Winter or not, Paris is fabulous...as always!

Having visited La Ville Lumière so many times in the past, this trip is a bit unique as I'm traveling with family members.  Because I know the sights, sounds, and environs so well at this point, I'm enjoying the role of "tour guide expert" as I show them my favorite spots.  It's always a great reminder of how unique an experience my travel adventures are when I see wonder in the eyes of others visiting my haunts for the first time

From a photographic perspective--always my working objective throughout my travels--the personal aesthetic challenge for me on this trip is finding new ways to capture those familiar places, landscapes, and landmarks. 

​That said, I'm working hard to do just that, and I've already captured what I believe are some compelling images that I'll soon be sharing here on the website. 

And...thanks to the miracle of today's technology (thank you, Internet), while I'm on this Parisian expedition, I'm busy preparing my annual gallery exhibition at Coos Bay Oregon’s Black Market Gourmet. 

This year I'm featuring new images from my 2017 trips to Spain, France, The Netherlands, Alaska...and the list goes on, all available for purchase at Black Market Gourmet on May 6th.  The prints I'll be showing are each custom-printed and ready for mounting and framing.  Several are truly ideal for ordering as panoramic prints, which make eye-popping décor statements in either residential or commercial settings. Because my panoramas require quite a bit of custom sizing and crafting, I'll be taking orders on May 6th for delivery in June.

​As always, I look forward to seeing old friends and sharing tales of my travels. The response to my photography gets stronger each year, which is extremely rewarding on a deeply personal level.  I'll be bringing a small number of custom calendars with me, so try to get there early on May 6th, as they always sell out!

And even if you're not in the market to acquire fine art photography, just swing by and say hi...it's always a great time up in Coos Bay!

Here's a sneak preview of some of the things you'll see at Black Market Gourmet.  They're all my favorites...which one is yours?

This will be brief, because 2018 is already moving at full speed and I’ve got a lot of packing and planning to do…and I’m already running late!
 
But because so many of you are keeping tabs on my photo-adventures, I thought I’d share this year’s itinerary with you:
February-March: Paris. Undoubtedly one of my favorite, most inspirational cities anywhere on the planet.  This will be a bit of an extended trip (taking my family along for the first time), and I’m eager to revisit La Ville Lumiére (did you know Paris was one of the first European cities to be illuminated with a gas lighting system?)  We’ll also be looking for great perspectives at Versailles and Giverny where I hope to capture Claude Monet’s gardens in early Spring bloom  It will be fun to shoot the lillies.  

• Early April: Back to Portland, Oregon for Easter-Passover weekend. I’ve got tickets to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton. It’s the national touring company, and seats at the Keller Auditorium sold out immediately, so it will be an exciting weekend; I might give my cameras a rest and just enjoy the show!

 

• Mid-April: New Zealand, the home of the most dramatic landscape photography vistas found anywhere. Great people, great helicopter pilots providing me with unique shooting platforms!  This is my third trip.  The last was in the Spring, this hopefully will have fall colors.

• May 6th: Coos Bay, Oregon for my annual show at Coos Bay Oregon’s Black Market Gourmet.  It’s always great to see old friends and very gratifying to see the strong sales and the positive response to my work. If you’re in the area, please stop by and say hi.

 

• Mid-May: heading up to Olympic National Park for a glorious week of chasing the light across some of North America’s most dramatic landscapes and capturing images that reflect a genuine spirit of personal adventure and appreciation for our environment.  It was the first place I took a class, with Art Wolfe.  I want to see if I shoot it better.

 

• June: Australia beckons. Looking forward to getting off the beaten path as I’ll be exploring The Kimberley Plateau, one of the most remote places on earth, spread over the continent’s entire northwest corner.  Not many people (less than 40,000 in an area three times the size of England), but plenty of dramatic vistas and geography. On the way, I’ll visit one of the most unusual places on the planet, the Bungle Bungles, with land formations seen nowhere else.  On the way back, I will spend some time in the Outback.  I’ll also be taking in Kangaroo Island and exploring Melbourne and Perth.  There will be some time in Sydney and the environs, exploring the Blue Mountains.

