NWT Arts

I started experimenting with photography when I lived in New Brunswick, but I found it very easy to take my passion to the next step when I moved to Yellowknife. A few years ago, my wife enrolled me in one of Dave Brosha’s aurora photography workshops. It was a quick three days but it opened the door to so many connections with other artists! The friends I made at that workshop kept encouraging me and, with their helpful guidance, I’ve been developing my own photography style ever since.

I love to take pictures of people and landscapes, and in Yellowknife there is so much natural beauty - beautiful hoarfrost trees, lengthy sunsets, and best of all, amazing northern lights. I love photographing the northern lights because they are constantly changing, which makes every image unique. I always try to incorporate a foreground element in my pictures such as people, trees or reflections. As challenging as that can be, it’s also very interesting to me, so I love to keep trying.

I see northern lights as fleeting glimpses of extreme beauty. How nice to be able to enjoy them while capturing images to share with people who might not have the opportunity to visit north of 60! I love that there are so many aspects to the aurora that you can capture in an image, whether it’s their shape or the feeling they evoke. In that way, each image creates a story, and that story can be different for each person looking at the image: that’s why no piece of art will touch everyone the same way.

When I take pictures, I normally go out with friends or other photographers. I learn from everyone that comes with me, but I also love to teach. I’ve benefited so much from the help of others, so I like to offer my support to people who want to learn. A lot of people spend money on a camera, but don’t necessarily know how to use it to its full potential. If I have the chance to take them out one-on-one or to organize a little workshop, I can show them how easy it can be to achieve what they want. I also think youth really love photography, which is why I’d eventually love to offer an aurora photography workshop to teenagers and their parents.