During the Beijing Olympics this summer, just after I was hired as The Western Producer’s photographer, farm management editor Michael Raine and I were looking at national newspaper coverage of the event.
We saw photographs of an Olympian gold medalist taking his victory lap, proudly smiling and on top of the world. The photographer who took that shot, and indeed many wire service photographers, travel extensively to cover world events. They are often limited to illustrating the event with one image. It’s a demanding task.
Mike and I agreed that creating a photo story is more satisfying and more compelling for readers.
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Travelling to China to photograph Olympians does not interest me as much as seeing China devoid of the splash and glory. I would like to see the countryside, meet the people, taste the food and experience the regional cultures.
It may sound clichéd, but my goal is to make extraordinary photographs of ordinary people. That has been my occupation for more than 20 years.
My first camera was a Christmas present from my father. As a boy, I wandered with it among the corn and wheat fields of our Ontario family farm and into the nearby forest. I reveled in the changing seasons and the farming activities associated with each.
Once, my father and I stood watching as an old-timer harvested his crop using a vintage combine. “Better photograph these pioneers, Bill, before it’s too late,” said Dad.
I began my career at the London Free Press in Ontario, moved to Washington, D.C., for National Geographic, and was on staff at the Detroit Free Press in Michigan.
I’ve travelled widely, freelanced extensively, taught photography at several schools and won a few national and international photography awards. Twice I was short-listed for a Pulitzer Prize.
In 1993-94, for 18 months and 80,000 kilometres, I explored the lives and work of people across rural Canada.
Having met thousands of rural Canadians, I can say that most of them make sacrifices for living against a backdrop of water, mountains, forest or prairie. We have more in common than we may realize.
Photographs and words from this trip appear in my book, Down Home: A Journey Into Rural Canada.
I’ve just completed my first decade in Western Canada, in rural Saskatchewan, and now I’m back into full-time newspaper work with the Producer. I look forward to meeting you as I tell your stories through words and pictures.
And by the way, I followed Dad’s advice and continue to document the pioneer spirit.