I’ll be posting images from these trips as promptly as possible…all of which will be available for you as stunning panoramic wall art, calendars, greeting cards, or custom prints.  And, as always, feel free to reach out to share your impressions of my work here on the site or through Facebook.
 
Wishing you all the very best for a great 2018, and looking forward to sharing another exciting year with you.

As the year winds down and I put my feet up for the holidays, it's a great time look back on the last 12 months of non-stop travel and reflect upon the nearly 20,000 images I captured in 2017.

It's also an opportunity for me to deal with the question I'm asked most often: "What's your favorite photograph?"

That's a difficult question, simply because so much goes into each exposure. I've got those "tech favorites" where for a particular image I was forced to rise to the manifold challenges of equipment selection, aperture settings, optical aberrations, depth of field, white balance, digital noise, and tonal range. Not all shots are easy to get!

Then I've got those "aesthetic favorites" where the photograph becomes more than just a "picture" because it succeeds artistically in terms of composition, shape, color, lighting, texture, and theme.

But those images that I think about--the ones I truly enjoy seeing in my portfolio and that seem to grab the most attention--are those that tell a story.  With that in mind, here are my personal "favorites" for 2017.  I think you'll like them too...

​Be sure to "click" on each image to enlarge and see my notes.  As always, these images are available for custom printing in a variety of formats and sizes at The Print Store. If you have any questions about custom orders, just contact me directly.

​I’m often asked how I could set aside my career as a physician and my focus on medical sciences for something as “subjective” as photography.

​In Jill Bolte Taylor’s thoroughly riveting and engaging book My Stroke of Insight, the author--who had a left brain stroke and recovered over a period of eight years--pointed out that we are highly rewarded for the left brain’s rational activities like math, memorized facts, and certain analytic skills. The right brain is not rewarded with nearly as much social and economic benefit, much as it is the part of us that recognizes when we are in safe environments and allows us to relax. It integrates us to our surroundings along with other things that are not remunerated.

I have had an interesting life.
 
I started with pure left brain activities like my appreciation of science and math and an abiding interest in how things work. Perhaps it was my good fortune to not excel in these realms as much as I would have liked, which eventually led me into a field that ideally combines facts and logic and problem solving with the need for some level of humanity, empathy, and an understanding of the nature of collaboration and cooperation.
 
That led me to lead the most fulfilling life a person can have, combining the art and science of medicine to truly make the difference between life and death while doing so in a humane, caring fashion. That ability was a genuine gift from God that I’ve worked hard to pass on…an interesting perspective considering my early years as an atheist.
 
Then, once retired from the left brain world of medicine, I was drawn—almost compelled by an unseen force—into the challenging real right brain universe of photography. Nothing could have been more of a change, as I discovered the "nailed it moment" of capturing the right image at the right time, a feeling akin to a continuous infusion of cocaine. That creative high lasts for days and somehow brings me inexplicable joy.
 
At this point in my photographic journey, I enjoy the first rush of making connections between myself and my subjects...and then the second--equally addictive--rush as the viewers find the same connection for themselves. 
 
The ultimate goal is not easily achieved, but it is what drives me: to bring the viewer to a connection with himself or herself.
 
I’m thankful to have had the opportunities to have great lessons with my different careers, and to be aware of them and then the creative introspection to learn something from my own life. I believe that learning those life lessons is our true purpose and the wisdom we gain in the process is the greatest of riches.
 
At the end of the day, we are only fulfilled by our sense of Love and Gratefulness.  I love what I’ve done and what I’m going to do…and for that I’m truly grateful.

With all apologies for not posting this sooner, but I’m almost out of breath.
 
I just arrived at LAX after a three week European shoot, which was a great opportunity to connect with some amazing photographers, visit some old haunts, and explore an incredibly colorful Spring bloom in the heart of tulip country.
 
