I was fifteen years old in 1953 when I began taking pictures on camping trips with a Brownie Six-20, model E. Those early efforts at Parvin State Park in Vineland, New Jersey were not much more than snapshots but a few years later, when my mother bought me a used 35 MM Argus C3, my attitude toward photography soon turned serious. I was a careful reader of popular books on the subject, even the manuals that came with my Bessler Topcon and later with my Nikon. I always critically studied the images in my extensive library of various photographers’ monographs.

I’ve exhibited at local galleries, the Philadelphia Art Alliance, and The University City Science Center. I’ve sold framed images to corporations and individuals and presented a lecture, Learning Architecture from Photography, as part of the Photography Sesquicentennial Project in Philadelphia. My photographs have been used as CD album covers by LIBERTAD RECORDS, owned by my son, Aaron Luis Levinson, including his 2004 Grammy-winning CD: Across 110th Street, featuring The Spanish Harlem Orchestra with Ruben Blades. Although influenced by instant photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, I have found my visual voice in images which are not so much of the moment but of a timeless quality such as is found in the works of Ansel Adams, Paul Strand, Michael Kenna, Robert Mapplelthorpe, George Krause, Emmet Gowin, Edward Weston, and Frederick Evans.

Geometry is a critical ingredient in my work but not in an obvious and predictable way. So too with color and texture. I believe my portraits are successful in capturing the spirit of the individual in a seemingly natural and unpretentious manner. I like to experiment with light and reflection and many of my titles relate to this quality such as The Secrets of Light and Florida Light.

I shoot exclusively with a Nikon 35 MM D90 and a wide range of lenses. I take most of my art photography on vacations and on local excursions in the Philadelphia area. My subjects include landscapes, portraits, figure studies, architecture, still-lifes, flowers and what I call abstractions. I have started to produce books of my photograps and am currently at work on one titled LOOKING DOWN: CELEBRATING THE ARCHITECTURE OF FEET.

My approach to photography is straight-forward; with most of my shots there is near-to-no image manipulation. I have come to use my photogrpahs to illustrate my articles on a variety of topics, some of which are included in this website.