WorldPix Foundation

Dean’s history in photography

In 2011 Dean lost his wife of 30 years to ovarian cancer. Just prior to her passing she asked him what he wanted to do with his life, as he would need to get out and mix with people, not stay at home working in his garage.

Dean told his wife, “as you know, I’ve always had a fascination with photography”, which he had dabbled in over the years, but never really took seriously. She told Dean to go buy himself a good camera, join a camera club and get out and mix with people!

Dean took his at his wife’s word and bought a good camera, joined a camera club and while out shooting, Dean says he met a man that had forgotten more about photography than he would ever know! Dean and new found photography friend hit it off and he mentored Dean for the next 12 months. They shot almost every day, sometimes morning and night. After shooting they would download and discuss each image: what we did right and what we could have done better. This process fast tracked Dean’s learning!

About 9 months into Dean’s total immersion into photography, there was an art and craft show in his local community. Friends of his were organizing the event and asked him if he would like to have a stall for some of his photographic art. Dean accepted and it all started from there.

During the process of shooting every day Dean came across a location where the rock formations were very unusual. While playing around one evening in iPhoto, he slid the saturation slider full up and made a couple other adjustments and “WOW!” What he now had was an image of very colourful abstract art! He continued that  process with each photo from the day’s shoot and was blown away with what he was seeing!

When asked to join in the art show, Dean immediately felt these abstract art pieces would be perfect to display. He knew had to have a point of difference and he had once read in a photography magazine about metal prints and how they stand out in exhibitions compared to conventional printing methods. He elected to have 6 pieces printed on sheet aluminium with an ultra gloss finish and mounted with a floating frame.

When he received them from the printers and opened the box he was excited!

After the show, while none of his images sold, Dean was speaking with a friend and fellow photographer who had his own gallery. He told him about the pieces and his friend offered for him to bring to the gallery next time he was in town. Dean did exactly that, and when his art gallery friend saw them, he liked them. That same day Dean went to wrap the one image up and his freind said: “What are you doing?”  Dean said he was wrapping it up to take home! He said: ”No, these don’t go anywhere until someone buys them!” That was Dean’s start in the galleries and his journey into the world of photography. He currently displays work in 3 galleries across Tasmania, Australia and his work is held in private collections in Australia and the United States.

What’s Dean’s attraction to photography?

Dean says he has never had good fine motor skills! He says his penmanship is atrocious and maintains they invented computers so people could read his writing!

He reminisces he would doodle as a child, but laughs while saying he felt challenged to even draw a stick man! Dean says in honesty that struggle to draw a straight line let alone a perfect circle. As a result art was never a desire he wanted to pursue. He says he also gets bored easily and finds himself really embracing this instant gratification of digital photography and apps on his iPad or mobile phone.

“The challenge of capturing a split second in time and being able to share it with others is the main attraction to me. I find it a very humbling experience when others buy my photography or photographic art. I receive the greatest of pleasure when I hear someone say my work brings joy or comfort to him or her. When I receive this type of feedback, I know I’ve got it right!”

What is Dean’s preferred style of photographic art?

When asked what his prefered style of photography is, Dean explains it depends on the day, the mood and the location.

He finds it rewarding when he is able to capture an image and other than a slight adjustment of contrast and sharpening, which all digital images require, nothing more needs to be done to it.

There are other times when he just want to have a play and see what he can create from an image or group of images. Sometime he actually surprises himself!

Dean finds creating composite / collage images to be a challenge and can be quite rewarding. He loves having a day out shooting and then going home to see what he can create from images he took throughout the day. It tends to be a form of abstract art and he has real fascination for that.

When Asked about Dean’s involvement with WorldPix he had this to say:

The idea of being part of a team of photographers from around the world, all with a common goal of helping others less fortunate than us, is fantastic. The fact we each have our own causes we support, but come together under one umbrella organization to promote the work of each other, that is being produced around the globe, is creative and will hopefully allow us to get our message out into the world and to a larger audience than trying to do it as an individual.

We thank Dean for his dedication to his chosen cause and the WorldPix mission.