This wasn’t my first trip to Holland, but the past couple of weeks at Keukenhof Gardens will surely be the most memorable. Keukenhof is 79 acres of impeccably groomed tulips that absolutely dazzle the eye.  The trick is to arrive just as the gates open, well before the tour busses show up.
 
Pursuant to my obsession with capturing those “nailed it” shots—that moment when you quickly scour all your camera’s settings to make sure f-stop, focus, and exposure are precisely as they should be and you press that shutter button knowing that you’ve got a truly memorable shot—I worked hard to get several images with multiple speed/exposure/focus settings on this trip just as insurance.  Call me paranoid, but I’m in the right place at the right time, as I was many times on this trip, I was determined to not only “nail it,” but to hit the nail firmly!
 
I’ve learned the advantages to knowing my equipment well and appreciating the potential for ever-changing light conditions during a shoot; I work hard to consider my subject from all angles because the first shot may be exactly what you hoped for, but subsequent shots have a way of helping the subject evolve in your lens.  It’s a fascinating process, one shared with me on this trip by my daughter—herself a superior shooter—on what was truly a remarkable creative adventure.
 
The first stop on this sojourn was Barcelona, where we spent the day at the Picasso Museum.  If Picasso’s work has eluded your genuine appreciation, a day at this fabulous museum will bring an understanding and an unexpected intimacy with the work of a legendary master.
 
Then we were off to Mallorca where I was intrigued to hear so much German spoken, and a stay with friends in Esporles, a small town with its own unique economy and culture that is truly a photographer’s dream.  I’ll be sure to share those images here on the website just as soon as I manage to unpack.
 
Speaking of which, I probably won’t do much unpacking for now. By the time you read this, I’ll be airborne and headed to Coos Bay, Oregon, for my annual show at the Black Market Gourmet Restaurant.  I’ll be there in person on May 7th from 2-4 p.m.  I’ll be spending time with old friends and would love to make some new ones, so please stop by!

I recently returned from a second trip to Cuba, where once again, I learned as much about myself as I did about the country and its amazingly resilient, creative, loving people.  My personal objective this trip was to work on my portrait skills—an area in which I admit to little prior confidence.
 
This trip, led by the inestimable guide and consummate photographer Lorne Resnick, was instructive, inspirational, and rewarding, for some of the images I brought home (which I’ve just posted here on the site) are aesthetically among my best, but truly tell the story of a remarkable people. 
 
Working alongside Lorne was a lesson in photographic technique that is as much about interpersonal communication and trust as it is about shutter speed and focal length. Finding the best subject—children are wonderful simply because they’re unguarded and open to new adventures—is what Lorne calls “casting.” But to create a portrait beyond the flashed “thumbs up” or “V” sign when a subject spots a camera, we developed a teamwork system.  One of us would take a simple snapshot of someone—who often flashed a hand sign or mugged for the camera—and while that photographer showed the image to the subject, the rest of us would hang back shooting, capturing the subject completely un-posed, reacting to their own picture.
 
We’d then show the subject the new shots…and an emotional connection was inevitably made.  I quickly realized that when we change our subjects’ perception of our photographic purpose—when they realize we’re not just trying to steal a random image to show the folks back home, but that we’re interested in them as people of essence—magic happens.

 
When I first began my photographic and creative odyssey, I was once in Borneo shooting “interesting” faces in a marketplace with a 300mm zoom lens. But I discovered a certain feeling of personal discomfort at grabbing random portraits.  I came to realize that I wasn’t really connecting with anyone and that I was, in fact, behaving like a photo-thief, simply stealing what I could.
 
I now know that photography isn’t about an amazing angle or perfect focus; it’s about the connection. On this trip with Lorne, I worked hard to make lasting connections with the people kind enough to open themselves up to my lens.  I believe the results—both in terms of my photography and in terms of making new connections and friendships—are well worth the effort. 
 
