Photographic Biography

Born in 1972, I chose photography as a career when I was nineteen years old after taking photographs of the sunrise and reading, "The Nature of Things," by, Freeman Paterson. At the time I was working as a chef’s apprentice in Guelph, Ontario and needed a hobby; however, I soon realised that photography was what I wanted more than a cooking career.

I stopped being a chef, moved back to Vancouver, and took courses at Vancouver’s Focal Point Photography school and found that the love of photography out-weighed anything that I had ever done.

While attending Focal Point and assisting some of Vancouver's top photographers, I joined Vancouver's local photographic gallery, "Exposure Gallery," and was one of its Board Members for two years. During this time I participated in five exhibitions.

When I was twenty-two I decided to earn my degree in Communications at the University of Windsor and continued to develop my photographic skills. I produced videos that would be shown throughout Southern Ontario. I became the photo-editor of the Lance, U of W’s newspaper and won an award for the contributions I had made to it.

After University I moved back to Vancouver and began shooting peoples’ portraits and commercial catalogues for local graphic designers in Vancouver.

It was during this time that I remembered what my stepmother had told me years earlier. "Stephen, you should be a pet photographer, since animals just love you." I didn’t think of if too much then, but as I was finishing one of the catalogues, I thought to myself... "What next?"

Why not pets, was my answer and then the memory of what my stepmother had said came back to me. Also, at this time, other family members had come to me and gave me some ideas about photographing pets. I had always had a pet when I was younger, and people were always amazed at how their animals would warm up to me so quickly.

Throughout the photoshoot, I truly want to give you and your pet the best possible photographs. With each photographic session, I bring my love of photography and my love of pets, so you will cherish the pictures forever.