Guestbook

Hi, Jerry here,

Some of you have asked that I tell you a bit about myself and my photography.

I initially got interested in photography as a 12 year old when I received my first camera as a Christmas gift. I was hooked on photography from there forward to present day, and there is seldom a day that I do not have a camera with me (cellphones don't count).
My interest in photography really took a big step forward when I acquired my first SLR in 1970 (I still have it), and I have shot will SLR's ever since although I have had an on going love affair with a 4X5 view camera that I built from scratch in my workshop as seen here in this link photo.
https://photos.smugmug.com/MachineShop/Projects-In-Metal/i-wTHXzjs/0/L/010-1-2-L.jpg
When I first completed the building of this camera, I enjoyed using it immensely and everything that went with it, including the loading of sheet film in the film carriers in my darkroom, and then the processing of the exposed film.
Today my 4X5 view camera is retired, but plays an important role in allowing me to remember the times it accompanied me on many fine photographic adventures, all in the quest for capturing the ultimate image on its ground glass before exposing the film.

Who knew that in my life time film and film cameras would become obsolete, and be replaced by the digital cameras that we know and love today.
I have embraced digital cameras since I was first introduced to them, and would never go back to using a film camera (although I do enjoy shooting B&W photos with my vintage Canon FT film camera), as digital cameras have far surpassed film cameras with the images they capture. Who knew that we as photographers using film camera’s, and struggling with the films of the day with a fast film having an ASA of we’ll say 400 and still was quite grainy, that today are using digital cameras that are noise (grain) free at ISO’s (ASA in film days) of 1600, and even 3200, with 6400 acceptable.

One of the events that sticks in my mind from my film camera days was being one of the photographers that contributed to the book “Calgary A Year In Focus” published in the year leading to the 1988 winter Olympics held here in Calgary.
Needless to say it was a glorious year, and I loved it immensely, as I got to shoot photos of athletes and other well know people that I was assigned to shoot photographs of throughout the course of the year.

For two or three years I had a page in a local weekly newspaper that featured my photos that I shot while backroading throughout southern Alberta. Each week I described in words what I experienced while going down the road and through the photographs that I shot. I actually had a fan base that would email me (they still do) for further information on where some of these places were, so that they too could visit.
Being a card carrying photographer for this weekly opened many doors for me, and I found myself being hired to do photo shoots because of my exposure through this weekly that continues to this day.
I continue to have success with many of my photographs having been published in various publications over the years.
I also want to thank you for showing your support by continuing to purchase my photographs through my website.

Being a machinist having gone to trade school years ago, and with my own workshop at home, I enjoy working on projects in my workshop.
I have built numerous working miniature scale models over the years that you will find in my "Projects In Metal" gallery.
Another interest of mine is artillery of the Civil War between the states, and over the years I have built many models of the various field artillery pieces that were found on the battle fields during this period in history.
Many of these models have appeared in the pages of modeling magazines such as Live Steam, Modeltec, and Home Shop Machinist.

My crowning achievement in the shop may be the telescope that I built during the days when my daughter Jennifer and I were members of the local astronomy club, a chapter of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.
This telescope is quite unusual and attracted the attention of an associate editor of the premier astronomy magazine ‘Sky and Telescope Magazine’ while Jennifer and I were attending the Mount Kobo Star-party being held in southern British Columbia.
I wrote a technical article for Sky and Telescope magazine describing the designing and building of this telescope named STARSHIP.

A plaque that I had engraved and is riveted on my telescope says…..

“Look now upon the River of Heaven
Sky Road of the Immortals,
White with the Star-frost of a billion years….”

This quote by Robert Burnham an astronomer whom I admire, describes our Milky Way.


I hope this gives you some insight as to what I have been up to over the years, and what still holds my interest as I continue down roads less travelled.