"A photo’s got three elements: somebody in the photo, somebody taking the photo and somebody looking at the photo. I have all sorts of wicked images but nobody will ever see them if they never get published, so I think it’s interesting to have this opportunity."
— Viseye Exhibitor MC Bourgie
What:
Going Places Photography ExhibitWhere
: BBK’s Pub, Upper VillageWhen:
Wednesday, Oct. 15, 6-9 p.m.Exhibit runs through Dec. 15.
The Viseye photography gallery up at BBK’s Pub in the Upper Village unveils its 14 th exhibit this Wednesday featuring works by local sharpshooters MC Bourgie, John Hewson and Carolyn McBain.
The unique gallery, curated jointly by original exhibitors Ellen Atkin, Jon Faulknor and Nelly Levesque, brings in a new series of works by a different trio of local photographers every two months. The new exhibit, titled Going Places, allows for a loose interpretation, and the featured works range from images of a traditional Japanese wedding to Los Angeles urban landscapes to sport adventure photos.
Atkin says the title was conceived while viewing McBain’s work, which is heavily influenced by travel. It was up to the remaining exhibitors to define the concept with their chosen pieces.
Bourgie has been shooting primarily ski photography in the area for the last four years, but Going Places will be her first exhibition in Whistler. She shoots a mixture of film and digital, though she says she has been moving more and more in the digital direction. As a departure from the mountain landscapes that characterize much of her work, she says she deliberately chose six urban landscapes, three each of Vancouver and Los Angeles, as her contribution to Going Places.
"I chose images of cities, just to go out of my element and bring something different," says Bourgie. "The two cities I looked at were Los Angeles and Vancouver, and I find the photos I chose are all about the beach. Even in an urban context there’s still a bit of sanity. That’s just what I wanted to represent."
Bourgie says she is influenced by the ski photography of Whistler local Blake Jorgenson for his ability to look at outdoor action with an artist’s eye.
"Images speak for themselves, so I like an image that says a lot with not much – you look at the image and you understand or you’re touched by it."
Hewson, an independent sales and marketing consultant, describes himself as an "amateur," even though his works were displayed in the Upstairs Gallery at MY Place this past May.
"I’ve had a camera since I was 10 years old and I tend to shoot from the hip. I’m not really a set it up and pose it kind of a person. I just look for details, I like colour," says Hewson.
His contribution to Going Places will be six photos taken during a trip to Japan in September, 2002 where he attended a traditional wedding. Many of the shots show the East meets West contrast that weaves in and out of everyday Japanese life, but might only be apparent to the eye of an outsider.
Hewson says he’s influenced by celebrity portrait guru Annie Leibowitz and general mountaineering photography, and says he’s excited for the opportunity to show at Viseye.
"Any venue that gives local artists an opportunity to show their work is welcomed. I think if you look at the coffee shops and small businesses in town that have wall space and have offered it up, it’s a very generous thing that they do to support the arts community."
Carolyn McBain studied photography in Montreal and Guelph, but currently makes a living as owner of a local landscaping and gardening business after relocating to the Whistler area in 1989. An avid outdoorswoman and traveler, the majority of her work is a result of various trips and adventures, and her submissions to Going Places range from hiking in Nepal to climbing the Chief in Squamish.
McBain is a past winner of the Mountain Equipment Co-op prize for outdoor photography at the Banff Mountain Film Festival, and has received four honourable mentions at the Vancouver Mountain Film Festival.
She shoots with a Nikon FE with 24-mm lens, a wide angle she finds to be a good fit with travelling and climbing.
"I try to keep it simple," says McBain.
