In the beginning
If you ask my family, I was always after the camera as a child. Even if it wasn’t a functional camera. The old disposable cameras were a favourite of mine when I was younger. My family and I did a cross-Canada road trip when I was 11 years old and I was issued a disposable camera. According to my family, it was on that road-trip that they determined I had “The Eye”. The pictures from that road-trip have since “been lost” and so I’m a little bit skeptical. However, my interest in photography popped up again when I went off to college. Instead of buying important staples for college, I ended up purchasing a point and shoot camera that went everywhere I did. It was my adventure companion in the early days and I that’s when I started to learn more about the complexities of the photographic world.
I began working as a wildlife viewing guide in 2008 while I was in college studying Adventure Tourism. That little point and shoot camera that I purchased became a fixture in my guiding equipment. It came with me on each and every day-trip, kayak adventure, canoe adventure, and multi-day expedition along the British Columbia coastline. In 2013, I began working as a Naturalist Guide at the world renowned grizzly bear lodge – Knight Inlet Lodge. I spent thousands of hours watching grizzly bears in rivers and estuaries and began to recognize some photography potential. I was inspired to begin investing more time into the craft. Working at Knight Inlet Lodge was the perfect mixture of wilderness immersion, abundant wildlife, and guests and colleagues with an impressive knack for photography. I loved asking guests and colleagues about their camera settings, composition ideas, and sharing images from the days excursions. It was a fountain of knowledge, growth, experimentation, and learning. I borrowed my sisters DSLR and fittingly dropped it and broke the lens. I ended up buying a new camera and a two new lenses (one for my sister). It seemed that each year I went back for a season of bear viewing, my skills had improved, but also I was investing in my camera kit. I also began printing my photographs in larger format and had my photography featured in several galleries on Vancouver Island.
In 2015, in partnership with Norman Carr Safaris in the South Luangwa Region of Zambia, I took part in a guide-exchange. I spent three weeks shadowing some of the best guides in the region. Camera in hand, I was able to observe some of the best guides in the country spotting wildlife, observing wildlife, and talking about wildlife. This experience was also paired with six weeks in Kenya, exploring the beautiful country with a lifelong friend and conservationist. It was eye-opening, inspiring, and further fueled my passion for travel and exploration.
In 2016, I was looking to expand my guiding and photography to other regions. I had always had my eye on Churchill, Manitoba to work as a polar bear viewing guide. I connected with Natural Habitat Adventures and they brought me on board to run their Polar Bear Expeditions. After five expeditions, we continued working together and have now lead their photography expeditions globally. Beyond that, I have had opportunities to sail the entire British Columbia coastline, kayak guide in Antarctica, and spend time as a Naturalist and Mate aboard expedition sailboats. This type of travel, exploration, and photography guiding is my passion and I’m excited to share this with you.
Current Expeditions:
- Polar Bear Photography Expedition
- Polar Bear Tundra Lodge Expedition
- Haida Gwaii Sailing Expedition
- Northern Lights Photography Expedition
- East Greenland Photography Expedition
- Iceland 16-day Photography Expedition
- Wild Side of China Photography Expedition
- Bears & Whales of Knight Inlet
Past Expeditions:
- Belugas & Arctic Photo Expedition
- Wild Switzerland Expedition
- Great Bear Rainforest Sailing Expedition
- Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary
- South Georgia & Antarctic Peninsula Expedition
Published Photography & Shows
- Natural Habitat Adventures web and print
- WWF web and print
- Seaside Times Magazine – “Wildlife Wayfarer”
- Knight Inlet Lodge web, print, and product
- CBC News – Shoreline Cleanup
- Brentwood Bay Resort
- Victoria International Airport
Past Projects
- Film Crew support for Emmy Award winning Super / Natural – Bear Scent
- Coastal Cleanup Technician on three 21 day expeditions
- Field Support for Bear ID project
- Founding board member of Marine Guides Association of Canada