Ian Davis

My grandfather was my first inspiration in photography. He would go out and take pictures “just because”. Grandpa spent time in darkrooms, tried different cameras, had hundreds and hundreds of slides and prints. He showed me what a contact sheet was. Unfortunately, just as I got started with one of his older cameras, he passed away. But at least he passed along the bug.

Throughout the years, I shot a lot of photos with various film and digital gear. When I was a bush pilot in northern Canada, I always traveled with two things; a fishing rod and my manual Mamiya SLR. But after a while my photography was put on pause . . . other than for recording mandatory family events and the like. Eventually, the bug returned and I got focussed and serious.

I shoot knowing that the initial shot is just a starting point. Often, I have an idea of what I want as a final product but sometimes working on a photo yields new thoughts. From experience I know that a lot of the magic occurs during this thinking and editing process.

My photographic interests lean towards black & white and night images. I like the moody nature of “dark” where things aren’t always what they seem to be. But I also like colours, particularly when they are strong. Think forests and flowers.

Often my landscape images have a degree of surrealness to them. I recall what I was feeling at the point of capture and then creatively apply this to the image. I might have felt whimsical. Or sad. Sometimes I want to say something. Quite often it’s simply a sense of wonder and amazement. So much to discover and learn.

Contact Details

Personal Website: iandavis.photography
Instagram: ian.on.the.trent
For more information contact me at ian@iandavis.photography