JAKE LEVIN
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Growing up in Washington, DC, I fell in love with birds in the seventh grade, and with photography in ninth. It wasn’t until a bit later that I realized those two passions were compatible, and out of that synthesis, my love for avian photography was born. After I moved to Maine for college, I spent eight years there before moving to Canada in 2014. Wherever I went, birds followed me, even as an undergraduate, when I was known as the guy on the top floor of the residence who would climb out onto the fire escape to dutifully restock the window-mounted bird feeder. I even got a phone call one day from someone I didn’t know in the least, but evidently, they knew about me and my affinity for winged things, and could “the bird guy" please come to their building ASAP because a critter had struck the window and they needed someone to check and make sure he was OK. For the record, that yellow-rumped warbler was fine, albeit a bit dazed and confused for a few minutes. It wasn’t until after college, however, that I was able to seriously upgrade my equipment and dedicate the necessary time and energy into what I see as my real vision for bird photography: conveying to the viewer everything I see in the bird world, and why I’m willing to travel from San Diego to St. Petersburg in search of images that best capture that vision of birds as living art. Now I regularly hone my craft with professional nature photographers in the field, and try to get in at least one trip a year to a new location. When I’m not in the classroom teaching Spanish or at my desk working on my doctorate at the University of Montreal, you can usually find me somewhere outside the city scanning the trees for birds.
I moved to Montreal, Canada in 2014, and remain there in constant search of more species to observe and photograph. Many of my images come from local nature parks and preserves, including St. Bernard Island in Châteauguay, the winter fields of Maskinongé, and the river banks of Sainte-Martine. I create most of my printed work in my personal studio at the Montreal Art Centre, and check in regularly with the QuebecOiseaux rare bird alerts, the best way to tell when something noteworthy flies in. If you have any questions about what’s here in the gallery or would like to see more, please don’t hesitate to get in touch! 
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