Photographer John Davidson will present his work at upcoming Pelham Art Festival
The 35th annual Pelham Art Festival Show and Sale, May 6 to 8, features 55 artists and artisans. Ahead of this year’s event, the Voice is highlighting winning artists from last year’s competition. Photographer John Davidson is featured this week.
Based out of Oshawa, Davidson enjoyed a successful career as a professor in the School of Media, Art and Design at Durham College. Today, he is a full-time photographer, who also offers tutoring for small groups or individuals.
“I spend a lot of time in the Toronto area, because there's a lot to shoot, obviously,” Davidson told the Voice. “You sort of have to shoot a lot in Toronto to compete with the Instagram crowd, but it's not that I really want to do that. I actually find the city fascinating. But I equally love the wilderness, and have spent a lot of time in Northern Ontario, in Killarney Park, and around Sudbury, all up in that area.”
Davidson’s website images bear testament to his love of international travel as well.
“I was in Prague, in the Czech Republic, two years ago for five weeks,” he said. “I decided to rent a car and drove to Poland to go the site of the Auschwitz concentration camp, which was operated by the Nazis during World War II, and figured prominently in the Holocaust. It's a life-changer to see that. I took my photos in black and white, which seemed consistent with the mood.”
Digital SLR and mirrorless cameras are Davidson’s constant companions, and the new creative technologies offered by Lightroom and Photoshop, along with Epson pigment printers, have proven to be fantastic tools. But his first love is traditional negative film.
“I still shoot film, and have started scanning film with my digital cameras. I prefer to shoot the actual negatives on one of my digital cameras, and I get incredible results from that.”
Davidson uses classic Nikon and Hasselblad cameras for his negative film compositions, along with full-frame Nikon and Fuji digital cameras.
I prefer to shoot the actual negatives on one of my digital cameras, and I get incredible results from that
“I have two rolls of film on the go right now. One is in a 1974 Nikon F2, and the other one is a Nikon SM from the late 1980s. And they're perfect. I love using them. There's just something more tangible in those older film cameras. I still enjoy the process of developing prints from negatives, holding the negatives up to the light,” he said.
Davidson’s website describes the “mysterious magic that is revealed once the negative is processed, the expressions of light and darkness, laughter and stillness, beauty and chaos.
The stories they tell. Moments before, during or after the storm. Memories. Firsts. Families. The history they hold. Snapshots of people, places and progress where time stands still. The emotions they evoke. Passion. Peace. Power. A sense of belonging or achievement.”
As a photographer, Davidson says that he is visually drawn to “practically everything in the world around me—nature and architecture, cityscapes and landscapes, people and places, portraits and pets. While shooting on my own brings me pure joy, there is nothing more joyful than being part of special celebrations like weddings, births, or family gatherings.”
A veteran of almost ten years with the Pelham Art Festival, Davidson said he keeps coming back because of the pleasant atmosphere.
“I find the festival volunteers to be extremely helpful. Of all the festivals I attend, the folks in Pelham just really look after both the clients and the artists.”
The Pelham Art Festival Show and Sale’s venue is the Meridian Community Centre in Fonthill. The Festival is also available on-line, May 5 to 15, at pelhamartfestival.com.
Opening Night on Friday, May 6 runs 7 PM to 10 PM. Entry is $15, and includes complimentary hors d'oeuvres, live music, and a cash wine bar. Saturday and Sunday, the event runs 10 AM to 5 PM. The entry fee is $7, with a la carte food available for purchase, a cash wine bar, and live music. Children under 12 have free admission.
Proceeds from the festival benefit Pelham libraries, student art scholarships, and community arts projects. The Pelham Art Festival has donated over $458,000 back to the community.
