The SPARK Photo Festival is a celebration of photography, and the artists, dreamers, innovators, storytellers, professionals and enthusiasts behind the camera lens. Every year, the month of April marks the arrival of numerous photographic exhibits and artists, in locations throughout the Northumberland, Peterborough, and the Kawartha Lakes regions. I am honoured to be a solo exhibiter in the festival this year. I have 18 of my AfricanPhotoArt texture blends and 12 of my Scottish Aged Stone monochromes on display at Bennet’s Furniture in Campbellford. The festival is scheduled for April 1 to April 30, 2017. I will be hosting an opening reception on Saturday April 8th, from 11:00-4:00.
Aged Stone | image of Scottish castles and cathedrals
Old things intrigue us. I find old stone things especially compelling. The older the better. Back inJuly of 2000, I had the opportunity to extend a 5 hour layover in London, England into a two week photographic journey back through centuries of Scottish history.Equipped with a tent, camp stove, and 20 rolls of Ilford black and white film, I set off in a tiny rental car to scour the Scottish countryside looking for the ruins of castles, cathedrals, and monasteries. Research with guidebooks and maps lead to some of the bigger and more impressive ruins, but many of the real treasures were serendipitous discoveries encountered along the way.
I was most drawn to the older stone structures that had been most affected by the ravages of time and least affected by the interventions of our modern age. It was mind boggling to see such massive structures, constructed hundreds of years ago with such precision attention to detail. Some have withstood the ravages of time with incredible tenacity, while others have succumbed to the elements in rather dramatic ways. The vast quantity of subject matter appearing before my lens required me to be very frugal with my twenty 36 exposure rolls of film.
As it turned out, this was to be my last photographic project using film. Shortly after processing this film and making a few prints, I packed up my darkroom and transitioned to the world of digital photography. Digital prints and custom framing of any images are available for purchase.
Three websites to choose from
In Canada Mike photographs in the Bay of Quinte area of South-Eastern Ontario, shooting weddings and creating custom portraits, specializing in families, high school seniors, and pets.
Having lived in Kenya for 15 years, Mike is also an avid safari photographer.
Twelve years as a photography instructor and an Adobe Photoshop Certified Expert credential enables him to teach workshops in photographic technique and image editing strategies.
Feel free to browse whichever of his three photography websites interests you.