Stephen "Doc" Wood
Meet Dr. Steven Wood, Recipient of Top Honors in the America and the Sea Photo Contest hosted by the Mystic Seaport Magazine
It’s easy to tell that Dr. Stephen Wood has an interest in photography by simply walking into his room. Shelves lined with classic cameras line one side of the room; self-taken photographs of beautiful landscapes, fan-packed stadiums, and famous athlete’s line the walls of his office in Davis Hall. Although a professor of Communications studies working at URI since 1982, he has a passion, and a talent, for photography. His love for photography can be traced back to a job he did to simply to make extra money while in college.
While getting his B.A. at California State Polytechnic University, Dr. Wood decided to take up a job in photography. He had no prior experience in photography, or even an interest in it, but had the drive and confidence to learn the skills. While working there, he gained a great deal of experience in the world of photography stating “I should have been paying them.” Dr. Wood says that job lead to his lifelong passion for photography.
Since his humble beginnings, Dr. Wood has won numerous awards for his work. Last year, he won the America and the Sea Photo Contest hosted by the Mystic Seaport Magazine. His spectacular infrared image of the whaling ship Charles W. Morgan at Mystic Seaport won top honors against tough odds. Although Dr. Wood takes everything from action shots caught in baseball games to the salmon colored sandstone arches of Utah, his interest lies on landscapes, many in the Western United States.
Despite his prodigious experience, Dr. Wood has no problem adapting to new developments in photography. With the transition from analog to digital format, Dr. Wood embraced the new technology with a slightly apprehensive confidence. In addition, he uses advanced computer software for post-processing and says that neglecting to do so, by in large, is a mistake. But Dr. Wood maintains that cameras and tools are only secondary to the skill of the photographer.
Dr. Wood’s career as a photographer is expansive but luckily we can catch a glimpse of it in his stunning photographs. As a career professor, Dr. Wood shows that passions, regardless of how they may or may not relate to ones occupation, can be nurtured and developed without sacrificing professional goals.
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