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Picturing Lewisville: Lewisville woman's life journey took her away from her beloved hometown and back again
Journal Photo by David Rolfe
Deb Phillips has created a photoblog about life in Lewisville. The license plate on her truck reflects the winding path her life has taken.
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Click for a gallery of Deb Phillips' photos
Published: December 29, 2008
LEWISVILLE
Deb Phillips' photography blog allows her to combine two of her passions -- photography and Lewisville.
The depth of her passion was evident when she spent hours walking up and down Shallowford Road during the town's Christmas parade on Dec. 14, snapping more than 1,800 photographs of decorated tractors, local notables in Corvettes, and women from the Red Hat Society.
A few days later, she stayed up all night to edit and post about 300 photos on her Web site, www.lewisvillephotos.com.
The Web site is part labor of love, part business venture. Documenting the everyday happenings in a town she loves has been satisfying, but she does hope to make a living from the Web site by selling photographic prints that appear on the site and through advertising.
Her Web site is subtitled, "Finding adventure and inspiration in a small town."
"What thrills me is finding adventure in life," Phillips said. "You can do it in a small town."
Phillips hits the town's blockbuster events, such as the plays on Shallowford Square that draw thousands, and lesser-known gatherings, such as church bazaars.
When she doesn't find anything on the community calendar, Phillips hunts for photos in town or in the surrounding countryside.
Often, she will stumble upon meaningful moments that might have slipped by unnoticed. Last week, for instance, Phillips stopped by the square and saw Fred O'Brien, a Lewisville resident and Korean War veteran and, putting Christmas wreaths on stands in front of the square's war memorials. O'Brien, Phillips learned, was not satisfied that the wreaths had been placed on the ground, resting against the memorials, and brought his own stands.
Her random encounter with O'Brien resulted in several poignant photographs.
The Lewisville Library is one of Phillips' favorite places to visit.
"She takes these wonderful close-ups of children that make your heart melt," said Diane Bauman, the president of the Friends of the Lewisville Library. "Her blog is a way for a small community to experience its activities not once, but twice through her photography."
Phillips' ties to the town run deep. Her grandfather, Fielden Jennings, bought the Historic Roller Mill on Shallowford Road in 1925 and turned it into a bustling community hub. Her father and mother both worked at the mill, and Phillips has fond memories of exploring the mill's nooks and crannies and scampering around the bagged sacks of feed with her brother.
After high school, she worked as a secretary, went to a Christian college in Miami, Fla., then studied photojournalism at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Va. Those classes reignited her love of photography and art.
Phillips later moved back to Lewisville, worked in consumer affairs for US Air and studied computer graphics at Guilford Technical Community College.
"My path doesn't make any sense," Phillips said.
She was working as a free-lance graphics artist last February when she read an article about blogging.
"All of a sudden I saw a skeleton of what I could do to combine the things that interested me," Phillips said.
Life in Lewisville seemed like a natural subject for her Web site.
"I am reconciled to living in a small town and that small town is Lewisville," Phillips said. "This is a gift from me to the community, and if the site stays up, there will be a record of life and I would be thrilled with that."
She officially launched the Web site in August (though her photo gallery has pictures dating to June's West Side Civic Theatre's production of Hello, Dolly!). After averaging 15 daily visits for the first few months, traffic has steadily increased to a high of 110 visits one recent Sunday.
Phillips tries to post fresh content every other day.
"I want to keep the content as fresh as possible so people can anticipate what is next," Phillips said.
■ Lisa O'Donnell can be reached at 727-7420 or at lo'donnell@wsjournal.com.
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