Finding Balance in the Unbalanced Nestled in a corner of the New Jersey Pinelands is a big pile of scrap. Since the 1940's the local family that owns it has been making their living out of buying and selling scrap metal. When I was offered the opportunity to do photography workshop at their very unusual automotive and aircraft graveyard I had to [...]
Snow in early December is an uncommon gift here in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. It makes a nice backdrop for us to wish you A VERY HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON! Pine Barrens In Snow by Richard Lewis 2017 Snow Frosting by Richard Lewis 2017 Snowy Tree Textures by Richard Lewis 2017 Winter Day [...]
Seeing Differently in Black and White. On our fourth trip to Joshua Tree National Park and I wanted to try something different, but wasn't sure what. So I decided to let the Park show me the way. The challenge to every photographer is keeping inspired by a place you return to many times. Whether you photograph frequently in your own locale, or [...]
Composition is a Form of Communication Composition is an elusive thing for many photographers. On the other hand, the technical aspects of photography are fairly straight forward and systematic. One camera setting affects another in a logical way. Once that is learned, the photographer understands how a camera processes light coming through the lens and can create a well exposed photograph. This [...]
Photography Workshops in an Abandoned Piece of New Jersey History Abandoned places are always fascinating. For history buffs, learning their unique story is exciting. For photographers, creating art from abandonment is a challenge. As someone who is both a photographer and history buff, it is a way to complete the puzzle of American history on a more intimate scale while recording a [...]
Some recent photographs Something about the magic of the New Jersey Pine Barrens keeps calling you back. This wilderness area features a long human and natural history. The result is a landscape whose magic reveals itself to the artist who gets out and explores a bit. That's were I can help by guiding you to some very special places during my one day [...]
Andrew Wyeth and a New Jersey Shack The Judge's Shack is a beach shack and one of our state's lesser icons. New Jersey is known for many things. but our beach shacks tend to get little attention. They were small vacation homes built in rural parts of the Jersey shore back when there were rural parts of the Jersey Shore. Their only real [...]
Abstraction and Architecture The Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles California is an unusual piece of architecture. Its oddly exaggerated lines and curves look like a bizarre, animated city skyline. The bent metal shapes of the building are designed to reflect light and create a delightful changing play of light and shadow throughout the day and night. When photographing this building, I was drawn to [...]
Why We Photograph What We Photograph This photograph is part of a series about the ruins of an 18th century stone house. It was a bit of a surprise to find this building during a hike, especially one made of stone where this home is located. I thought it may be a good idea to discuss how I made the image. Vision It is important to have intent in your art. The method [...]
For Everyone Else, Creating Something from Nothing I recently had the amazing privilege of leading a group of photographers on my first Pine Barrens Photography Workshop. It was a great experience showing off this special place to both local and not-so-local photographers. When I teach workshops, I am not there to take photographs. Most of the time, I don't even bother to [...]
We all can use some serenity, right? When color landscape photography is posted on social media, it is the colorful, over-saturated and dramatically composed images that seem to rack up the likes. Here is an interesting fact. Scientific studies show that while images, photographic or otherwise, with intense color catch the attention immediately, they tend to not be remembered in the long term. I'm [...]
Mixing Hiking and Photography When it is time to clear one's head or just find a little peace and quiet, the woods are the best place to be. Around here, that woods is the New Jersey Pine Barrens. After spending weeks preparing for my first solo exhibition of photographs from the Franklin Parker Preserve in the Pine Barrens, I felt a [...]
A Morning In 17th Century It's amazing how a nice sunrise can provide an incredible sense of peace. That is what I found one morning in the Village of Sleepy Hollow, New York. There is an old historic site there called the Philipsburg Manor that dates back to 1693. Normally this place is full of people enjoying a pleasant spot on the Hudson River. However, at 6am on [...]
When Ordinary Becomes Beautiful Cold Winter Light by Richard Lewis 2017 It doesn't snow much in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, so when it does, it's time to head out to find something to photograph. This old bog in the Franklin Parker Preserve seemed like a nice place to look. Usually the stumps of these old cedar trees look like abstract designs, however [...]
The Struggle Between the Inner Artist and Inner Engineer Fading Winter Light by Richard Lewis 2017 I love going out on New Year's Day to hike to get a first photo of the year. This year the first photograph of 2017 was made on January 8. Why? Because I've been feverishly preparing for a solo exhibition of my New Jersey Pine [...]
My First Desert Storm For a guy from New Jersey, the the power of the desert is very impressive. It is a harsh environment that requires strength to survive, let alone thrive in. Yet it is also a place of amazing beauty and Joshua Tree National Park is a great example of that. This is why I keep being drawn back there. As many times as [...]