As a recent immigrant to Canada, Daniel Pfister was impressed with how much space, the quantity and quality of natural surroundings and how accessible it all was here in the North Cariboo.
Coming from Switzerland, he said the number of people in his country has pushed back nature.
In Quesnel now for four years, Daniel is an equipment mechanic on a farm with nature all around him.
As both a painter and a photographer, he felt compelled to capture the amazing images in his surroundings.
The June show in the Quesnel Art Gallery at the Arts and Recreation Centre is a display of his
favourite photographs, reflecting his love for his adopted country and especially the Cariboo.
Given a choice, Daniel says, for several reasons, he prefers a camera over a paint brush.
“With painting you wait a long time and might not like what you do,” he said.
“With a camera, especially now with digital, you see right away what you’ve got.”
He shoots with a Canon 60D and an assortment of lenses, capturing the grandeur of the landscape right down to the tiniest of lady bugs.
As for his subject matter, Daniel says what he sees through the lens is what inspires him. However, he’s not done once the photograph is taken.
When inspiration strikes, Daniel then plays around in Photoshop combining two images he feels strike a compatible balance. One such photograph shows a very close up shot of an eagle with horses running through a field below.
“I don’t like to fake photos, but I’ll combine two photos for obvious reasons and the viewer will know it is an enhanced picture,” he said.
“It’s not part of my regular photography to do this, but when I see two images that work together, I’ll do it.”
Daniel enjoys experiencing Canada’s natural environment through the lens and looks forward to many more trips to the bush.
“I’m still looking forward to more bear pictures,” he said.
“There’s lots of things out there and we’ll see what we see.”
His show, sponsored by Edgewood Farms, hangs until the end of June in the Quesnel Art Gallery, which is open Tuesday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.