What's On Ontario

Arnold Zageris, a retired biology teacher, specializes in large format photography to capture the wondrous geological formations and landscapes of Newfoundland and Labrador by using a 4 x 5 view camera. His crisp and colourful rock portraits are completely unaltered, which he attributes to waiting for the right light and finding the best angle to complete his vision. His photographs explore the magnificent contrast between the grandeurs of nature’s open spaces to the delicate form and texture of isolated rock formations. He has work in the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography, a branch of the National Gallery of Canada and has exhibited his photographs all over Canada.

"My visual impression of the world is perceived as a continuous mix of complexities, order and disorder. It is both pleasurable and rewarding to discover and record the underlying rhythms concealed in hidden forms and elusive colours. These compelling stimuli can be found everywhere; be it in the familiar city streets or in the exotic environment of an arctic sea cave. My commitment is then to search and find the quality of light that can inspire the imagination, add value to an ordinary subject or bring attention to objects passed by. 

To achieve this end I use a large format 4x5 view camera as a recording vehicle for all my vistas and intimate details. Its large film size heightens the viewer’s emotional experience by preserving all the details and colours of the moment. Balancing this abundant information allows me then to recreate my original response by combining all the recorded elements into a harmoniously designed photographic print

."