Symplicity.ca is live...

Your Story To Tell...

For almost 6 months anyone who visited symplicity.ca was redirected here.  Today I am proud to say that www.symplicity.ca is up and running.  I wanted a unique site, a place where I could be proud of the design and the presentation of the portfolio.  Though the design section is still a work in progress, the photography section is exactly what I was looking for.  (for those with slower computers the Galleries may take a few seconds to load but in this case it was my decision to choose quality of the image over load speed).

I could not have done any of this without the exceptional hard work of Jason Freake, who despite following his numerous music and photographic interests, found time to work with me and my vision.  The final product speaks to the talent, commitment, and patience of that man.

I'm often asked when and why I started taking photos...what follows is my story.

A little over 6 years ago I first picked up a Digital SLR.  I was teaching English in Ulsan, South Korea and I was visiting a number of these incredible places.  I always picked up the postcards where I was but rarely did they capture what I saw.  Don't get wrong.  They were great photos but we've all seen them.  Out of season, or from a different vantage point, or Sunny when you were there on an overcast day.  They just didn't represent my story.  The small Kodak 3.1mp camera that had served me so well in Rome the year before just didn't seem to give me enough control.

A good friend in Korea, Gareth, was already snapping with a Digital SLR and after a few short times handling his camera, I decided to take the plunge into the world of prosumer photography.  I started capturing the beautiful places I was seeing and a funny thing happened - People started asking for prints.  I certainly can't dance, sing, play an instrument or draw much better than a four year old but photography gave me that artistic outlet I had longed for and I'm happy I get to share it with you.

Anyone close to me will tell you I dive into the deep end of my new passions and trust that enthusiasm, research, and hard work will keep me afloat.  In this case I devoured the topics of an online form - www.photography-on-the.net.  Perhaps stereotypically I tossed aside the manual for a more hands on/question and answer approach.  Understanding the gear allowed me to capture what I was seeing through the lens.  While bringing home personal memories remains an integral part of my own photography, capturing people, families, events, and the moments that mean so much to others soon became my focus.

We all remember the school photos where we had one chance to smile and maybe a second on retake day.  But that didn't capture us as individuals, as families, as communities.  I started taking photos of families, models and events soon after I touched down in Canada.  At Laurier, I worked one year for The Cord to test myself in a myriad of situations.  I bought strobes and worked with models to help both of our books but mostly so I could learn my lights - I'm still learning.  I did one wedding in 2006 and a number of family portraits.  The next year I started working with a Taekwondo Club and local softball club.  The following year I worked with a few musicians which really allowed me to step out of my comfort zone and use my vision to help portray their art in images.  Slowly growing the company has allowed me the right balance of work, challenge, and education.

Along the way I developed my own philosophy on photography:  It's Your Story to Tell.  Your family is unique, your activities are your own, your events display your personality.  It is my job to capture those moments, not fabricate them in my own vision.  In this way I can honestly say, I'm proud of what I put in front of my clients and I've been humbled by those who return time after time to ask me to capture their wedding, their family, their event, and ultimately their story.

Thanks...