Born and raised in Nelson, British Columbia, I learned of my love of photography at a young age, after receiving my first 35mm film camera. With an abundance of beautiful scenery in the area, I found a passion for photographing landscapes and carried that love of landscape photography into my adulthood.
As a child, I remember spending time with my paternal grandfather in Kimberley, BC where I helped him in his wood shop. He taught me to carve, whittle and use a lathe. In my life, I was always involved in various construction projects and was always building something to enhance my home or helping others with building something for their own.
After receiving a college education in environmental studies, employment was difficult to find. Switching gears, in 2003, at the age of 23, I found employment as a full-time police officer in Alberta. After suffering extensive psychological trauma in 2010 from a critical incident and then after while being a Child Exploitation Investigator for 10 years, I began exploring my photography and woodworking as a positive and creative outlet to help manage the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Depression.
I find peace in photography and woodwork and I use both as a form of therapy to calm my mind. I prefer to photograph the outdoors, particularly locations where manmade relics have been consumed by nature or the connection that people have with their environment. My images tend to reflect the history of a location, or provide insight to mind, body and spirit.
Currently I am located in Okotoks, Alberta and have made a home and life here; Alberta has provided me so much and I love it here and have a strong connection to the land and the people. However, I still consider Nelson and the Kootenays to be my second home. I routinely travel to Nelson to photograph the area, show my work (some of which is displayed at the Gallery Suite and Timberland Forestry Consulting) and work with my parents to maintain their property or my maternal grandparents home. I am a child of Nelson, a man of Southern Alberta but my sprit belongs to both.
Although focusing on photography, I have an appreciation for various disciplines of art, including rustic woodwork. Actively creating digital imagery and producing reclaimed wood products required a name which encompassed this multidisciplinary approach to healing. A collective is a term typically reserved for a group of people. However, I felt that “collective” could be interpreted to mean various forms or art. The term “HeadWater” was meant to find connection to one’s individual mind, body and soul. Like a river, which starts from the first tiny drop of water at the headwaters and ends in twisted fan of gravels and smaller streams, I believe that art comes from one tiny drop of inspiration. That inspiration flows from one's head and results in unexpected creation. Fusing photography and reclaimed wood into one collective approach to managing mental health.
Please contact me to discuss specific work which you may be interested in having completed. I am open to look after your photographic needs such as family, tourism, product or others. I can complete rustic frames and backings and unique household art or products. I know my limitations and I will tell you if something is out of my capability. I would love to hear from you so please contact me to see what I can do for you.