After a 23-year career as a commercial studio photographer in Toronto, having graduated from the photography program at Ryerson, I found myself in Vancouver in 1994, looking for a complete lifestyle change. My curiosity about computers led me to try on a new hat in graphic design. Desktop publishing was still in its infancy when I received the opportunity to work with Photoshop 3, and that introduced me to the digital era in photography. I bought my first DSLR in 2005, a Canon 20D. It was a far cry from the quality of my 6×7 Mamiya RZ, but something told me digital photography was my future and that image quality would improve with each succeeding camera update. I have not been disappointed.
British Columbia opened my eyes to a new appreciation of landscape photography. Flat fields of Ontario farmland gave way to tall trees, majestic mountains, and the deep blue ocean. I bought a 13”x19” Epson printer and began printing images for sale in craft shows. The Sunshine Coast called me in 2009. and with my love of hiking and carrying a camera, I was soon showing my photography here as well.
I’ve always been an intuitive empath who easily picks up the energy of people and nature. When I photograph a tree, I feel that energy, which I allow my camera to record. Photography is not an ordinary experience for me; I have the desire to capture the essence of that subject. I don’t need a substance to feel “stoned” on life. I get high photographing a rushing stream in Cliff Gilker Park, feeling the fast water flowing through me. Chapman Creek waterfalls is a torrent of delight after heavy rains.
Photography is no longer something I chase. Looking for the perfect shot doesn’t interest me. Composing an image is a source of nourishment and as such can’t be hurried. Like a tasty meal, it needs to be savoured and enjoyed. How can one define what a perfect image even looks like? Everyone has a different perspective. I can only shoot for myself and hope someone else likes it. That might not always be so, but what difference does that make? Initially our images provide joy to the photographer. Sharing them is what brings pleasure, but who knows if you will like my vision? There was a time when that was important to me, when photography was my career, and if I didn’t please a client, my bank account would suffer. That is no longer the case. It is the rapture of the process that keeps me going.
I love the eclectic. Within any moment, I may be attracted to a subject that I would never have considered. I am as content photographing a black and white nude as a sensuous flower or a powerful waterfall. I hate categories and labels. For me, life contains a multitude of expressions waiting to be captured in the name of art. Life, in fact, is art perfect in every detail. How can one not fail to see the sublime beauty of Mother Earth? As a photographer who is fascinated by the diversity and wonder of this planet, I am nurtured by the subjects I photograph and journeys I take that open up possibilities for creating works of art.
Words | Allan Forest
