For Dixon Handshaw, photography is more than an art form—it has been part of his life since he was a teenager. A professional photographer and educator from North Carolina, Dixon started his enjoyment of photography when he was in high school. He pursued a BFA in fine art and photography, became a freelance photographer in Atlanta, but eventually left that career and became part of an e-learning company. At that point, when he wasn’t a freelance photographer any more, he continued his love of photography. As he neared retirement, he went to Cuba for a photography journey. After that experience he decided to quit his job and pursue photography for the rest of his life. He continues to enjoy street photography and nature photography and teaches for a local community college in Hickory, North Carolina.
Dixon’s Swamp series on display at Image City is based on his willingness to see beauty in places that some people might overlook. “Most folks don’t think of a swamp as a pretty place,” he notes, yet he finds these environments calm, mysterious, and full of life. His photographs invite us to recognize the richness of landscapes often dismissed as ordinary. Whether capturing dramatic wildlife interactions or the subtler rhythms of nature, his images reveal a world filled with peace and wonder.
Dixon’s connection to Rochester and Image City Photography Gallery carries an even deeper, personal significance. Born in Buffalo in 1949, Dixon was adopted at the age of three months and raised as an only child. He had a happy childhood and says his parents were always open about his adoption, yet, he always longed for siblings and always wanted to find any relatives he might have. When New York State unsealed birth certificates, he made a life-changing discovery: he had six siblings and more than 70 relatives he had never known in Rochester. His journey to Rochester to meet this extended family led him serendipitously to Image City, where he discovered an opportunity to be able to display his photographs.
Throughout October Dixon is showing Swamp series in the Neuberger Gallery at Image City. Originally photographed in color, he later converted the series into black and white—and was delighted by the transformation. “The beautiful light from that day became more prominent,” he explains. “Black and white makes light just shine.” That discovery not only deepened the visual drama of the series but also reinforced his lifelong fascination with the interplay of light and form in nature.
His perspective on Swamp was featured in a Substack podcast interview, where he discussed both the inspiration and the process behind the series. For Dixon, the swamp is not just trees and water—it is a place of quiet calm, mystery, and abundant wildlife, and his photography invites us see it with new eyes.
Dixon’s hope is simple yet profound: that when viewers look at his images, they “open their eyes and maybe their heart a little, too.” At Image City, his work does exactly that—reminding us that beauty, wonder, and meaning are always waiting, even in the most unexpected places.
To learn more about Dixon, listen to his podcast, or watch an interview conducted when he traveled to Rochester to meet his family, click on the links below.
https://paperarts.substack.com/p/a-conversation-with-dixon-handshaw
To see more of Dixon’s images, click on the link to his website below:
https://www.handshawphotography.com
If you would like to leave a comment or ask a question, please do so in the comment box below.
4 responses to “Finding Beauty in Unexpected Places: Dixon Handshaw presents Swamp at Image City Photography Gallery”
Wow, I went to his website just now. His work really shines! I especially love the black and white.
When you get a chance, try to listen to the podcast. It’s 30 minutes and if you fast forward to 20:40, you will hear him mention Image City!
As promised:(my apologies for the delay)
Interesting exhibition and interesting text as usual, thanks to you Marie. Combining your images with Dixon’s in two separate spaces of the gallery, shown at the same time is an interesting choice. There are definitely echoes between the two bodies of work and their motivations. The plus added is that one (yours [for the reader who has not yet visited the gallery]) is in color and the other (Dixon’s) is in black-and-white. Although Dixon confesses that his original intention was not for black-and-white, his photographs shine in their conversion. Black-and-white does emphasize the textures and lights he chose to photograph.
I am not going to focus here on Dixon’s credentials—obviously he has spent more time with e-learning and earn more living with e-learning than with his photographs and teaching photography [the interview and website whose links you gave make this clear]— and his interesting and surprising family history, as I am mainly focused on what the gallery displays, his photographs. By the way, it is not mentioned whether he has any pet. I am just here to comment on the exhibition of Dixon’s interesting works, its content and display, as well as its presentation in the blog.
[ “Dixon’s Swamp series on display at Image City is based on his willingness to see beauty in places that some people might overlook. “Most folks don’t think of a swamp as a pretty place.” ] Yes, Dixon’s photographs are definitely guided by esthetic choices as, probably, most if not all of the photographs on the gallery’s walls. There is a true identifiable individual approach in the photographs displayed, and this illustrates what a good selection of images for the gallery should be: coherent, consistent, away from the hodge-podge we sometimes see selected by sincere but unexperienced photographers (at least unexperienced in the art of portfolio and exhibition editing). However given the number of prints Dixon’s selected, I was surprised he included a frankly blurry (camera shake) shadow of himself (no pun intended) and the photograph of a shack in a selection dedicated to the swamp and its bird population. One swamp landscape looks weaker than the rest, and its omission would have given more space to breathe for the exhibition. Technically, two or three of the prints are slightly too dark, especially compared to the excellently printed rest of the show. I did appreciate Dixon’s choice of having no glass in front of his photographs. Because of the dark areas so common in swamps, especially shot backlit, and many of Dixon’s photographs are, reflections on glass would have ruined the experience of the show. Moreover the absence of glass allows the viewer to appreciate and even enjoy the photographer’s choice of paper, with its texture and deep and rich blacks.
As far as swamps being “places that some people might overlook”, it is probably true of most places around the world: some people will focus their attention on them, and some won’t. It is to be noted that some swamps are state or national parks and that the droves of visitors they accommodate are not all biologists or ecologists. “Some” if not the majority, just come for the discovery of a different landscape and an esthetic experience. Clyde Butcher, the famous swamp photographer from Florida [check his website and books], would not have made his successful career without “some people” being interested in black-and-white swamp photographs. The blog reads: “His photographs invite us to recognize the richness of landscapes often dismissed as ordinary.” Hmmm, maybe… So, in conclusion, I am not that convinced that the subjects he chose are often “dismissed as ordinary.” Dixon also seems to be fascinated with wild life (probably half of the displayed images) where the “common places” recede and make room for white birds. This interest in wild life in places visited also constitutes another link, interesting echo, between the work you showed and his. In my opinion, these connections between the works displayed tend to make the gallery as a whole more consistent and interesting. I am sure that both works, yours and his, will convince visitors that they made the right decision in coming, and that they will come again to the gallery for the next shows (or even to get a second look at the current show).
Thank you so much, Bruno, for your detailed and insightful reflections on both the exhibition and the blog. I truly appreciate the way you drew connections between Dixon’s black and white images and my color work, as well as your observations on how their shared themes enrich the overall gallery experience. Your comments add depth to the discussion and encourage visitors to look more closely at both bodies of work. It’s always a pleasure to read your thoughtful perspectives—thank you again for taking the time to share them.