Photographer's vision interprets truth

Photo by John C. Lewis A shy bride laughing, her veil flowing. An old woman with a wise face, surrounded by blackness. A panoramic view of laborers in Mexico working under perfectly painted clouds. Smiling workers posing to promote a well-known company. The tail of a plane.

All of these images come from the lens of photographer John C. Lewis of Newbury Park whose work is popular worldwide. The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles is among the institutions that hold his photographs.

Though he is well-known as a fine arts photographer, Lewis will take photos of weddings, buildings, employees, engine parts or merchandise for sale- all to support his family, he said.

When he's not traveling the world on assignment, he is here in Thousand Oaks aiming his camera lens for those in need of his services, he said.

His first love, however, is Mexico, where his wife, Laura, is from and where Lewis goes for inspiration. He gets lost on roads, in small towns, anywhere he can point his camera and capture humanity in forms simple but thought-provoking.

DAVID NEEDHAM/Special to the Acorn It was out in the country that Lewis found a group of bicycles parked haphazardly yet perfectly for a photo. Click. He also found a family sitting against a wall of dirt with a field of corn growing just above their heads. Click. A rainedout carnival and people seeking cover from the downpour- all except an exuberant boy dancing alone under the raindrops. Click.

Lewis also attended a ceremony in West Africa where ancient footprints were blessed by the Masaii tribe to be protected for mankind.

At another ceremony live animals were sacrificed during a voodoo ritual.

"If I hadn't had a camera to look through, it would've been too hard to bear," Lewis said.

Many of his photographs are taken with a 100-year-old camera given to him by his late father, George Lewis, a civil engineer who loved to paint.

He develops his work in a large darkroom where he used to park his cars, he said, and uses different techniques to bring out the character of his prints.

He worries the digital camera and computer will take over and young photographers will no longer know what it means to experiment and create in a dark room, he said.

While he appreciates the miracle of technology and makes use of the computer and digital photography equipment, he said, he hopes the old ways are not forgotten.

Lewis was recently asked to speak at a graduation ceremony at Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara, his alma mater. He was presented an honorary master's degree.

"I recommended John Lewis because he is such an enthusiastic person who is dedicated to photography and does amazing work," said Bethany Innocenti, alumni relations coordinator. "He captures the essence of the emotion of the photograph."

In his speech he asked the graduates if they had any obsessions. He does, he told them.

"I'm obsessed with dandelions and pinecones, the back of a baby's head and my wife's eyes. I'm obsessed with old cameras and sunrises- though it's difficult to rise that early and catch one.

"I guess I become obsessed with anything I spend more than 30 seconds looking at," he said.

Then he spoke of the responsibility photographers carry.

"What we are being asked is no less than the truthful interpretation of our vision," he said.

To see more of Lewis' work or to learn more about him, go to www.lewiseye.com.

PANORAMA CAMERAMAN- - John C. Lewis is known for his fine art photographs that are shown and collected worldwide; some are held by the J. Paul Getty Museum. Lewis often uses a 100yearold camera inherited from his father. See story on page 12; see box at top right for a local show date.