About Steve Speer

Photography has been a common thread throughout my life. From my early forays in the mid-seventies, to the present I have had a passion for photography that has never waned; in fact, I am as excited now about my photographic pursuits as I have ever been.

Photography provides me with a sense of perpetual gratification. It is exciting to see a potential image on the ground glass or through the view finder of my camera and that excitement returns when I look at the freshly developed negative or raw digital file. Each progressive step (from the first work print to the finished fine image that is framed and hung on the wall to share with others) adds to this sense of excitement. I exhibit some of my work in colour but prefer to work in black and white because when you strip away the “crutch of colour” only the key elements of composition and ‘quality of light’ remain. It is an exciting challenge to work within these constraints to create an image which is strong enough to draw in a viewer and resonate with their sense of connection.

Bio/CV

BIO/CV (PDF format)

The Art of Photography:

The fine photographic print is much more than a reproduction of an image. No other form of image creation can convey the subtleties, the detail and luminosity which can exist in a fine photographic print. It is the years of experience in refining a photographer’s vision and developing the technical ability to achieve that vision which culminates in a meaningful photograph. The fine photographic print is the final step in the creative process which conveys to the viewer the essence of the visual intent of the photographer at the moment the image was captured.

The photographs represented at FourbyFive.com are a cross section of the imagery created by photographer, Steve Speer over a 35 year period. All original prints are produced 'in studio' and framed by the photographer to museum standards using archival materials.

Steve Speer

New Project

I have a number of new photography projects in progress at the moment and will be updating the "New Image" on a regular basis. Check back often to see where I have been focusing my lens. The image below is part of a new series of abandoned house interiors. I have been shooting abandoned buildings for many years and this new project (which will be in colour using HDR processing) is an extension of this focus. This 100 year old homestead was originally built by the Sloan Family just west of Stettler. The house is full of textures and I collected several images of value from this single visit.

Interior, Sloan House, Stettler, Alberta

New Book: CHINA | Guangdong Province Portfolio

Available now; CHINA, Guangdong Province, Portfolio, is a finely crafted, hard cover photography book focusing on the people and landscapes in and around Nam On Village; a small farming village in southern China. I visited the village in October 2007 and March 2008 and the images in this book are the result those trips.

I will be exhibiting original prints and signing copies of his new book at the Chinatown Street Festival on Saturday, August 14th. This event is part of the 100th Anniversary celebrations of Chinatown in Calgary.

China Book