The more carefully I look, the more there is to see.

DeWolf Biographical Info

Brian DeWolf lives in Batavia, IL. He has always been fascinated with pastures, trees, clouds and the mood created from mankind’s integration into the landscape. He began taking pictures after graduating from college in 1971. He did some portrait photography, but after having success in photographic competition with his landscapes, he devoted his efforts to it and refined his trademark style.

Brian grew up in Wheaton, IL. He attended McKendree College in Lebanon, IL and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. He sold hardware for his father's business in the 1970's and was a policeman in St. Charles, IL from 1979 until his retirement as a sergeant in May of 2000. He began photographing with a relic Mamiya 35mm camera and two lenses. As time permitted, he photographed landscapes on sales trips around the Midwest. "I was a traffic hazard. I was always watching cloud formations and scenery as I drove."

Brian is a member of Professional Photographers of America (PPA). His image "Foggy Morning Ride" was accepted into the PPA Loan Collection for 2002. Marathon Press, publisher of the Loan Collection, describes the collection as “the best of the best” images from over 8,000 entries. Foggy Morning Ride was featured as the introduction to a special advertising section for Geneva, IL in Chicago Magazine June 2003. It also won the Denise Kavanagh award at the St. Charles Fine Art Show 2003.

In 2006, Speaker of the House, United States Congressman Dennis Hastert presented Brian’s images during an event that featured guest speaker, the late, Tony Snow.

Brian’s images continue to be recognized in international and local competitions. In 2008 he won the Bronze Level Photographer of the Year Award when four out of four entries merited in international competition sponsored by Professional Photographers of America. In total, thirteen of Brian’s images have “merited” in these international print competitions since 2002.

Representatives of the Geneva, IL International Cultural Exchange Committee and representatives of Croissy san Frontieres in Croissy sur Seine, France invited Brian to photograph Croissy as a first step in developing an artist exchange program. Croissy was one of the areas frequented and painted by impressionists Claude Monet and Pierre Renoir. Croissy and the surrounding area along the Seine River is called “the playground of the impressionists”. This is an ongoing project which has expanded to photographing more Impressionist communities around Croissy. In May of 2009, Brian was invited to hold a solo exhibit of his work in France. The opening reception was attended by a number of dignitaries, including a member of French National Assembly (Parliament), a French Senator, and three Mayors. Click here to see pictures and press release.

Techincal notes:

DeWolf uses a medium format film camera and a 35mm full-frame sensor digital SLR. Film is scanned using a high-resolution scanner. “Darkroom work” is done with Adobe Photoshop. He has a Collector Series that are “investment-grade” prints and a Design Series. His work is displayed, and sold, at Proud Fox Gallery in Geneva, IL and at the Aurora Public Art Commission in Aurora, IL.

DeWolf’s body of work can be viewed at his web site: www.BrianDeWolf.com .

Artist Statement

"My photography began as an exercise to produce artistic images from the places that were most familiar to me. After all, familiarity breeds complacency. I proved that we need not travel to faraway places to see the way light falls seductively upon an object. Photography is a process of selecting, isolating, and enhancing a subject by finding that favorable light and then using techniques to enhance the most striking elements. This is exercise can be done everywhere.”

"What we see is an interpretation of sorts. We unwittingly isolate parts of a scene that get our attention and ignore other parts. The camera doesn’t interpret. That is one reason why the resulting print can disappoint us. A disappointing picture tells us we should have noticed clutter in the scene that something should have been omitted. Or maybe the lighting should have been better.”

"I don’t like to shoot spontaneously. I like to carefully evaluate everyday scenes. Sometimes I choose a subject and wait to take advantage of good light and weather. When I happen upon a interesting scene, my instinct tells me to examine it carefully. I evaluate the lighting, search the viewfinder for distracting objects, and look for the most favorable angle. Although I don’t like to be rushed, even scenes that seem static are in flux and one must press the shutter release lest they get away.”

"A camera creates an historical document. Granted, not all history is interesting, but it is history, nonetheless. My goal is to artistically document the historical aspect of common life. I want the viewers to feel they are looking at a moment that was saved as it was being whisked along on its way to being only a memory, and to do it in a way that is pleasing to look at. I also want the scene to produce an emotional response in others like it did for me.”

Brian DeWolf, Photographer

P.O. Box 113

Batavia, IL 60510-0113

630-879-9366

Brian DeWolf Photographer

The more carefully I look, the more there is to see.

Artist Statement