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I was given a Kodak Brownie Hawkeye camera for my twelfth birthday and with it a seed was planted that proceeded to sprout and has continued to grow. Three years later, I was the proud owner of my first 35mm SLR and in 1968 I entered the 3 year diploma course in Photographic Arts at Ryerson in Toronto. After graduating in 1971, I began a career as a commercial photographer in Toronto, using large and medium format film cameras. This continued except for periods of travel until moving to Vancouver in 1994 where I continued doing freelance commercial photography using a medium format film camera. I also purchased my first Mac computer and added computer graphic design to my list of skills after a learning process. Although I had been introduced to commercial quality digital photography in Toronto, it wasn’t until 2005 that I purchased my first DSLR and finally let go of film. After 34 years of using film and darkrooms I was thrilled with the change of applying my computer and Photoshop as a darkroom instead of using smelly corrosive chemicals. The slight loss of dynamic range of the digital camera over film (which has vastly improved since 2005 because of advances in digital technology) was overcome by the incredible flexibility of the digital sensor plus computer. I also found myself shooting so much more now that the cost of film was no longer an issue. With the encouragement of my wife I began showing my landscapes that included previous work done with film which I scanned with a professional quality dedicated slide scanner. I purchased a professional quality digital printer as well as a matte cutter giving me total control of printing and framing my photographs. I have had shows at the Naam Restaurant in Vancouver and Lynnmour Gallery in North Vancouver as well as displaying my photography at the Harmony Arts Festival in West Vancouver. During the Christmas season I have attended a number of craft fairs including Hycroft and the Roberts Creek Christmas Craft Fair. In 2009 I moved to the Sunshine Coast and began photographing for The Local newspaper. My photographs are currently displayed at The Blackberry Shopand Truffles restaurant in Gibsons. Twenty-four of my photographs were recently published in a picture book by Harbour Publishing called The Sunshine Coast. In April you will find me displaying my photography at the Sechelt Farmer's Market in Sechelt. |