I first discovered my love for photography in high school where I spent all my spare time in a wet darkroom. For those who have not experienced it, there is a special thrill that you get the first time you see one of your own images gradually come to life in the developer bath. From that very moment, I was hooked on photography. Over subsequent years I was often told that I have a “good eye”. I’ve always thought that the other one isn’t all that bad either!!

I started taking digital images in 2000 when digital photography was still in its infancy. It was somewhat crude by today’s standards – resolution was very low and equipment prices were very high. But that special thrill was back the first time I took a picture of our dog and it appeared on the tiny screen on the back of the camera.

I began to explore all that digital photography had to offer. For the most part I continued on a voyage of self teaching through experimentation. Very soon I looked for a way to separate myself from the photography herd. That was when I discovered digital infrared photography. Digital infrared has an ethereal, almost magical quality that offers exquisite beauty and sharpness. The images can either be “faux colour” or traditional black and white images.

Going back to my black and white photography roots is what separates my work from most of my contemporaries. I think that Ted Grant, the Victoria based photographer (also known as “the father of Canadian photojournalism”) said it best:

“When you photograph people in colour, you photograph their clothes. But when you photograph people in black and white, you photograph their souls”.

It is with the above thought in mind that I endeavour to capture the soul of my photo subjects, be it people, still life or landscape.

In addition to my black and white images, I will also have colour images for sale in a variety of sizes at Mary Mary’s Cafe in Van Anda during the 2018 Texada Artist Studio Tour.

Artwork