About Deb

Photographer’s Statement

“Invariably the uniqueness and beauty of wild lands always manage to move me. I’m awestruck by their diversity of texture and essence. It brings me great joy to be able to share those sights photographically and to, hopefully, nurture the same sense of awe and devotion to their protection and preservation.”   – DST

A native of Indiana, Deb Tappan received concurrent degrees from Indiana University in both Telecommunications and Environmental Studies. Involved with newspaper production for many years, she “retired” from the University of Tennessee where she had served for 15 years and advanced her academic pursuit. Deb now is dynamically engaged in her other life’s passions namely, natural history photography, ecology and environmental protection. Since 1990, Deb Tappan has hiked in and explored many of our national parklands. Through her photography, she has attempted to “transport” the magnificent topography, life forms, and natural history from wherever she finds them. “Invariably the uniqueness and beauty of wild lands always manage to move me. I’m awestruck by their diversity of texture and essence. It brings me great joy to be able to share those sights photographically and to, hopefully, nurture the same sense of awe and devotion to their protection and preservation.”

Deb’s interest in photography was kindled when she was quite young. “It is a gift from my Dad. He was the one who introduced me to photography and black and white printing. Using the furnace room of our house as the darkroom and an old projector as an enlarger he showed me the magic of print making and capturing those moments of time.” Deb’s photographic skills have continued to evolve. She maintained a wet darkroom (in a closet) initially and now has moved into the digital age. Three digital SLRs rounds out her equipment. Not foregoing film, she uses a high end film/slide scanner. In the spring of 2003 Deb launched this website which showcases her photographic work. Currently, Deb’s photographs hang in homes and offices across the country.  In 2016 she produced a Blu-ray featuring a selection of her images, “Nature’s Moments: vol. 1”.  In January 2019 she published her first photo collection book.  She is a member of NANPA (North American Nature Photography Association).

In addition to her photography, she is involved with the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and other academic pursuits and environmental causes. She is a former Contributing Editor and Q&A Board Moderator for Digicamhelp. “Life isn’t static.”

WILDLIFE/NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY ETHICS: Applying ecologically sensitive, responsible field practices are of utmost importance to Deb. She is a proponent of her Wildlife/Nature Photography and Viewing Code of Ethics as well as Leave No Trace Outdoors Ethics.

IMAGING ETHICS: Deb Tappan’s objective is to photograph nature in a manner which advances our appreciation and understanding of its intricacies. Therefore, her images are not artistic recreations, composites or subject manipulations but rather authentic representations of the landscapes and subjects as she found them throughout her travels. “Nature is filled with diverse and astonishing features. To misrepresent the subject would be detrimental to our understanding of it.”

EXHIBIT: One of Deb’s prints was on display as part of a special exhibit at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. This special exhibit, “Lieutenant Ronald Reagan and the U.S. Cavalry” ran from June 18, 2005 through July 5, 2006.

Member of:

NANPA    *    NPCA    *    UCS    *    Nature Conservancy    *    HSUS/WLT    *    Sierra Club    *    NRDC    *    DLIA/ATBI