WHO AM I?
I'm glad you asked! My name is Johnathon Cripaul, and I am a photographer.
Photography has been my passion for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I always enjoyed capturing my family and scenic landscapes on film. In high school, I was an active member of the yearbook club where I was first introduced to digital cameras and Adobe Photoshop. My love for photography has only grown since then.
I have photographed people and events for over ten years. Originally self-taught through countless hours of reading and experimentation, I have also studied photography at George Brown College and have since expanded the range of services that I offer.
WHAT DOES PHOTOGRAPHY MEAN TO ME?
In the most basic sense, photography is the recording of light as it interacts with people and/or objects within a given scene, but it's so much more than that!
Why do we take photos of people, places, and/or things? Why visually record a moment in time? I am all about the why - why are we wanting to capture something? Is it to tell a story? Is it to prove or document that something existed or that an event took place? Is it to freeze time and capture what someone or something looked like during a certain phase of their life or era in history? Understanding the why helps me put it all into perspective.
When I photograph an engagement or wedding, I am piecing together a love story that the couple and their families will tell again and again. When I shoot photos of landscapes or wildlife, I am hoping to preserve the memory of exactly how I perceived it so that others may experience it through my perspective. When I cover a birthday party, I know that the client wants to remember the celebration for years to come. When doing still-life, product, and food photography, I typically build the scene around the "hero" of the shoot so that there's some kind of narrative to unfold. While the final products look very different in each scenario, my approach is always intentional and purpose-driven.
WHAT DO I DO FOR FUN?
I enjoy the great outdoors because it gives me a chance to step away from the hustle and bustle of city life and experience nature as God created it. I particularly love hiking for the fresh air, and I find the sounds of the forest to be rather relaxing - bugs and all. Being a bird enthusiast, I take joy in locating and photographing them. Whether trickling or rushing, the sights and sounds of springs, brooks, creeks, waterfalls, and other bodies of water are always calming to me. I enjoy long drives through rural areas, and beautiful landscapes always make me happy. Algonquin Provincial Park checks all of my boxes, and I generally go there whenever I get a chance, however that isn't always possible so I find myself visiting the conservation areas nearest to me quite often.
In addition to photographs, wherever permitted I generally try to get drone footage of the different places that I explore, because even though something may look incredible at ground level, oftentimes the scene is even more breathtaking when viewed from above.
Lastly, I also enjoy fishing and playing the drums.
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