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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 spontaneously, as they occur. 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 on this website were taken without digital manipulation, special effects, double exposures, sandwiching, or filters. I like being a purist and I like to capture first impressions. I even try crop the image in the camera. 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 primary ways. My brightly colored images are printed using the Cibachrome or Fuji-Flex methods, and have a glossy brilliant sheen. My more abstract and moody works are printed using a "Giclee" or Ink-Jet process. In this method, a high resolution computer file (from an original slide or digital image) is sprayed onto Arches or Hahnemuehle William Turner Fine Art watercolor paper using archival inks. I love the effect of printing onto watercolor paper, but it is not for every image, and it is quite labor-intensive. 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 partner or 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 image is printed. Until February 2009 I used slide film exclusively for two reasons: Firstly, my prints are large-scale, and, until recently digital images had trouble with resolution at large sizes. Secondly, I adore color, and, in my opinion, nothing captures color like slide film. The trade-off was that slides can be quite unforgiving; they are unpredictable and less correctable than digital images, especially for one who tries to avoid Photoshop manipulation. In February 2009 I finally made "the switch" to a digital camera, adding a brand new Canon 5D Mark II to my current Canon Elan 7 film camera and my ancient but trusty 37-year-old Canon FTb-N Single lens Reflex. I plan on continuing to use all of them. 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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