Vancouverzen is a collection of photos and poster designs about Vancouver and its surrounding area. It offers free photographic and typographic poster designs, as well as galleries of photos I have taken in and around Vancouver, over many years.

I mostly take photos while I'm in British Columbia, in and around Vancouver. I especially love taking photos of wildlife and landscapes, of moments and atmospheres, as well as more minimalist and "abstract" shots (i.e. details, textures, patterns, etc.).

1) As someone who loves the work of many photographers: the power of storytelling, in a single frame. Self-contained and silent, sometimes only in B&W. All it can show and convey, in such a limited and efficient way. How it can change your perception of the world around us (i.e. events, nature, people)... Provoke strong emotions. Inform and reveal.
2) As someone who extensively works with photos as a designer (spending hours and hours each week, and often each day!) looking for photos, manipulating them, editing them... I love how powerful a hero shot can be; how photos, layout and fonts can be combined to crate something unique; how versatile and immediate this form of storytelling can be.
3) As someone who takes photos... This is my zen time. A way for me to experience the world in a more profound and intense way. Forcing me to spot and observe, to be 100% there, in the moment. It's also about being still and patient (photographing the same heron over many weeks, and learning so much about its species behaviour in the process). It's  about commitment and determination (going out no matter what the weather is like, and especially when it is not all dry and sunny!). It's about finding patterns and details, beauty and composition, often hiding in unlikely places.

The main one I have admired, since I was a teen, is James Nachtwey. I am in awe of his ability to convey so much in a single frame. To put himself in highly disturbing and dangerous situations to show what wouldn't be seen otherwise. To focus so much on the human aspect of conflicts, disasters, uprisings, etc. I also admire the powerful storytelling aspect of his photos (saying so much by combining very specific elements, and never using too many), as well as his in-depth photo essays and series. -- I also love the work of Sebastião Salgado.

So many...
- Finding myself less than a meter away from a great blue heron, for hours, and being able to observe and photograph it in detail (while staying so still, so that not to disturb it).
- The light changing after a rainstorm at the top of a Grouse Mountain, just before dusk.
- Witnessing a pair of crows attack and chase a bold eagle (that was many many times their sizes).
- Stunning sunsets over English Bay, while spending some zen time on Third Beach.
- The stillness and beauty of Galiano Island.
- Being alone on Pika's Traverse at the end of the day, surrounded by majestic peaks, snow walls and volcanic rocks.

- Taking photos in Berlin (before the reunification of Germany, in the West & East).
- The amazing color of rivers and lakes in the Balkans.
- The beauty of Ireland & Santorini.
- Time-lapsing sunrises and sunsets in Catalonia.
- Flying over Greenland in a 747 and taking photos of the icy landscape below.
- And on a more personal level, photographing loved ones, over the years...