Catchlight Photo

my bio

Hi! I'm Denis and I am an addict. The good news is that it isn't fatal but it is expensive. All that I have to do is go out and take some photos and everything will be alright.

I've lived in, or near, Winnipeg all of my life with the exception of a short (relatively) stint in Australia. Now, most people would call me crazy for carrying a 15 pound camera bag with me for six months but I don't care. They also called me crazy for jumping with half of that gear in my hands when I bungee jumped...twice. It was worth it to be able to send personalized postcards to my niece and nephews back here at home. My G-force distorted face in the foreground and the bridge disappearing behind me as I rocketed towards the water below.

My interest in photography started on a family vacation and has marked my life since then. Sometimes it was as a casual hobby, sometimes as an obsession but it has remained one of my most loved past-times. For me, it has always been a very personal thing. And sharing my interest and my photographs with like-minded people, one of the most enjoyable ways to share time with someone. It has never been just a photograph. Always there has been the memories that the image carries with it. A portal in time to when the picture was taken.

When I am gone, somebody is going to inherit a great number of photograph albums. I hope that they'll be able to tell how much love and time has been spent on the images there. And if they gather some dust, I hope that every now and then, they will dust them off to visit the places that I have seen, people that I have met and fun that I have had.

I have one caution of the digital age. It is far too easy to delete a photo that you don't like. These are usually photographs of ourselves. I would encourage you to think twice before you do. One of the photos of myself as a kid is sitting on the front porch of our house in the summertime, sitting with my sister. I'm 5 and I'm wearing a t-shirt, shorts and cowboy boots. I hated that photo as a teenager and early adult. Now, it's one of the first photos that comes to mind from my childhood. If it had been a digital file on the family computer, I likely would have deleted it on any number of occasions.

This brings to mind another piece of wisdom, back up your photos. Make more than one back-up. Take one to somebody else's house. They are far too precious to lose.