YSU faculty member William Lewis teaches students to capture life, action
Since William D. Lewis began his career as a photojournalist in the Mahoning Valley over three decades ago, he has documented most of the major historical events that shaped this area. Through the lens of his camera, he recorded the collapse of the local steel industry and its impact on the Valley. He has photographed every United States President since Jimmy Carter, numerous national leaders and most of the major local politicians including Jim Traficant, Tim Ryan and Jay Williams. Countless “slice of life” images of Valley residents either going about their daily lives or caught in extreme circumstances, are among his favorites. Lewis has also photographed sports events from high school soccer to professional football including the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers. For the past few years, he has been the lead photographer in documenting the rise of local fighter Kelly Pavlik to Middleweight Champion of the World.
Lewis started his career in 1978 as a staff photographer with the Tribune Chronicle in Warren and has been a staff photographer at The Vindicator in Youngstown since 1985. Sweeping advances in photojournalism technology including the move from black and white to color images and from film to digital photography have occurred during his career. Lewis has embraced these changes and has recently delved into the realm of video by shooting and editing online video stories for Vindy.com.
Two exhibits of his photography have been displayed at the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio. The first, “North Coast Light, Images of Lake Erie” opened in October of 2006. The second, “The Path to Greatness, Images of Kelly Pavlik was shown from Dec. 9 through Jan. 13, 2007.
Lewis graduated from Kent Sate University in 1977 with a bachelor's degree in Photojournalism. While pursuing his degree, he worked as a photographer for The Daily Kent Stater, the student newspaper, and the Chestnut Burr, the college yearbook. Throughout his career, he has won numerous awards from the Associated Press including being named a finalist in the 2008 Associated Press Society of Ohio Division IV Best Photographer and Best Online Photojournalist.
Contact Lewis: williamlewis1884@sbcglobal.net
