Wide LENS: Transforming

An exhibit by David W. Brown

Exhibition Open: January 2 - March 27, 2026
Gallery Reception: January 17, 5-7 pm

It’s been a privilege to traverse vast swaths of the great American landscape throughout my life. Our family moved often for my dad’s work, from the Midwest to New England and the South. As a college student in Michigan, embracing early 1970s hitchhiking culture, I twice crisscrossed the continent by thumb.

Two decades later in a van packed with photographic gear and cameras, I set out on a months-long journey through the Northern High Plains, down the Colorado Plateau, across the Rockies, and into the Southwest - chasing the joys of discovery beneath spacious skies, towering mountains and majestic landscapes. These open vistas have always been an invitation to experience awe, even transcendence.

Like many before and after me, I am compelled to capture the sensation of expansiveness experienced in these encounters with nature’s impressive beauty. Is it possible to preserve such moments of greatness and to make this feeling accessible to ourselves yet again?

The photographer in me cannot resist trying.

This gallery collection was shot with a Nikon D1, the first fully integrated, digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera. With a contemporary sensibility, each image has been further transformed using digital editing tools. It’s not so different in Ansel Adams’ time, when he worked with various films, papers and darkroom techniques to shape the final print.

My intention is to offer but one interpretation of artistic expression among the near-infinite possibilities.

Artist Bio

David W. Brown is a professional photographer based in Greensboro, NC, specializing in commercial and architectural projects. His client roster includes, CBL & Associates Properties, Fourth Elm Construction, Tanger Outlet Centers, Mussman Architects, Southern Heritage Homes, Paytel Communications and Landmark Construction. For over 30 years, his experience includes working in black-and-white and color film as well as digital photographic mediums. In his spare time, he travels throughout the U.S. documenting natural environments. Visit davidbrownphotography.us for more.