Recycling Vanishing Memories
The Story of Photographer Tony Lewis
Founder of HolidayDVD.ca
By Alison Brown blue streak dvd download
Toronto Entrepreneur Tony Lewis talked to me recently about his experiences in the photography world and how he hopes to make viewing assembling and archiving photographic work easier for
every one.
Tell me how you started in the photographic world Tony?
Going off to the Big Apple in the late 1970’s was a huge thrill. New York at that time was for me the center of the art World. Andy Warhol of course was leading the change in pop culture.
Photography was gaining acceptance as a medium in Fine Art. Great artists like Deborah Turbeville, Helmut Newton, Guy Bordin, and
Richard Avedon, just to name a few of my favorites, were doing gallery shows.
Did you go to school in New York?
Yes, I enrolled at The School of Visual Arts and took courses in Illustrative Photography and Photography in Advertising.
It must have been exciting at that time in New York! free basic instinct movie download
My nights were filled with the endless openings of art shows and photography installations. I had the opportunity to meet such luminaries as Burt Stern who took some of the most breathtaking pictures of Marilyn Monroe for Life Magazine. He also captured the great pyramid of Giza upside down in a Martini glass.[In the early 50s, US photographer Bert Stern convinced the publicity department of Smirnoff Vodka that the driest vodka martini would have to evoke the dryness of a real desert. He traveled to Egypt to take the pictures and in that Stern initiated the trend of photographers going around the world with big budgets all in the name of authenticity.]
What were your first jobs in the industry?
Working as a freelance photography assistant, I became adept at developing Black and White film and making prints for notable fashion
photographers of the day. I experimented with the nuances in technique used by the greats that I admired like Ansel Adams and eventually I gained recognition for my craft.
This led me to work for British celebrity photographer Terry O’Neal, who was briefly married to Faye Dunaway.
Then a stint with Peter Beard who discovered elephant burial
grounds in Africa and published a book called “End of the Game”.
Feeling confident about my own portfolio I landed jobs with Details
Magazine, Cosmopolitan and Fashion of the Times in The New York Times.
So I guess working your way up as an assistant was worth it?
Yes it was it gave me the opportunity to hone my skills and make connections. After 6 heady years of thriving and surviving in Manhattan I decided it was time for a change though and I returned to
Toronto to join my Mother in opening 6 fashion boutiques over a period of 10 years.
What about your photography?
I never stopped. My passion for photography was still strong and I kept at it by creating ad campaigns and slick brochures for the stores.
Winding the stores up in 2004 after a run of over twenty years I wanted to take some time for myself and travel and rediscover my passion for photography. I thought, what better way than a cruise ship’s photographer?
Is this where the Idea for www.holidaydvd.ca came from?
Yes, HolidayDVD.ca was started in 2006.
Many of the people who used the ships photo package services were really intimidated about the new digital technology of photography. Everyone these days owns a digital camera and it can be easy to take the picture but what then? Often people get frustrated trying to access the files, leading to so many memorable moments collecting virtual dust on computer hard drives. Also, I can’t tell you how many people I know who have lost all of their photographs because their hard drives have crashed.
I thought a service to assemble and preserve these treasured memories seemed ideal. That is when the idea of putting vacationers’ photos together in an audio slideshow on DVD came about.
I personally work with the technology to weave images and video along with music to bring peoples personal photographs to life. More importantly, the DVD also frees up space on the home computer, and allows the viewer to watch their show in the comfort of their home entertainment center.
Do you see a gallery show for your personal photographs in the future Tony?
Currently I am awaiting sponsorship approval from WWF (World Wildlife
Fund) for a portion of our proceeds to be donated to their cause
Which I am very excited about. Traveling the world has really heightened my awareness as to how the environment and mass development is affecting the planet.
I also have a proposal to the Canadian Business Development Bank of Canada. I would like to open a production facility that would allow me to hire media arts students to gain exposure for new mediums in creating art with digital technology.
Once that’s complete and I have some time I will definitely direct my energies to mounting a show.
Hi I thoroughly enjoyed this post and and I am definetly going to save it. I Have to say the Indepth analysis this article has is trully remarkable.Who goes that extra mile these days? Well Done.