Photography, SOUNDSCAPES, Videos of the Nicola Valley
The Nicola Valley Arts Centre's upcoming show is ”Merritt Naturally: Discovering Nature at our Doorstep”.
Showcasing the stunning work of Bruce Walter and Frank Ritcey, through photography, videos and soundscapes. Experience the outdoors of the beautiful Nicola Valley through the eyes of these nature lovers and experts.
P.S. We hope to invite Frank and Bruce to share their stories with us while the show is on. Keep an eye on our Facebook pages for time and date:
Nicola Valley Arts Council and Nicola Valley Arts Gallery
FRANK RITCEY is a relative newcomer to Merritt but has been a photographer/ storyteller/ videographer almost all of his life. Frank’s first camera was a simple plastic box camera that he got when he was eleven and over the years while the equipment has changed, his passion for shooting natural subjects hasn’t.
Frank has traveled the province extensively and finds great joy in presenting talks on all sorts of wildlife. He does however admit to a preference to speaking about snakes and other creatures that need a champion of sorts. He periodically entertains and educates as a guest columnist on CBC Radio’s North by Northwest program.
“I try to get images of wildlife that show a side of the animal that people wouldn’t normally see. Trail cameras, long lenses, and remote setups let me get these images without disturbing my subjects. I’d much rather have a sub-quality shot of something that has never been seen before than a ‘perfect’ shot of something that has been seen a million times.”
BRUCE WALTER is a photographer who has lived in the Merritt area since 2006. Bruce worked as a forester and has a background in land use planning, First Nation relations, and stewardship. His photography is tempered by his interests in people, wildlife, and the environment.
Bruce is a lover of art and all things creative. Photography, however, continues to be an outlet and a tool that gives expression to his creative side. Bruce’s emphasis is on an image and he is not afraid to experiment in the “darkroom” to create images that reflect his vision. He has had a strong interest in photography since purchasing an Olympus OM-1 in 1976.
To gather images Bruce spends a lot of his free time in the grasslands and forests around Merritt. While in the field Bruce is opportunistic looking for those fleeting photographic moments presented by combinations of subject, light, and context. Rarely are images “planned”.
More recently Bruce has taken on some paid photographic projects and enjoys photographing families (particularly his family) in the outdoors.
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