I began photography primarily to have my own source material for my art, and I quickly realized photography was a vast subject in itself. Fascinated with how the camera delivered an image, I delved headlong into photography for a deeper understanding of how and why images turned out the way they did. I was fascinated by how I could control light and shadows in a scene by manipulating various camera settings to communicate mood and drama in my images. Varying exposure times also created interesting dreamy scenes with a blurring effect. I discovered combinations of settings would create the desired ambiance I was looking for. I also came to understand characteristics of various lenses, and how they would deliver the field of view or depth and perspective in an image.

Today, there are a multitude of camera-body systems available, with advanced electronics built-in that allow the user to customize ergonomics and camera settings to suit individual needs. However, I have come to realize that true versatility in creating an image comes not from a new state-of-the-art camera body, but from the lens. It is the lens that delivers that extra punch to a photograph. Wide and ultra wide lenses deliver expansive perspective and depth, while the telephoto lenses create intimate contact with the viewer and subject. This is because longer telephoto lenses have a characteristic shallow depth of field where the background is compressed creating a blurred background while the closer subject is in focus for the viewer. 

Throughout my exploring and learning journey, I have acquired a variety of lenses, each with its own characteristics. Possibilities are endless, with the ability to work with the perspective of the lens, while controlling the delivery of light and shadow, with exposure settings within the camera. Today, my choice of lenses serve me in much the same way as my filberts, flats and fan brushes do in my art. I have multiple camera systems and lenses including Leica, Nikon and Sony and each system delivers characteristic images typically based on their proprietary colour spaces. Art and Photography go hand-in-hand as two complementary subjects. Both are vast and fascinating avenues to explore. I can use my camera to create an image of a scene in much the same way as a set director would, by carefully sculpting the light and shadows of the set. I can then take that information and paint the light scene on my canvas, while also giving myself artistic freedom to deviate from the photographic image depending on what I would like to convey to the viewer and how I would want the viewer to be guided through my canvas. 

PHOTOGRAPHY