Lew Schwartz, born in 1947, coopted the role of family photographer at age 7. This role afforded him a healthy and safe distance from the melee. A compassionate professional photographer attached to the family provided hands-on instruction and, by the time he was in high school, Schwartz was familiar with the darkroom and large format equipment . He photographed for his school’s yearbook with a 4×5 Crown Graphic. An early Nikon-F and a small, personal darkroom rounded out his technical capabilities.  As yet unaware of the mediums expressive abilities, he attended NYU in the mid 60’s to 70’s where activism, political unrest, social analysis and photography became tools on an international stage. MoMA’s New Documents demonstrated the camera’s evolutionary use as a sensory prosthesis, a sixth sense, a way of being in and understanding life.

Included in many group and solo exhibits in Brooklyn and Manhattan, Schwartz now lives on outer Cape Cod where the indigenous and transient population continue to fascinate and the natural environment provides much material for thought.