My Portfolio

Yesterday, I completed my program in Digital Photography at Durham College, Oshawa, Canada.  Although not official until June, I’m ready to strike out on my own and find my niche in this competitive world.

Our last few weeks of school were about defining our photographic style, preparing a compilation of our work, deciding how to present it in print and electronically, and staging a show for industry and family.  I found this to be the most revealing and meaningful segment of my education.  I emerge from this experience with a better understanding of my interests and style, and with a full portfolio of work to share.

Throughout the program, I’ve tended to generalize, not labelling myself as a portrait, lifestyle, landscape or fine art photographer.  I shoot what is beautiful to me.  I help clients bring to life what is beautiful to them.  But to attract clients, I needed to present a compilation of work that would help them understand what I could offer.  For this, I took the road toward fine art.

My portfolio consists of 4 distinct sections:

• a section depicting a low key figure study, which is a way of portraying the shadows, lines and curves of the human body.  I’ve also included a few traditional studio portraits in this section.
• a section of focus-stacked macro botanicals revealing surfaces and textures that might be missed with a traditional snapshot
• a section of lines and patterns in nature and made by man
• a section of architectural images of some of the distinct buildings in Toronto

The images are presented in black and white or in highly desaturated colours, all of which have enhanced contrast and special filters applied to maximize the underlying structure.  The portfolio is tied together by its lack of colour and by its capture of things beautiful or at least surprising.  Both evoke an emotional reaction, which is exactly what I was seeking.

Overall, the selections do justice to the variety of themes I’m interested in and hopefully present those themes in a way that is attractive to potential clients.  I’m happy to report that at our closing show, a number of people asked about the option to purchase individual prints from the collection.  There is no better testament to the power of an image.

It’s time to update all of my online resources and use the information to generate some broader interest.  I look forward to a variety of local competitions to spread the word. My next project will definitely have an architectural bent, which hopefully will also generate some interest in the real estate or land development domains.

My sincere thanks to Durham College and to my fellow students for the support and guidance over the past two years.  Time to get to work…

Download my portfolio here.