I started photography in the ‘80’s while living in Hamilton, Ontario. After shooting for a couple of years I decided to become serious about my photography and took courses in basic photography and darkroom at Mohawk College. I also took master classes in lighting and composition from some professional photographers in the Hamilton area.

With their encouragement, I started taking portrait engagements. With the money I made from my portrait work, I bought an old Pentax twin lens medium format and then a Mamaiya 645. I found the larger format opened my eyes to seeing new images and, shooting with slow film (as slow as ASA 64) I had to become more patient and more thoughtful in my picture taking.

I was hired by a studio and spent two years shooting weddings. We used Hasselblads and had a list of stock shots. Though the work was hard and the hours long, I learned more in that job than in all the courses I took.

The highlight of my early career was landing a two year contract with an up-scale hair salon in Hamilton to shoot their advertising copy. We hired young students from a modelling school and had shoots every 3 months or so to make up the ads that were printed in the local paper Television section.

Shortly after that, I got a promotion (in my real job) and my family and I packed up and moved to Ottawa. My photography fell to the wayside as I became busy with my new job and my growing family. I slowly sold off all my camera and darkroom equipment — keeping only a 35 SLR and some lenses — and did no real shooting other than family snaps.

At the turn of the century I bought a compact digital camera that had lots of manual controls. As I started shooting with it, I realized how much I missed serious photography. This led me to buying a Nikon D-70 and then a D200 digital SLR, learning to use Adobe PhotoShop and to this second phase in my photography career.

I now focus on nature and travel photography, always looking for images that burst with colour and mood. I hope you like my photograpsh.

-Chris Klus