Rob Huntley is once again part of the West End Studio Tour and glad to be back, after having missed last year because his youngest daughter was getting married.
Huntley is well known for his aerial photography, in which he straps a camera to a specialized kite and takes photos with the help of a strong wind and a remote control. The resulting landscapes offer viewers a rare bird’s eye glimpse of the world. He’s printing up some of his aerial work for WEST visitors but his overarching theme this year is “aerial, abstract, and abandoned.”
Some of his most recent work – both landscape and abstract prints – come from a photography workshop, which took place in Havana, Cuba.
“It inspires me to find something pleasing in something others might not notice,” says Huntley. “The secret of doing good photography sometimes is just putting yourself in a place… a little scene that catches your eye.”
“I challenge myself sometimes to make order out of chaos, just to try something.”
Huntley has been taking photos since he was a teenager, but didn’t take it up seriously until the advent of the digital camera, about 15 years ago.
“The digital age has made a big difference to me,” says Huntley. “At that point I felt like I could spend the money, but not spend it on film,” says Huntley.
“The fact that you can view your results right away and improve on the fly, and not be spending money and feel free to take hundreds of shots without spending hundreds of dollars is appealing.”
This is especially true with the aerial photography, as he doesn’t always know what he’s getting.
“I know there’s a composition I’m looking for but I don’t always get it,” says Huntley. When he first started he could “easily rattle off 1000 shots” and come away with five good ones.
Huntley makes a point of showing new works when he’s participating in the studio tour, and likes to include smaller prints that appeal to those who don’t necessarily have a big art budget. Canvas prints, framed and unframed prints, as well as greeting cards featuring his photography will be available for purchase. [story continues below]
Although Huntley is reluctant to single out any of the other artists on the tour, he does admit he is a fan of the other photographer on the studio tour, Paul Wing.
“His style of photography is different to mine, and we both enjoy each other’s work – or at least I enjoy his – he can speak for himself,” he laughs.
For more information visit RobHuntley.ca or westendstudiotour.ca.
Click here to read profiles of the other artists on the West End Studio Tour.