Biography

Dan MacDonald has been a photographer for almost 20 years.

Mostly self-taught, he has progressed from hobbyist to professional, from film to digital, and from the traditional darkroom to the digital darkroom. Dan's work and interests span a number of genres but the emphasis is always on natural scenes and natural settings: people, places and things recorded in their own environment, untouched and unfettered by the artist's controlling hand. His unwillingness to interfere with his subjects captures an authenticity of character, of energy, and of emotion rarely found in studio photography. He claims no particular style, and relies on no single technique, for he continues to learn, grow and evolve both personally and artistically.

Dan, born in 1969 in the North-West Territories, has resided in Moncton since 1984. A graduate of the University of New Brunswick, he has been employed in construction, education, management and manufacturing. His personal interests, besides his two children, include history, genealogy and, of course, photography.

Artist's Statement

As a photographer, I have difficulty explaining or defining my work, my art, my strategy, my philosophy. I simply photograph whatever happens to interest me at the moment. I look through the viewfinder and, if I like what I see, I snap the shutter and take the picture. I don't force myself to incorporate the traditional artistic components such as shape, colour, texture and composition: my mind's eye seems to unconsciously place these elements for me.

I try not to limit myself to a single theme or genre. However, my preference lies in action shots. I define these rather loosely and they may include: canoeists paddling lazily across a lake; a great blue heron feeding in a tidal marsh; a busker performing on a downtown sidewalk; or a hockey goaltender making a game-winning save. The common thread is a desire to capture my subjects in their natural setting, whatever that may be and, more importantly, to do so without influencing them, their actions, or their environment.

I abhor being the controlling element in the photograph. I want my subjects to be seen for what they are and not for what I, as the artist, contrives them to be. I want to blend, to disappear, into the background. I want my subjects to be comfortable, relaxed, and entirely natural before the camera. I want them to be ignorant of both the camera and the photographer. The emphasis is always on the subject, not the artist. The image is always about them, not me.

This refusal to control the image and its various, incorporated elements presents a number of problems. These range from poor lighting to undesirable backgrounds, from a lack of sharpness to increased grain (digital noise), from missing elements to unwanted ones. More importantly, it means that I get only one chance to capture the image: if I press the shutter a moment too early, or hesitate a moment too long, I miss the shot. There are no resets, there are no second takes. Nothing is controlled and nothing is contrived, not for the sake of the image, not for the sake of art.

And therein lies the challenge. It is the ability to incorporate any deficiencies, to overcome any problems, to develop the split-second timing necessary to make the shot as it plays out in real life. It is the ability to capture the moment as it occurs. It is the ability to capture the action, the energy, the emotion, the raw character, and the authenticity of the subject and scene. And, in so doing, it is the willingness to accept, if necessary, some imperfections. After all, there is beauty in imperfection, too; sometimes, we just have to look a little harder to find it.

Clients

Following are some of the groups and organizations that have used my services and ⁄ or images: