SHIFT IN FOCUS:
An internist (gastroenterology) takes
time out from medicine for his newfound pursuit
published in: The Medical Post,
As I dictate the last of my consult notes at the end of another
gruelling night shift at Trillium Health Centre, my thoughts turn to the
beautiful day that lies ahead. I grab a
couple hours of sleep after my shift, and then venture out in search of the
next photo opportunity. Sometimes I need only travel a short distance in my
quest; the image of the stream (below) I took not half an hour from my in-laws’
home. I’ve come to realize that often the best photographs are right in our
back yard, and the real challenge is in seeing the beauty in that which is not
immediately apparent.
Besides nature & landscape photography, which is
my specialty, I also devote time to portraiture. Images of our loved ones, perhaps more so than any others, can
warm our hearts and evoke fond memories of times otherwise forgotten. My
favorite subjects are those closest and dearest to many of us, our children and
our pets. I prefer candid work, as opposed to more formal studio-type
portraiture, as I find this style of photography lends itself well to capturing
the subject's personality. Patience and
timing are important virtues in portraiture, and result in some of my best
candids, such as the photo of my godson Nathan (below), which was taken as he
tried to grab my camera, after we had been playing for an hour.
Also of tremendous help to portrait photography is the ability to
capture and immediately review an unlimited number of images during a
session. This of course has been
greatly facilitated by the advent of digital imaging. Even professionals who continue to use film cameras have largely
abandoned their traditional darkrooms for their computers and image-editing
programs. My work in infrared photography, an example which is shown in the
image of the barn (below), would be considerably more challenging and
time-consuming were it not for the ability to review the images as I take them
and then adjust the exposure time and aperture settings as needed.
In fact, it was my curiosity about the technology
behind and versatility of digital imaging, and how it might revolutionize
photography, which first drew me into this world. Prior to the purchase of my
first digital point-and-shoot in 1998, I had never owned a camera. Since that
time, the technology behind digital imaging tools has grown by leaps and
bounds. I am now on my forth camera, a Nikon digital SLR, and my focus has
shifted from the technical aspects of photography to the artistic side, and on
expanding my creative potential.
Another tremendous advantage of our high tech world is
the ability to share our work with a much wider audience, as I do through
www.howesim.com. My web site has given
my work much more exposure than would have been possible in the days before the
Internet, where I would have had to rely on print media and gallery
showings. Thanks to my site, many of my
images have been purchased by individuals from all corners of the globe,
something that simply would not have been possible for the typical photographer
in the pre-Internet era.
I have been asked by others if I would like to work
full time as a photographer. My answer is a quick and definite ‘No’. Since I
became passionate about photography a few years ago, I’ve loved every minute of
it. For me, it is a welcome relief and escape from the everyday world of making
a living in medicine. I believe that to have to make a living out of doing it
would somehow take away from the pure enjoyment of it. And if the enjoyment and
pleasure is no longer there, there is little reason to continue in this
wonderful pursuit of mine.