I have owned a camera and been a photographer since the age of 12, growing up in rural Québec. One of my early experiences was watching my father at work in his basement darkroom. Black and white print making became my main method of expression and the 70s, 80s and 90s saw me enrolling in evening college photography classes in darkroom technique, sensitometry and lighting while learning to use a 4X5 field camera, calibrating my equipment for the zone system and drawing inspiration from the likes of Ansel Adams, Edward Weston and Minor White. Like many of my peers, I made the transition (albeit partial) to the digital medium and now enjoy the huge latitude that is now offered by these new tools while staying true to the essence of what makes a great photograph – composition as well as the skillful use of light and shadow.
My background as an environmental scientist has given me an appreciation and love for the natural word and its intrinsic beauty. I often seek areas protected from the abuses humans have heaped on nature and, when the human element does enter into my photography, it tends to reflect days gone by when we were in a more reasonable equilibrium with the other inhabitants of our shared planet. I have a special fondness for parks and other natural areas but also for the little out of the way corners of towns and villages where pedestrians still rule and where wood, field stone and slate trump steel, cement and asphalt.
My 2015 Photosynthesis Exhibit presents a light-hearted exploration of fish and form. Part surface and part underwater photography, the photographs emphasize the playful interplay of form and colour between fish and their environment.
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- Fish in blue
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- Going against the flow
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- Hiding from the world
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- Koi
PREVIOUS SHOWS
- 1984. Image Canada Group. Source of Art Gallery. Ottawa
- 1985. Trees. Image Canada Group. Source of Art Gallery. Ottawa.
- 1986. Photovision 86. Galerie Rodrigue Lemay. Ottawa
- 1987. Images 87. Galerie Rodrigue Lemay. Ottawa
- 1992. Image Canada Group. Eaton Centre. Ottawa
- 2006. Erosions. Solo show. Bruyère Gallery. Ottawa.
- 2014. Salt Spring Photography Lobby show. Artspring. Salt Spring Island.
- 2014. Eclectic Vision. Salt Spring Photography Club. Artsping. Salt Spring Island.
- 2014. Photosynthesis 2014. Artspring. Salt Spring Island
- 2015. Salt Spring Photography Lobby show. Artspring. Salt Spring Island.
- 2015. Beethoven ‘Pop-Up’ show. Artspring. Salt Spring Island
- 2015. Eclectic Vision. Salt Spring Photography Club. Gallery 8. Salt Spring Island.
PUBLISHED WORK
- Nature Canada Magazine
- Canadian Nature Federation Brochure
- Queens Alumni Review
- Chickadee Magazine
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada
- Environment Canada
- Parks Canada
- Canadian Museum of Nature
- Marine Fauna of the St. Lawrence 1987 Calendar. Pleine Mer Inc.
- Environmental Science and Technology Journal
- Porthole (Canadian Power and Sail Squadron Magazine)
- UBC Press
- International Institute for Sustainable Development
OTHER COMMERCIAL WORK
- Christmas card for federal riding. Sinclair Stevens, MP
- Photographic mural. The Puffin Restaurant, Ottawa
- Stock photography. Valan Photos
- Promotional cards for CanReg Farm, Finch, Ontario