Thursday 22 May 2014

Spotlight on...Garry Budyk

Garry is a nature photographer, birder and amateur naturalist from Winnipeg Manitoba, and his photos of Manitoba's beauty are a favourite of many of our customers, both locals and visitors.  His attention to detail, professional presentation, commitment to customer service, and meticulous cataloguing combine with his artistry to make him the artist of choice for people looking for scenes from a particular area in the province, or for those trying to capture a certain memory. 






In Garry's own words, "I strive to create images that take a step beyond being simply “beautiful pictures” (and I daresay there are unlimited opportunities to find said beauty in Manitoba!).  What I attempt to create are images that catch the viewer's eye, draws them into the scene and makes a connection to their own life experience.  Smiles and good memories of sitting by a rushing waterfall … Grandpa's old barn … hearing the crunch of the leaves as you walked that path through the forest … that little owl you found roosting in your backyard.  Beautiful photos yes--but hopefully so much more."













As a young man, Garry became fascinated with the view through the lens.  Working mostly in black and white, he spent several years learning the basics of composition, lighting and exposure, and in the process exposing many thousands of frames.  Black and white led to colour, and the rich vibrant hues of Kodachrome.  Seeing the world anew in full glorious colour led Garry to embrace the brilliance and clarity of colour work.  This can clearly be seen in his work right to this day.

However, black and white continues to be an important part of Garry's work.  Architectural gems in the Exchange District, historic prairie elevators and monochromatic renderings of the natural world are some of the main themes Garry chooses to present in black and white.









A recent addition to Garry's catalogue of Manitoba scenes has been a selection of focused post-processing work adding a contemporary edge to his already diverse offerings.  Garry has kindly offered us some insight into these new pieces.  "Earlier this year, as an antidote to our already too-long winter , I began experimenting with some extreme alterations of some common and uncommon scenes I have experienced and photographed. My normal modus operandi involves a realistic interpretation , with a comfortable compostion and touch of warmth . The photographs I began working with by no means had “uncomfortable” compositions or lacked warmth but my experiments were designed to see these attributes from a totally different perspective . The result is what I've come to call 'Images of Manitoba … Alternate Realities'."







Garry offers a selection of his work in a variety of sizes and formats in the gallery, and as well is able to work with the customer to customize size and mounting choices within a very reasonable timeframe.  Yet another reason to visit Pulse Gallery!