Who and What is Behind the Lens

I don’t like to call myself a landscape photographer, but that’s what I usually get referred to as. It seems so . . . limiting. When I think about it, the subject matter is rather infinite.

The natural world has always inspired me with its’ beauty, complexity and its’ life sustaining qualities. I love to find connections between nature and our lives as humans. As I wander through any given landscape, appreciating and discovering every aspect of creation, I am consistently inspired by what I see and experience. My photographs are an expression of that experience.

Photography is one of the technical arts that has always fascinated me. The concept of a creative mind using a machine to construct images has been up for debate since the ‘camera obscura’ was first invented. For us photographers, the challenge is not to copy scenery but interpret elements of a scene and convey meaning and emotion to the viewer – interpretations achieved by the camera’s unique and inherent mechanical qualities.

My artistic style has been a bit of a journey of discovery and experimentation. I was originally influenced by the Group f64, who promoted a style of sharply detailed, purist photography. Over the years I have built and operated pinhole cameras, experimented with photographic collage, almost became a B&W purist, I am still maintaining a love/hate relationship with digital photography and most recently have been drawn back to the analogue processes of the early years of photography. I tend to photograph in terms of a series or project. A portfolio of these images is printed and limited edition photographs are available for private and corporate collections. My prints are created with longevity in mind, using museum quality archival pigment inks.

My photographs have been exhibited at the Tom Thomson Memorial Art Gallery (Group & Juried), the Durham Art Gallery (Group), Art Gallery of Bancroft (Juried), the Art Gallery of Guelph (Juried) as well as a solo exhibition at the Pelham Public Library.