Me

I was born on September 17, 1967.

By birth I’m from Northern Ireland but was raised by Mennonites in Manitoba, Canada.

I grew up on a farm and loved the farming life. What I didn’t love was the yearly struggle farmers face to make a living.

I studied Theology, History, and English. I’ve been a high school teacher for 30 years and have an M. Ed. in Education Leadership.

I’ve been married for 31 years and have two sons who are in their 20s.

In addition to photography, I also love working on old pick-up trucks and motorcycles.

Photography

I was hooked on photography in January 1981 when I bought a copy of Popular Photography Magazine. My family was on the way to visit a friend in the hospital and my dad let me buy the magazine to keep me occupied while they visited.

I spent the summer and autumn of 1981 in a tractor seat because my dad agreed to pay me $3/hour. Turns our I was motivated by an hourly wage. I calculated I should have enough for a Nikon FE and a couple of lenses by winter, which I did. I’ve been a photographer since I was 14 years-old.

In Grade 12 I was the school yearbook photographer and I threw myself into the task with a vengeance. Not only did I take the pictures, but I processed and printed them in the school darkroom. It was a great education in people, in photography, and in the science of photo chemicals.

During my university years, I worked at the leading camera store in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It was a great job working with great people, not to mention the deals on film and used equipment I could access.

I did a lot of photography in my 20s until my oldest son was born. At that point I basically took a 25 year hiatus from the hobby to be a husband and a dad. I’ve picked-up the hobby over the last few years, buying myself a DSLR and a few lenses for it. Most of all, I’ve been organizing, digitizing, and sharing some of the 1000s of photographs I’ve taken over the years.

I love photography.