Earthpics.ca : Biography


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Biography

Personal background

I grew up on a farm in Saskatchewan, on an original homestead that was built by my grandfather and my father. By the time I was old enough to explore the yard without wearing holes in my knees, I was interested in almost everything.

I developed a spirit of adventure early on in my life. Growing up on a large open piece of land that was almost as flat as the sea, within a community of neighbors that we could trust, provided great opportunities for exploring, inventing, building, and imagining. By the time I was seven years old, my younger brother and I were playing on old farm machinery, building tree forts and exploring old abandoned haunted houses a few miles of dirt road away from home.

From those beginnings, my life has engaged adventure and exploration. After I finished high school I spent six years in Red Deer, Alberta, a short two hours drive from the Rocky Mountains. Red Deer was not ideally suited for my life's goals, so my next stop was Victoria, British Columbia, surrounded by ocean, rock, and rainforest. I have lived here for twelve years, and I am probably here to stay.

Photography

Like most people who enjoy photography, I first took it up as a hobby. I began shooting eighteen years ago, and I've explored various fields including fast-action sports, journalism, weddings, landscape, travel, people and nature.

I played with photography for several years, and used it as a primary tool for procrastination while studying for a degree in biology at the University of Victoria. Although the studies at UVic were absorbing, photography had the tendency to consume me, and I began to devote a great deal of time to studying the theory and experimenting with the medium.

After I finished my degree, the photography blended well with the beginnings of my career in forest biology research. I began to take on contracts to provide scientific researchers with images of live insects and plants, their field studies, their specimens, and anything else they needed for public education and communications projects.

My philosophy with photography is one that leads me to continually push the barriers of technical quality and creative range. If time permits, I tend to put careful thought and consideration into each photo I take. However, during times when fast action is called for, I can alternately shift into a mode that provides quick reflexes and a fast shutter-finger. I will often design and build special equipment to solve technical obstacles encountered in my assignments.

Photography and digital imaging for scientific researchers is currently my full-time occupation, but I am continually expanding in the subject matter and style of my photography. I am currently working on a book about the Canadian prairies, a project that allows me to explore some of the roots of prairie homesteaders.

Dion Manastyrski