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Vancouver Island photographer photography and photographic artist
BiographyAustralian born in small town called Norseman, Western Australia, with Australian/Slovakian/Irish heritage. Neil Fatin emigrated to Vancouver Island with his wife and family approximately 25+ years ago.
He trained as a Physician and Internist and went on to a career in health administration and retired from full time work as a Medical Consultant with the Ministry of Health in BC three years ago. Since then, he has spent a lot of his spare time renovating houses. He and his wife now reside in Youbou (since June 2006), enjoying magnificent Lake Cowichan and the community of the Cowichan Valley. Neil has had a near lifetime interest in photography but mainly as an on and off again hobby. His photographic interests are varied, but he did not have the time to pursue his hobby with any seriousness until the last few years (retirement). Neil is totally self-taught, picking up skills from personal experience, experimentation and reading. His skills have been added to by his personal appreciation of the wide ranging talents and works of other artists both in traditional forms of art and photography. He takes every opportunity to learn and experiment and he has more recently started to move some of his photography into photographic art. Neil has been successful in both the Sooke and Sidney Fine Art Shows on Vancouver Island as well as the Cowichan Valley Arts Council Showcase of the Arts, the Ladysmith Fine Art Show, "Click 07" and "Click 08" (Nanaimo) and the Nanaimo Arts Council Fine Art Shows. He has had some of his work published and has received awards at the various shows and an award in a world competition. He has had and continues to have exhibitions in a number of communities on Vancouver Island - including the Cowichan Theatre, the Chemainus Theatre, the Nanaimo Art Gallery, The Old School House Gallery (Quallicum) His wide ranging travels have added to his subject matter and he is continually awed by and explores opportunities to capture what nature and life have to offer to the photographer. Artist statement"We live in a truly remarkable world and if you know where to look, or stumble on a unique situation, you can use the camera to share those moments with others.I continue to be inspired by the work of other photographers and what their eyes see. In addition, I always remain awed by what artists also interpret from the larger canvas of life and nature. Overlaying all of this are the subtleties of lighting throughout the course of the day, the weather and the seasons and the huge impact they have on the subject matter on offer. The composition of the picture comes from the subject matter itself, there are aspects to a scene that just look right to the observer and over time one attunes themselves to this. There almost always seems to be a better way to present what one sees and sometimes this comes from a keen interest in what other photographers do. So what do I interpret the term photographic art to mean? Having obtained the image, is there a better way to present it and overlay one's interpretation of the image that hit the negative or the sensor in the camera. Just as an artist will provide his or her interpretation of the image they have seen in reality or in their mind, the photographer can do this with processing as much as the artist uses mixes of colours and interpretive brush strokes to provide a final image. At the end of it all, what I am trying to achieve is an image that I find interesting, will tell a story and will be captivating enough for others to take notice and enjoy. That is, to move from being self indulgent in ones work and hope the image is received by others with enjoyment or any other reaction other than a reaction of indifference. If the latter is the response, then I consider it a failure. Therefore, in essence the term photographic art to me means, using photography to obtain a reaction from the viewer. The snap shot is just that; it is a shot of something in front of the camera without the story telling, i.e.. a photocopy of what was in front of the lens. One of my regrets is that I did not have the time during my working life to engage in photography in a more serious way. There are countless possibilities with modern technology and the learning curve can be quite daunting, but as daunting as it is, it is also challenging and rewarding. It is one of the meanings of life..." "Photography is Art" ~ Robert Bateman. October 11th 2012 Sidney Fine Arts Show - Keynote address. ~ Neil Fatin |
| All photographs and digital images are the exclusive property of Neil A Fatin, photographer photography and photographic artist, in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. Unless explicitly permitted by Neil A Fatin, you may not reproduce, distribute, transmit or otherwise exploit the content in any way. |
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Website by Island Arts Updated May, 2013 - Site Map |