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Picture perfect
By Sally Boswell
Published September 22, 2009
BOGATA — Breann Lewis of Bogata is going to the State Fair of Texas this year, and for very good reason. The Rivercrest Elementary fifth grade student has won first place in the 12 to 17-year-old division of the Fair’s photography competition, in the Domestic Animals category.
What makes it even more impressive is Breann Lewis is only 10 years old.
“I like taking pictures more than anything really,” said the young photographer. “It’s almost my favorite thing to do. If I had free time every day that’s what I’d be doing.”
Besides taking pictures, Breann, the daughter of Charles Don and Shaunda Lewis of Bogata, competes in UIL competitions at school — music memory is her favorite — helps care for her three dogs, two cats and horse and spends lots of time with her “extended” family.
James and Dee Wood, owners of Wood Funeral Homes in Bogata and Deport, and their grown children, Denise and Tim, are a large part of that extended family. Dee began babysitting Breann when the little girl was three weeks old and she has been an important part of the Wood’s family ever since. “I’m rarely at home, except on school nights,” Breann said. “I spend time with my Granny — my real grandmother — or at Nanny’s (Dee Woods) house or at Denise’s house or at Tim’s. “I have four different rooms in four different houses.”
It was Denise Woods who first sparked Breann’s interest in photography.
“We’ve always taken pictures of Bre,” said Denise. “When the digital cameras came, she wanted to see the picture, so we started putting the camera in her hand. The rest is history.”
“Breann’s never used anything but a digital,” said Tim Wood. “The digital cameras are the greatest things for kids. Unlike us, when we were kids; we had to send it off and there was the expense of processing the film. Today kids can just take a picture and experiment with it and learn and get better. If it’s not good, they can just erase it and start over.”
This is not Breann’s first win in photography competitions. At the age of nine, Breann entered her work in a number of local fairs in Northeast Texas. Her entry — a close up of a grasshopper peering out over the petals of a large sunflower — netted her a number of ribbons, including a first place in the youth division at the 2008 Red River Valley Fair in Paris and the Reserve Champion ribbon of the overall photography competition there.
“At nine she was competing with kids older than her, because there was no division for kids her age, and she still won,” Mrs. Wood said. This year, Breann was encouraged by her friends and family to enter the State Fair competition. She chose to enter a photo she had taken of two of Denise Wood’s family pets looking out of the window of a battered old farm truck. “I like taking pictures of dogs and cats, but you have to snap real quick,” said the young photographer. “Bodi — he’s a puggle, part beagle, part pug — kept sliding down because he had really lifted himself up to look out the window and Chester, the golden retriever, he wouldn’t pay attention. He kept looking around.” State Fair officials warned that Breann would be competing against kids from 12 to 17 years old, but allowed the Red River County youngster to enter. Word soon came that Breann’s entry had taken first place in her division and category. Breann and several members of her family, as well as several members of the Wood Family, are making plans to attend the State Fair the first weekend of the event’s run. “We’re going to be doing some serious carpooling to Fair Park,” Denise said. Breann’s parents own Lewis Home Health of Bogata. Her father is also employed by ATMOS Energy. Breann’s sister, Amber Nicole “Niki” Lewis, 18, is a nursing student. Breann also keeps in touch with a pen-pal, Mark, who lives in Tokyo. When she isn’t taking pictures, Breann likes to color with markers, watch movies about her favorite animals, wolves, and watch “Twilight,” which she’s seen 17 times. She also is learning to crochet. The budding artist has no plans to study photography formally. “I just like to find my own eye,” she said, “what I really think would be a good picture and what wouldn’t. You learn when you take a picture what is good and you try to make it better. That’s better than what people tell you, because they have their ways and you have yours.” But for this young artist, winning ribbons isn’t what drives her to enter competitions. “The best part of taking photos is entering them in the fairs and seeing them and seeing the pictures that other people have entered,” she said. “I like to take pictures of anything that is really interesting or catches the eye, anything that I think people will love. You just want to show what you captured, what you caught and what you saw. You got a great image, and even if you don’t win, it’s still a good photo.”
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