Biography
John took up nature photography in January 2001. His first project Images of Maplewood features the wildlife living in and passing through the Conservation Area at Maplewood Flats in North Vancouver (www.johnlowmanphotography.ca). This documentary is being undertaken in conjunction with Wild Bird Trust British Columbia, the stewards of Maplewood. WBT uses John’s images to promote the sanctuary, and he has done many presentations at the Trust’s annual general meetings and festivals. Since 2001 the North Shore News has used John’s images to illustrate naturalist Al Grass’s monthly columns on nature walks at Maplewood.
In 2003 John joined the Lion’s Gate Camera Club (LGCC) and he has been actively involved in competition photography ever since. He won the LGCC annual nature trophy each year from 2005 through 2009 and the projected images trophy three times during that same period. He joined the Canadian Association for Photographic Art (CAPA) in 2006 and won the CAPA Smith Trophy for nature photography in 2007 and 2008. Other awards include first place in the Richmond Photo Club open print competition in 2006 and 2008, and the Fraser Valley Invitational in 2006. He regularly conducts nature photography workshops for BC camera clubs and Lower Mainland community organizations, and has presented two workshops at the Abbotsford Photo Arts Club annual seminar. His photographs have been published in various magazines and books.
John is currently involved in a series of photographic projects documenting and celebrating wildlife in Western and Northern Canada. He uses Canon equipment, including 300 and 500 mm telephoto lenses, a 70-200mm zoom, a 180 mm macro lens, and 1D Mark III and 1D Mark IV camera bodies. His 2010 APAC workshop describes photographing one of Canada’s best know wilderness icons, the West Hudson Bay polar bear.
Workshop(s)
White on White: Photographing West Hudson Bay Polar Bears.
His 2010 APAC workshop "White on White" describes photographing polar bears and other wildlife from a Tundra Buggy on the shores of West Hudson Bay where the iconic bears gather waiting for the ice to form so that they can travel out onto the bay to commence their winter-long hunt for seals. Images include portraits in varying light conditions, sparring, bear calisthenics, and mothers with their cubs. The workshop discusses photo equipment and clothing required for the trip, tundra buggy tour companies, and other aspects of one of the great wildlife spectacles in the contemporary world. The workshop includes information about the polar environment and prospects for the polar bear's survival as global warming proceeds.