The Stittsville Library dedicates their ‘Art Space Wall’ to local photographers and artists on a monthly basis. This month a new exhibit takes over the library wall featuring the photographs of long-time Stittsville resident and photographer John Edkins. John shared, “that although there is no theme to this particular exhibit of photos, if I were to give it a title, I would call it ‘Selected Prints From the Recent Past’.”
Edkins has been a photographer since his youth when he was first introduced to photography by his father who was “himself a keen photographer with a good eye” John tells Stittsville Central. John first started taking pictures with his father’s old Franke & Heidecke Rolleicord twin-lens reflex.
The wonders of the darkroom were introduced to John by his uncle, where he spent countless hours converting viewed scenes into negatives and prints. “So I would say, I have been making photos for about 60 years,” says John.
It was about 20 years ago that John took his photography to a new level and a new format. He converted to a digital camera and all of the advantages that came with this newer form of photography.
John shared that, “I have an eclectic taste in subject matter. It is easy to find beauty everywhere: in landscapes, flowers, animals, birds, architecture, people, and abstracts. Travel has provided fresh material over the years but some of my best photos have been made very close to home.”
One of John’s favourite winter subjects is the ice that forms along the banks of Poole Creek. Winter is one of his greatest themes, “we do winter very well in Canada and there is so much beauty in a snowscape.” Although missing from this exhibit are some of John’s snowscapes, he does plan to have a future show exhibiting his many winter snowscapes photographs.
“My wife Conny and I took up kayaking a few years ago and our frequent paddling outings have given us a new way to see local rivers and lakes. We never tire of seeing herons and loons up close,” John said. I’m sure we will see a future exhibit of the flora and fauna that have been captured on these kayak excursions.
John is an executive member of the Ottawa West Arts Association (OWAA) and continues to encourage local photographers, painters and sculptors to join the organization. Prior to his retirement, he served in the Royal Canadian Navy for twenty years as a naval architect, followed by another twenty years in private industry as a management consultant.
John features his favourite and beautiful photographs of nature, landscapes, destinations, people, architecture, animals, birds, and abstracts on his website johnedkinsphoto.ca. If you are interested in purchasing a photograph from his current library exhibit, please visit the sales tab on his website. You can also follow John on his Twitter page to view more of his wonderful photos.
