Meet Dawn Jefferson | Nurse and Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dawn Jefferson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dawn, why did you pursue a creative career?
Many years ago while quickly flipping through a magazine, I came across an image by Dorothea Lange titled “Migrant Mother” which made me pause; it was so strikingly gritty and emotive. The two children with recent haircuts hiding their faces, the baby in the woman’s arms seemingly asleep, the tattered and dirty clothes, and of course the woman’s posture and expression all made for a scene I couldn’t help but study. There was so much story there and I wanted to know more. Did the kids turn their heads out of embarrassment due to their new haircuts or because of the way they were living or simply because they were shy in front of the camerawoman? The mother completely surrounded by her children had an expression that didn’t seem to depict worry but rather of someone who had experienced hard times with the knowledge that there would be more to come; how did she get to this place? Even with her circumstances, she appeared so dignified to me, she was struggling but she was holding it together even if barely. I could go on and on with thoughts and interpretations as this image really stirred me, it evoked so much emotion. The image was telling a story that I wanted to know. I remember thinking what a powerful way to communicate, to tell a story without writing down one word! I wanted to do that someday.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

Photography is a wonderful medium to express one’s creativity, to convey a unique perspective on life. For example, using different size lenses can alter the view making it appear very different (wide sweeping landscapes vs up close and personal portraits), moving the camera intentionally when the shutter is open can make for other-worldly images, and leaving the shutter open for extended periods of time can smooth out water and bring out the light in the night sky showing things barely seen with the naked eye like the Milky Way. There are many more of course but one of my favorite techniques is to use intentional camera movement (ICM) which allows me to distort reality in a beautiful way. I especially like to use it on fireworks. By manipulating my camera I have made them look like beautiful flowers or objects seen through a microscope in biology class. It’s not necessarily easy to get a good image using this technique (and I have made a plethora of terrible images) but when it all comes together it can be a beautiful thing.

Another way to make creative images is by using Photoshop (PS). I have discovered a process to manipulate my images in such a way that they end up looking like watercolor paintings. One day when there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and no animal to be found, I decided to go outside and just play with my camera. Despite spending a couple hours photographing anything I thought might be of interest, nothing seemed to speak to me and the only image I saved was of a succulent in my garden which to be honest was a very boring picture. However, after running it through PS using this technique, I was able to transform the boring into a beautiful piece of art that looked like a watercolor painting on linen paper. Success!

Two years ago I decided to take up storm chasing. I really didn’t know what I was doing and undoubtedly put myself in more danger than I realize (there is so much to learn about safely chasing after storms!) not to mention that the photographic results were dismal. While researching how to chase storms, I came across a group of local storm chasers and immediately joined the group. The members of this group have taught me so much about storms, safety and photography, so with their help and after taking a two day workshop, I was prepared enough to try it on my own. WOW! Storm chasing really resonates with my personality. I love the fast pace, traveling all over, and of course, witnessing the creation and execution of a monsoon storm. Even though storms can be dangerous with torrential rain, and flooding, and seem so furious while haphazardly throwing out bolts of lightning, they are really quite beautiful and I have yet to tire of seeking them out. I do have to be honest though, one of the aspects of storm chasing I like the most is creating friendships. The storm chasing community isn’t that big so it doesn’t take long before we start to recognize each other out in the field and before you know it, we’re shooting together. (It is much safer to have a partner when out chasing storms in case something goes terribly wrong)

Let’s travel back to the “Migrant Mother” image, the image that planted a desire in me to communicate through photography. Though I chose not to pursue photojournalism, and consider myself a landscape/wildlife photographer and a storm chaser, I realize I am still very moved by that image. Contemplating that picture, feeling the emotion once again, has stirred my heart and watered that original seed… who knows, maybe one day I will try my hand at photojournalism.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
As you can imagine, I get quite a few visitors here in the desert so I do have a few places I always suggest. If they want to explore nature a bit I recommend they visit: Sabino anyone, Saguaro NP (both of them), and Picacho Peak State Park. If they want to venture out a bit I suggest: Pima Air & Space Museum, Titan Missile Museum, and Kartchner Caverns. In terms of food, I like to introduce people to Barrio Bread as not only is their bread fantastic, they make many loaves out of grains grown here in the Tucson area. Support local! I think Nadine’s Bakery makes an amazing pizza dough which is sold frozen for making pizza at home (and I confess, home is mostly where I eat). El Charro, of course, is a local favorite. Now for a little entertainment, because I really enjoy the Gaslight Theatre and the Gaslight Music Hall, I always try to take them to a show. Interestingly enough, I also take visitors to Bach’s Greenhouse Cactus Nursery so we can peruse the seemingly infinite varieties of Cacti.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have been fortunate enough to meet some interesting people and make new friends in my photography travels. Some of these people have been willing to offer constructive criticism, teach me new editing techniques, and some have encouraged me to look at my subject(s) from different angles, all of which has helped me to improve in my photo taking and to grow in creativity. However, there is one person I would like to acknowledge, Lori Grace Bailey. She is a storm chaser and a great photographer. I took a two day workshop with her to learn about storms and storm chasing safety and she taught me so much. However, why the shout out? Lori never stops offering to help. Many members of the storm chasing group I belong to have an app that allows us to each other’s location and if she sees I am in a dangerous place she will check in with me, if she thinks I am close to a better position for the storm, she will let me know, if she’s headed to a location close to me, she will pop in and say hi. She helps people selflessly. Go check out her work. https://www.lorigraceaz.com

Website: www.deLightscapes.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/it_dawned_on_me/