Inspired by the natural world around us.
I grew up in a rural area at the north edge of Toronto.
In the early 1960's this small corner of North York was still dotted with farm houses and open fields, but by the time I was school aged the urban sprawl of Toronto had pushed into our area. When the largest farm in the area burned down, its fields became the site of new homes, apartment buildings, and a public school was built where the barn once stood.
Until the early 70's there was still some open land to the north and west of us, but development continued to expand, and by the time I went to college the rural lands I explored as a child were gone.
So while my early childhood years were spent in open spaces and nature, my adolescence took place in a construction zone of new houses and roads. These contrasting environments where key elements in forming my appreciation for the constant change around me.
Having the good fortune to leave the business world in 2015, early retirement has afforded me the time to pursue my photography. The support from my wife and our shared passion for travel and exploration has allowed me the opportunity to take unique and compelling photographs from around the world.My Cameras Through The Years
My family always had cameras. The first one I remember was a Kodak Brownie Hawkeye from the early 50’s. Though I can't remember anyone taking photos with it, I was always intrigued by how it worked.
I took my first photographs with a Polaroid, but the gratification of instant prints was only novel for one pack of film.
In 1972 I received a Kodak Pocket Instamatic as a gift. It was small, produced tiny negatives and poor quality prints, but it was easy to load and use.
Not long after the Instamatic fell into disuse, my parents got a Pentax Spotmatic F. For me, this camera ushered in a new era of photography. Ultimately, using it more than they did and wanting to try new techniques, I bought a telephoto lens, flash and other accessories, and began experimenting.
The first camera I purchased was the amazing Minolta X-700. I went through rolls of film like candy for three years, amassing a print and slide collection in the thousands. Unfortunately the camera, lenses and accessories were stolen and I ended up replacing it with a Canon EOS630 system. It was a good camera, but it never inspired me to take photographs the way the X-700 had, and my picture taking fell back to being primarily vacation and special occasion snaps.
That all changed in the late 90's when digital cameras entered the market. Since then, my ever increasing interest has kept pace with advances in digital imaging. I've been fortunate to have access to the latest cameras, and have had a dozen point and shoot cameras and six different digital cameras. I still have a number of compact cameras of varying capability, but a mirror-less, high resolution, full frame camera is my go to kit.