Dawn M. Wayand is an exhibiting photographer/artist, a curator, a writer, and an educator. In 2011, she founded NYC Digital Photography Workshops (NYCDPW), which blossomed into a 5,500-member, 10-instructor photography education group guiding photographers – from novice to professional – toward becoming better at what they capture and how they showcase it to the world through group and private workshops. While she closed NYCDPW in 2023, she continues to teach private photography workshops through her own photography business, Dawn M. Wayand Photography. A Florida native, a Visual Arts graduate, and a former writer for two local art publications in Florida, Dawn successfully gained recognition with her photography and other works of art along the eastern seaboard from Florida to New York City, having sold and been displayed in homes, offices and commercial spaces worldwide. Dawn has exhibited in numerous types of venues and has curated multiple exhibitions in Florida, New York City, and online. Having written almost 100 feature photography articles, gear reviews, and eBooks since September 2015, Dawn has been published on the 42West|Adorama Learning Center, B&H Photo Explora, Tether Tools, and Digital Photography School websites. Dawn has been shooting travel, street, and candid portraits since 2001 and has worked with models and actors in New York City shooting portraits, headshots, and fashion through Dawn M. Wayand Photography since late 2013.
Artist Statement
“I have been an artist in some shape or form using various mediums of choice since I was six years old. With my main body of work being photography over the last decade, my canvas artwork tends to be more realistic as I like to recreate what I see, but I give it an artistic spin using vibrant colors, shapes, lines, textures, and splashes. In the last few years, I’ve been dabbling in three-dimensional canvas artwork, adding heavy textures, paper, or musical instrument pieces to my canvases to bring them to life. I’ve also been experimenting with the abstract as I have learned to let my feelings and mood dictate my brush. I am generally inspired mostly by things I see around me in my travels and the music I listen to. Having been to so many destinations in the world, I have been able to capture my journeys through photographs and I create whimsical images in my art that reflect moods and new senses of meaning and awareness I felt after traveling domestically and abroad. I have also been to many museums around the globe and have always come away inspired by those artists and eager to apply my style – constantly under development as I am always progressively learning – to produce unique artworks. With my photography, I always try to capture the best part of my subjects, while with my paintings and drawings, I try to capture accuracy or put a fun spin on ordinary subjects. My work spans several mediums and various genres as I am always trying new things, but my subjects always represent my interests, abilities, and the mood I am in at the time. What drives me to continue to create and experiment are the responses I receive to my work and how others enjoy my finished pieces. It is always nice to hear – for any artist – how amazing their work is or to sell a piece they created. The fact that my art affects someone personally and they enjoy it enough to want to display it in their home motivates me to continue doing what I do.”
~ Dawn M. Wayand
Art & Photography Affiliations
Dawn’s Freelance Writing Affiliations
Adorama Learning Center Website
B&H Photo Explora
Digital Photography School
Tether Tools
Dawn’s Past Curatorial Endeavors (2012-present)
Caelum Gallery, NYC (1 exhibition)
Abrons Arts Center, NYC (2 exhibitions)
Soho Arthouse, NYC (9 exhibitions)
Dawn’s Past Personal Exhibitions
NYC:
Music, Flower Power & Bold Abstracts, Abrons Arts Center, Manhattan (solo exhibition)
Art on Broadway by Dacia Gallery, Manhattan (1 group exhibition)
Soho Arthouse, Manhattan (10 group exhibitions)
Abrons Arts Center, Manhattan (2 group exhibitions)
Five Pointz Art Festival, Brooklyn (1 group exhibition)
Broomie’s, Brooklyn (1 solo exhibition)
Tampa, FL:
Old Hyde Park Art Center (20+ group exhibitions)
Carrollwood Cultural Center (3 group exhibitions)
Museum of Photographic Arts (1 group exhibition)
North Tampa Arts in the Park (1 group exhibition)
Wyndham Hotel (3 solo exhibitions)
Tampa Artists Emporium (personal 3-month rotating exhibition space + 4 group exhibitions)
Ybor City Saturday Morning Market (12 weeks)
Brandon, FL:
Brandon League of Fine Arts (2 exhibitions)
Clearwater, FL:
Clearwater Main Library (1 exhibition)
Dawn’s Past Photography Talks & Lectures
2010 – On Eastern Europe, Tampa, FL
2012 to 2019 – Various workshops on creative photography, composition, iPhone photography, studio lighting, and exhibitions education through NYC Digital Photography Workshops, NYC
Dawn’s Current & Past Art & Photography Affiliations
Visual Artists Association (current member)
NYC Digital Photography Workshops (former owner)
Drawing the Light – Studio & Lighting Classes (former owner)
NYC Photo Outings (former owner)
NYC Digital Photography Club (former owner)
NYC Image Group (former owner)
Journeys Photography Exploration Group (JPEG) (former owner)
NYC Digital Photo Walks (former owner)
National Association of Professional Women (former member)
APA – American Photographic Arts (former member)
Professional Photographers of America (former member)
Tampa Regional Artists (former member & exhibitor)
Brandon League of Fine Arts (former member & exhibitor)
North Tampa Art League (former member & exhibitor)
Museum of Photographic Arts (former member & exhibitor)
Sarasota Art Center (former member)
Professional Alliance of Visual Arts (former member)
West Coast Photography Group (former member & photographer)
Modeling & Photography Forum (former member & photographer)
Tampa Photography Forum (former member & photographer)
North Pinellas Photography Forum (former member & photographer)
Florida State Photography Forum (former member & photographer)
