are made directly from slides without the use of an intermediate negative, and have a glossy, metallic sheen. My more abstract works are printed using the so-called Giclee (gee-clay) process. In this method, the slide is first scanned electronically and stored as a very high resolution computer file. Then, using a large drum inkjet printer and revolutionary archival inks, the image is sprayed onto Arches watercolour paper. As soon as the image is scanned the option exists for the photographer to do as much digital manipulation as he or she pleases, but, as stated previously, I deliberately avoid this. I love the effect of Giclee, but it is not for every image, and, unfortunately, it is quite labour-intensive and expensive. Photography is like a relationship sometimes it is easy and natural and requires little effort, while at other times you have to work so hard you wonder if it is worth it at all. Needless to say, there may or may not be a direct correlation between the amount of effort put into the image and the final outcome. Mentally, however, it is almost always a very active process, and behind most photographers is a long-suffering spouse who wonders why their mate can't just sit down and enjoy the sunset like any other normal human being. I like to describe Nature Photography as a set of circumstances in which, basically, God does most of the work and we photographers just snap the shutter (hopefully at the right time.) Part of the joy (and heartbreak) of photography is that, skill aside, there are so many variables which can affect the final outcome. No matter how carefully one tries to control those variables, you never really know what you have until the transparencies are processed. I currently use slides for two reasons. Firstly, my prints are large-scale, and currently digital images have trouble with resolution at large sizes. Secondly, I adore color, and, in my opinion, nothing captures color like slide film. The trade-off is that slides are quite unforgiving they are much less correctable in the darkroom than traditional negative films, especially for one who tries to avoid Photoshop. I feel privileged that you have taken the time and energy to come and visit my Website to see my images, and I hope at least some of them have provided you with a feeling of pleasure, interest, curiosity, or wonder. Steve Levinson Somewhere in the wilds of Northumberland County ,
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