HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2013-10-10, Page 7THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2013. PAGE 7.
A book of stunning Huron County
photography is now on sale at stores
throughout the county, among other
locations, and at its core is a talented
Brussels photographer with a
passion for nature.
The book, called The Beauty and
Bounty of Huron County, features
the work of three local
photographers. Telfer Wegg, a
resident of Grey County’s Neustadt,
contributes to the book in the form
of aerial photography, Bonnie Sitter
of Exeter’s photography focuses on
the sights and people of Huron
County, while Brussels’ David
Bishop contributes wildlife
photography to the collection.
Bishop, in an interview with The
Citizen, said that Wegg and Sitter
had begun work together on a book
of photography, but after meeting
Bishop and seeing his work, thought
a wildlife photography component
would take the book to the next
level.
“I met Bonnie photographing in
the field one day,” Bishop says of his
meeting with Sitter at the Hullett
Provincial Wildlife Area. Shortly
afterwards he met Wegg at a meeting
of a local camera club in Wroxeter,
where Wegg was brought in to speak
to the group.
While Bishop was gifted his first
camera as a wedding present 30
years ago, he got serious about
photography about six years ago. He
still works full time as a manager of
one of Ontario’s largest earth-
moving companies, so Bishop’s time
in the field taking pictures is
relegated to weekends and vacation
time.
Bishop, a native of a small
community near Cambridge, said he
first became really interested in
wildlife during his 15 years of living
and working in Alberta. His path to
wildlife photography has been one
of education and change, as Bishop
first had contact with the wild
through hunting, something he is
staunchly against now.Bishop said he was a “hunter”until he killed his first deer and sawit, wounded, up close. After that, he
said, he knew he didn’t want to do it
anymore.
Many of the principles between
the two, hunting and wildlife
photography, Bishop says, are
exactly the same. They both involve
patience, a creative mind and an eye
for the perfect opportunity.
He says that while he has
gravitated away from hunting
himself, he has no disdain for
hunters, in fact, he spends much of
his time in the wild with hunters
“trying not to get shot” among other
things.
How he has seen animals reacting
to humans, including hunters, is to
retreat and immediately change their
behaviour once they notice a human
is around. This has driven his
extreme measures to remain
undetected while photographing in
the wild; a dedication to his craft that
has produced what his collaborators
have called “National Geographic-
quality” images.
When travelling to take pictures,
Bishop can be found in camouflage
that would impress any soldier,
even painting his face and dressing
his equipment in camouflage as
well. In addition, Bishop says
that he will often spend well over 12
hours in a location, beginning before
the sun rises and leaving after it has
set.
“There is a picture in the book of
three foxes and it took three days to
get that shot,” he said. Bishop spent
the entire Victoria Day long
weekend photographing the group of
foxes with the hope of taking aperfect shot.He also says he appreciates thesolitude of the practice of
photography out in the wild. He says
he has sometimes been categorized
as “not playing well with others” but
he simply appreciates his time alone
in the wild, searching for the perfect
photographic opportunity.
In fact, Bishop says that he has
only taken about 10 or 12 “great”
photographs over his lifetime and
that nobody has seen them yet. He
says that he hopes to publish his own
book of photography one day to
showcase what he calls his best
work.
Bishop knows that his
photography has generated public
interest, saying that when he first
decided to sell some photography,
the pictures sold, collectively, for
approximately $10,000. But he says
it’s not the money (or the potential
for it) that drives him, it’s the quest
for the perfect picture in the world’s
toughest arena for photography.
He says that while he has always
felt a connection to nature and
wildlife, it’s the challenge of nature
photography that drives him in the
field.
“It’s the hardest type of
photography, because with
everything else, you can control it,”
Brussels photographer featured in new book
Getting into his work
Brussels’ David Bishop, seen here in full camouflague, has taken his hobby to new heights in
recent years, looking the part completely when he goes into the wild for stunning nature
photographs that are at the heart of The Beauty and Bounty of Huron County, a new book
featuring photographs by Bishop, Bonnie Sitter and Telfer Wegg. (Photo submitted)
Subjects unseen
With his dedication to being unseen in the wild, Brussels
photographer David Bishop says he sees animals do things
that most humans don’t often get to see. Here is one of his
images of eagles fighting near Goderich. (David Bishop photo)
Business Information Session
Whether your business is a large man-
ufacturing-based one, commercial,
retail, service-oriented, farm-focused,
farm direct or home-based, we want
to hear from you. Please come out to
our information meeting at 7:30 p.m.,
Thursday, Oct. 17, 2013.
R.S.V.P. @ (519) 887-6137
or via e-mail @ cheath@morristurnberry.ca
MEETING NOTICE
MUNICIPALITY OF
MORRIS-TURNBERRY
The upcoming meetings for the
Municipality of Morris-Turnberry will be held:
Tuesday October 15 at 7:00 pm Public Meeting for
Closure of Lanes/Roads
at 7:30 pm Regular Council Meeting
* Meeting will be held at the Bluevale Community Hall, 32 Clyde St., Bluevale
Community Living Wingham and District Board of
Directors sincerely thanks all those who supported the
Dinner, Dance and Auction. All of you who bought
tickets, made donations and participated in the auction by
providing auction items showed great generosity. The
bidding was exciting and the auction team was
wonderful. It is greatly appreciated. We can now move
forward because of your help to make transportation
improvements for our clients.
Thanks again.
Chain Maille Supplies
Stitches with a Twist
519-523-9449
Blyth, Ont.
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen Continued on page 19