LOCAL ARTIST KEEPING ‘LIFE IN FOCUS’

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see,” a famous quote by Thoreau and the slogan of Gallery 36 and the belief of photography artist Lisa Renee Ludlum. Capturing the beauty in the moment of her surroundings is a gift that Lisa Renee Ludlum has practiced all of her life; from the time she was a little girl taking photos in her mother’s rose garden of flowers, bees and butterflies with a small pocket camera — to her current day as an award-winning photographer and the director of Gallery 36, her own artistic photographic art gallery.

“My lens is an extension of my eye, and my camera is a window into my soul,” Ludlum describes her art of photography. “With my camera, I zoom in and bring life in focus. I believe nature is a gift, a true masterpiece and I receive great joy in sharing my visionary images. Photography suspends moments in time, creating an infinite thumbprint of our present and a visual key to our past, leaving a lasting gift for future generations.”

Macro photography is Ludlum’s truest passion as she relishes in the discovery and bringing the smallest of captures to larger-than-life prints. Ludlum also gravitates towards being a purist and natural photography in her work and maintaining the truest of form of her nature subjects. 

“I describe myself as a composer artist of the life around us through the magic of photography; so many magnificent things around us are often missed because life is too busy and we often forget to look and simply be in the moment. Life guarantees us nothing but the moment we are in and photography allows me to capture those memories. I laugh out loud, as I often say that I have a better relationship with Mother Nature than I do with Father Time.”

“My dragonfly images are my favorites,” she revealed. “They serve as the signature image of the Gallery 36 logo, and they have symbolic meaning. The dragonfly symbolizes transformation, good luck and spiritual enlightenment. They are also the most challenging images to capture because they take significant patience and time to capture the perfect shot. You must be one with nature.” With extraordinary patience and skill, she successfully captures the grid in the dragonfly’s eyes amongst many other macro images.

Gallery 36 is filled with stunning imagery captured by Ludlum, with a strong focus on nature, wildlife, captivating birds, equines and the beautiful surroundings of the scenic Florida coast landscapes. She even takes delight in car photography ranging from extraordinary vintage collections to hitting the national racetracks and capturing the drama, thrill and speed of the races. Her award-winning photography has been exhibited in many museums, galleries, art shows and public venues throughout Florida and she’s been recognized in many publications.