Who am I?:
I am an undergraduate university science student in my early 20’s, living in the Niagara Region of southern Ontario. I am lucky enough to hold citizenship in both Canada and the US so I have been able to visit scenic locations to take photos on both sides of the border. I began practicing photography as a hobby in early May, 2020, although I’ve had the desire to learn photography as far back as 2015.
In high school, I wanted to take a class in photography but was unable to because of schedule limitations. As a science student, my class schedules have always been jam-packed, and that issue only became more pronounced once I reached university. Every year I told myself I wanted to take a class on photography and see if it was a good fit for me. The problem was, I felt like I never had enough time in the day for just schoolwork, let alone a new hobby.
In March of 2020 though, everything changed. My school, my workplace and indeed my entire province shut down due to the need for quarantines. Suddenly I had nothing but free time. I took the opportunity to finally try photography after so long saying I would. I threw myself into it headlong. I began practicing for hours every week. I discovered that photography is a perfect fit for me. I am so glad that I finally took the leap and tried it.
Why I love photography:
Once I finally got a camera and began practicing in earnest, I found that on every single outing I made, the thing I enjoyed most was simply pointing my camera at the world around me and just taking photos. More than the fresh air outside, the feeling of hiking, the amazing views I found, or anything else, the thing I love most about photography is the simple act of pointing my camera at something pretty and just capturing the moment perfectly.
The more things I learn about the art of taking photos, the more videos I watch, and the more books I read about it, the more I want to just go outside and practice more. The more I practice, the more I just want to learn more concepts and techniques to try in the field. I’m always trying to learn and try new things to take better and better photos.
A few months after I started practicing photography I decided that I was taking all these beautiful images, but then they were just sitting on my hard drives unseen and unshared. That felt a shame to me; I wanted others to be able to see all the sights that I had seen and captured in the field. I wanted a way to share my passion with the world. That is why in July I began building this website and putting together a professional portfolio, transitioning my photography from merely a hobby into a real job.
I’ve tried many creative ventures before, but none of them ever felt right. I played viola in an orchestra for two years. I took acoustic guitar lessons and stuck with them for six months. I tried both watercolour painting and pencil sketch drawings, and I made pieces of art that I thought were beautiful. But none of those pursuits ever held my interest for long. It felt like a chore to practice them. Photography was different though; even without ever truly trying it, photography held my interest even over years. I knew I simply had to try it. I’ve always loved the effect of looking at truly stunning photographs taken by professionals, the photos that make me say “wow” and stop me in my tracks. I’ve always loved the idea of being able to inspire that awe in others with my own work. I hope that the images and prints on my website bring as much joy to you in viewing them as they did to me while I was taking them.
Gear and photo specifications:
I shoot my photos with a 2016 Canon EOS Rebel T6 DSLR camera. My camera uses a CMOS sensor with a resolution of 18 megapixels. I carry two lenses with me in the field. Both lenses are part of the Canon EF series. The first is 18mm-55mm and the second is 55mm-250mm. The combination of these gives me creative options no matter what I’m shooting, but without weighing a ton in my bag. My photos are almost all shot in the 16:9 aspect ratio, because I enjoy the cinematic feeling of it. I use a Tamrac 5274 Expedition 4 backpack, and I love it. It is comfortable, practical, and the perfect size for the gear I carry with me. I shoot in both RAW and JPEG large formats because that combination gives me freedom in editing and printing while also keeping ease-of-use when sharing my images online.
Other photographers who have inspired me:
James Popsys
https://www.jamespopsys.com/
https://www.instagram.com/jamespopsys/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6WYZrzBuNQnz_2F4EqjhDQ
Mark Denney
https://markdenneyphotography.com/
https://www.instagram.com/markdenneyphoto/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCujr_HrX3ThMb34DV5YXHIg
Peter McKinnon
https://sellfy.com/petermckinnon
https://www.instagram.com/petermckinnon/?hl=en
https://www.youtube.com/user/petermckinnon24
Marcel Lesch (also known as Evolumina)
https://evolumina.de/
https://www.instagram.com/evolumina/?hl=en
https://www.instagram.com/evolumina_wandbilder/?hl=en
Marcel Siebert
https://www.instagram.com/_marcelsiebert/?hl=en