Wat Rong Khun Chiang Mai Temple Color Photograph 'Wat Rong Khun' Item ID: 2671802777

"I was born and grew up in Calgary, Canada and was fortunate to have parents who instilled in me a love of travel and seeing new places. I was also given the ability to accept other cultures by my parents who fostered early in me a sense that we are all interconnected and that people everywhere – while having differences – share an essentially similar experience of life.

"My parents split up when I was ten. Though times were not always easy, I look back at my childhood and know that I would not be who I am today without the experiences that I have had. And so, good and bad, I am thankful for all the experiences that I have lived through. I earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Victoria. I am a self-taught photographer; my training comes from reading as many books as I can get my hands on and speaking with other photographers. I also learned much of my photography from my family. My grandfather was a photographer, my brother is a photographer and so too is my father. For a long time, my uncle was a professional photographer before becoming a teacher and so I look up to my family for my learning and inspiration.

"I really value the moments when I am out with people, both other photographers and people I am photographing, and we have a connection and it brings a smile to everyone's face. I would have to say that the biggest change in my life was when I came to Thailand for the first time. It opened up a new world for me and allowed me to see the world in a different light.

"It took me a while, but the people in Thailand are so friendly and the culture so lively that I knew I had found a place where I wanted to stay and make my home.

"I work very hard at the things I love and at giving to others. In the last few years, I have been very lucky in my role as a teacher and I feel honored to have had the opportunity to bring a love of learning to my students. As a photographer, I feel that I have a unique ability to share some of my beliefs and values through my photography and I believe that photography and photos are simply an extension of my role as a teacher.

"I love my work. I love everything about being both a teacher and a photographer. I know I am very fortunate to be doing something I love and giving back to the community at the same time. As a teacher, it is seeing the smile on students' faces as they learn and giving them a sense that learning can be fun. I know there are far too few teachers who do this and too many students that never learn to have fun when learning.

"I spend a lot of time interacting with people when I am taking photos. In order to show a culture, one must first have an understanding of it. I really believe that it is the people who make a photo come to life.

"Photography is not just about pointing a camera and shooting. I spend a lot of time getting to know people and places. My work is special because I get to share something creative with people and to me, that is the greatest gift. I feel very proud when I am able to show a common subject in a new way and change the way that people think about things. It makes me very proud that through my photography, people are able to see the world in a way that they have never seen it before.

"I believe that my photography brings the world closer together and helps people better understand other cultures and places. I would like to think that through my photography, people are gaining a better understanding of Asia in general and Thailand specifically.

"I hope my work inspires people to have a better understanding of the world in which we all live. We all share a similar human experience that transcends place or time. We all laugh and cry, feel pain, hunger, fear, and love. If there is one thing I hope that my photography can bring to you, it is a shared understanding of the world that surrounds us all.

"May my photos bring a smile to your face and transport you to a different place, if only for a moment."