Your local Ottawa photographer
I love the adrenalin rush of photographing once-in-a-lifetime moments, pushing camera buttons, and framing thoughtful perspectives!
So, in 2008, I decided to put my passion into action by becoming a professional photographer in Ottawa, Ontario.
Since then, I have photographed hundreds of events—big and small; local and abroad.
My two greatest experiences as a photographer was when I photographed a few special moments during my own wedding day in 2015, and when I photographed polar bears and icebergs alongside my brother in 2010 around the rugged coastline of Nunavut—high above Canada’s Arctic Circle!
My brother took this picture of me in Montreal, Québec, a few short hours before we boarded an Air Inuit flight to Resolute Bay, Nunavut.
My Professional Values and Work Ethics
My style is influenced by a great many factors, but chief among them is my values and work ethic.
The following concepts matter to me, and represent how me and my camera click.
Respect
My values:
I respect the principles of human dignity, individuality, and privacy!
My work ethic:
I love photographing people, places, and things from all-around the world, but a “paparazzi” I am not.
I know exactly where to draw the line with my camera, and I make a very conscious effort in my work to genuinely respect and promote the best in everything I photograph.
Case in point:
On December 4, 2018, I was photographing a corporate event at Canada's National Arts Centre (NAC) when I noticed the Honourable Jean Chrétien—the 20th Prime Minister of Canada—enter the room.
As he walked past me I seized the moment by asking him if I could proudly take a photo of him, but before I could finish my question about a dozen people jumped in and started photographing him with their cell phones.
He then pointed at me and said aloud, “this gentleman was the only one to ask me if I wanted my photo taken,” and at that point he gave me a few dedicated seconds alone to snap the above portrait. He then thanked me, and said, “very few people have ever asked me if I wanted my photo taken.”
So, all that to say, I refuse to use my camera as an instrument of exploitation. You can always count on me to show you respect in my work, and that begins by my asking you for your consent, and then my taking the time to understand your needs.
Integrity
My values:
I operate my business with professionalism.
My work ethic:
My name is attached to every photo I create — even if it is not expressly written on the image. I care deeply about my work and my good name, so you can count on me to place a high degree of effort, energy, and integrity in my photography.
I value quality over quantity any day of the week, and while I am skillful with Photoshop, I favour a natural look and feel.
On the topic of integrity, you may have noticed that all my fine art photos featured on this website now include a watermark, a logo, or both. I have always felt mixed about watermarking my work, but image theft is a very real and frequent issue for photographers.
Case in point:
I once received a random phone call from someone who was trying to (illegally) copy the above image from my blog, so that she could "just create a holiday card" without any attribution to me.
She was naturally having a difficult time in doing that, so she literally called me to voice that frustration. Almost immediately after my answering the call she started yelling at me for making her life difficult, called me a jerk, and said I had no right to put my name on my images, and then abruptly hung up before I could even say, “would you like to purchase the image”?
I was totally shocked by that moment and nothing about it felt like a friend pulling a bad joke. All that to say, you can equally count on me to protect the integrity of my artistic works and the business information under my care.
Excellence
My values:
My work ethic:
“Go big or stay home” is a motto that I hold near and dear to my heart, so when I pick up my camera, I always go big and gear up with 100% high octane energy in the tank!
I simply love what I do so much that I rarely ever feel like I am working, but I am most certainly calculating a great many things to make it all possible.
As some of the world’s greatest photographers from National Geographic like to say, “always aim to be in the zone of maximum possibility,” and I continuously seek that position in my work to get the best possible vantage points.
I focus with my mind and my feet, and I invest a great deal of time in learning new things so that I am ready to proficiently mitigate inevitable limits and limitations. You can count on me to thoughtfully perform my absolute best, and if my absolute best is not good enough, then believe me when I say I will definitely learn from the moment because I personally seek excellence in my work. I refuse to “run and gun” or “shoot from the hip” with my camera.
When I do something, I do it well. I am a professional, and so too is my work.
Engagement
My values:
My work ethic:
Pictures that depict tragic scenes of human pain and suffering are an incredibly powerful and engaging form of photography for me. Although I hope to someday use my camera skills to better profile the social injustices occurring in our world, my current photography focus is directed to capturing happy moments in life that bring big smiles and wide-open eyes! I love laughing out loud with my clients and engaging with them to make the experience fun, and to help them feel as comfortable and confident as possible.
For me, the means are as ethically important as the ends. I really enjoy being a part of people’s happy moments, and in these social contexts you will always find me smiling and having a great time behind my camera too!