You’ll see a number of portraits of Cuban dancers from this past trip on my gallery pages. As Annie Leibovitz once said, “All dancers are a photographer’s dream. They communicate with their bodies and they are trained to be completely responsive to a collaborative situation.”  I fell in love with each of these dancers, as you can tell by these pictures. Our connection is genuine, and something I treasure.
 
I hope you enjoy meeting my new friends through these new portraits as much as I enjoyed earning my connections with them.

2016 is heading into the home stretch! While I’m working to get my latest travel photos posted here and on my various licensing platforms, I thought I’d take a deep breath and share my thoughts about my recent globe-trotting.
 
There’s no doubt that this past year has been the most creatively rewarding and exciting period of my life’s photographic journey.  Traveling with master photographers like Art Wolf, Lorne Resnick, Frans Lanting, and Tom Mangelsen has been an ongoing lesson in more than mere camera technique. 
 
Through the adventures implicit in any exotic travel—including a wrenched back, a blown knee, and countless sore muscles earned at every elevation and in every climate the planet has to offer—I’ve come to understand the value of patience (wild animals don’t pose on cue), making “connections” with subjects, and the “perfection” of imperfection when capturing images that create what I like to call my “nailed it” moments. 
 
I’ve learned to shift my focus from the technology behind my work to the greater challenge of being “at one” with myself, exploring my creative center and establishing a true connection with my subjects.  Whether I’m shooting a portrait, a wild animal, or catching a landscape at the crack of dawn, it’s that personal connection that creates the genuine magic of a compelling image.
 
This is not to say that I’ve mastered anything beyond what I like to think is an uncanny ability to navigate through TSA checkpoints at this point. I still l have much to learn about “taking pictures,” and I’m dedicated to the hard work finding the greater self-awareness that will take my work to the next level. The photos I post here are, in the main, those that have spoken to me and have taught me something about the world and about myself.  The journey to find these images has certainly been challenging…but it’s also been exciting beyond description. 
 
In pursuit of the elusive goal of photographic mastery, just this year my photographic adventures have included travel to the Galapagos Islands, Alaska, Cozumel, New Orleans, Easter Island, Tahiti-Moorea, New Zealand, Iceland, Romania, Cuba, Coos Bay (thank you Black Market Gourmet for a terrific show!), Brazil, Costa Rica, Patagonia, Australia, China, Japan, and finally to New York City.
 
When pressed to name my “favorite” stops throughout the year, I’d have to say that Iguaçu Falls in Brazil, Patagonia, New Zealand, and Alaska were photographic standouts for me.  Yes, I know that’s a lot of “favorites,” but each truly holds a special place in my mind’s eye as well as in my lens. 
 
Moving forward, I’m firming up plans to head to Majorca, Amsterdam, Oregon, Alaska, Glacier Bay, New Zealand, Jackson Hole, and then once again to Romania, followed by another rockin’ “Blues Cruise” navigating the Caribbean.  Throughout it all, I’ll be searching for that creative “high” that comes with every click of my shutter.
 
The next chapter of my photographic adventures promises to be exciting.  I hope you’ll take the journey with me...and be sure to check out my new 2017 calendar!

by Robert Levy, MD
There may be no more intense learning environment than what I experienced in medical school.  That’s where I was exposed to the rigors of serious research in all its forms, two of which presented potential career paths in either theoretical or practical realms.
 
There are some academics who engage in research and learning simply for its own sake, and whose work may ultimately have direct impact on the course of human progress.  I’ve always been in awe of Nobel Prize-winning theoreticians who come up with true “outside the box” concepts unaware of their ultimate human value, exemplified by Newton and Einstein.  Personally, I’ve never had the inclination or the temperament to dedicate myself to something so esoteric that it might never be understood by anyone outside of a narrow field of interest.
 
While in med school, I got involved in the study of membrane physiology.  I actually came up with a “membrane pore theory” so arcane that I feared I was the only one who could appreciate it or conceive of how it might ever be applied to patient outcomes.  But that experience taught me something about myself: that I was an “outside the box” student interested in finding novel ways to solve patient problems.
 
