Artistic Statements

2009 - Vulnerability
This photography series captures imagery from regions where climate change and other environmental stresses are beginning to impact life in the Arctic and small island communities. This multi-year project will produce photos of coastal regions that are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of sea level rise and variable climatic conditions.

This series was produced in conjunction with a United Nations project called Portraits of Resilience. The project involved visiting communities in the Arctic and Small Island Developing States in order to teach high school students to use digital cameras and help them document the impacts of climate change from their own perspective.

The interaction with locals and first hand view of environmental changes opened opportunities for me to photograph unique aspects of the local culture and landscape. The black and white series reflects my impression of these vulnerable regions and the resilience of the people who live there.

The images the students produced will be on display at the United Nations Framework on Climate Change 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (UNFCCC COP XV) in December 2009 in Copenhagen.


2008 - Transforming Natural Capital (mining series)
A series of photos highlighting the industrial machinery and engineering activities currently in use by selected Vancouver based companies operating in British Columbia's mining industry.

The new group of photos follows on the 2007 portfolio of abandoned industrial sites that were awaiting demolition and re-birth into new commercial zones. The active mines visited in the past year were operating in the copper, coal, and aggregate sectors of the industry and the concentration of photography is on the machinery used to move and transform raw materials in the mining process.

The stark, black and white, large format images form a series of industrial portraits focusing on the complex chain of intricate machinery used to extract the resources that society inevitably uses on a daily basis. The work represents a study of mining processes and an appreciation of elaborate engineering marvels.

Conveyor belts, flotation cells, rock crushing machines, and complex networks of transportation systems underpin the content of this photo essay.

2007 - Abandoned Industrial Sites
A group of industrial portraits focusing on former industrial zones in the Vancouver area that are in the process of being torn down and transformed into commercial and residential zones. Former shipyards, pulp and paper mills, and copper mines form the landscape for the imagery that appear in this series.

Shot under romantic lighting in early or late day, they are bold industrial views revealing that once something no longer works in the world it can still work as art.

Exploring the outskirts of cities, I typically search for natural areas that lie on the fringes of the built environment, where there is a mix of human and natural design. I am visually stimulated when I see areas of tension and contrasting elements in the landscape.

I search for simple patterns that I can extract from busy and chaotic scenes, and try to isolate unique elements that help me create a sense of order. I like to photograph scenes with unusual intersecting curves, strong angles, and dynamic patterns that are often found in natural transition zones, connection points, or interacting systems in nature and urban areas.  

Many of the subjects I photograph are innocuous areas that might easily be passed by, but with delicate composition a transformation can take place and a commonplace area can be turned into something visually impactful. I concentrate on emphasizing simple lines and angles as well as detailed textures and patterns that help to create qualities of calmness and refinement.

Quality of light is a key determinant in my ability to transform a scene into something that piques the minds interest. I mainly photograph before or after sunrise/sunset and typically look for light that is soft and cooler in hue.

I use large format film equipment, which gives me the quality and flexibility that smaller cameras don't easily achieve.   Camera adjustments allow me to solve photographic problems and create effects that would be impossible with a conventional fixed-plane camera. The large film size also gives me leverage to exploit more discreet steps in the tonal range of the film from black to white allowing for smoother surface tonality on objects represented in finished prints.