Like most of my generation, much of my worldview was turned on its ear with the political events of the late 1960s.  The assassination of Senator Robert Kennedy was a personal turning point for me.  Here I was, researching amphibian neuromuscular junctions and preparing my findings for perhaps a handful of people on the planet who would actually care about them; the Kennedy assassination made me realize I might not actually be one of those who cared.  In what was a true epiphany, I knew that my calling was to do something that mattered.
 
Eventually, over the course of my career as a physician, I answered that calling by creating alternative health care delivery systems that positively impacted large numbers of patients, and by teaching others how to adapt to new protocols of care.  Those teaching moments led to better patient outcomes and truly became the cornerstones of my decades of personal and career fulfillment.
 
“Doctor” is a Latin word meaning “teacher,” so I suppose I’m not really straying far from my earlier career instincts when I get such positive feedback from those who enjoy my photographs today.
 
I’m a lifelong learner.  Each picture I take teaches me something, and that alone energizes me.  But when my images convey to others my own sense of discovery and my growing awareness of the world around us, my joy expands beyond the power of words.
 
I hope my photos continue bring my own sense of wonder to all who see them.  Let us always be learning, let us always be excited by this amazing life we share!

by Robert  Levy, M.D.

​The tagline on this website mentions the number of days I’m away from home each year seeking  “your ultimate image,” and at the rate I’ve been going lately, that tagline is no exaggeration.
 
Since the New Year, I’ve been on photo shoots in New York City, Costa Rica, Iguazu Falls, Patagonia, Easter Island, French Polynesia, New Zealand, Australia, China, and Japan.  That was an incredible whirlwind trip with a National Geographic photo team, which I followed with a quick trip to the Yucatan Peninsula.  From there I went to New Orleans for their Jazz Fest, and then returned home to prepare for what proved to be a very successful show at Coos Bay Oregon’s Black Market Gourmet.  It was great to see old friends and very gratifying to see the strong sales and the positive response to my work.
 
I’ve also been working hard to make the Print Store on these pages accessible and engaging for everyone wanting a custom, signed print of my work. We’ve now got a fabulous large format printer, which allows me to custom-print on 17” wide paper of any length, which makes for rather dramatic panoramic images.  Of course, all prints are on high quality paper ideal for professional mounting and framing.  I’m also producing a wide range of images on custom-printed/signed greeting cards, as well as spectacular full-format 18-month calendars available in a selection of  themes.
 
Yes, I’ve been busy!
 
As this is being posted, I’m in the Galapagos Islands on a Visionary Wild photo expedition in the company of renowned nature and wildlife photographers Tom Mangelsen, Franz Lanting, and Art Wolfe, whose collaborative approach to adventure imagery continues to push me toward even greater technical and aesthetic heights. 
 
Accompanying me on this trip is Jennifer Aldrich, herself a brilliantly talented photographer...and I’m not saying this just because she’s my daughter!  Jennifer has the gift of a “natural eye” for subject-lighting-composition, and I’ve never seen anything she’s shot alongside me that didn’t surpass my own work.  This trip to the Galapagos will undoubtedly produce some magical work from her.
 
Looking forward a bit, this summer I’ll be returning to Alaska to (hopefully) get those “nailed it” shots of the bears during their salmon fishing season.  And then, if all goes as planned, I’ll be in New Zealand in the Fall with Visionary Wild and National Geographic photographers Michael Melford and Justin Black.  And if I survive that (I’m told we’re shooting from helicopters with the doors off!), I hope to make it back to Africa with a return trip to Cuba planned for  December.
 
As I think about this great adventure, I realize that traveling and working alongside gifted  fellow photographers has truly centered my life.  I hope you’ll return to these pages regularly as I continue to share my work here (and on those sites where it can be licensed for commercial use) and to share the excitement I feel behind the lens on every day of my life journey.
 
I’d write more...but I’ve got a camera in my hand and it’s time to shoot!