Mike Gilbertson
My Photography
I've been involved with photography for more than 50 years. I used a camera for class projects in high school, shooting 35 mm film and slides, and even dabbling with Super 8 film. After university I had a couple of short stints as a reporter/photographer for weekly newspapers back when they were still a thing. This was in the before times when film was the only option. So I learned to develop film and print black and white photos in the darkroom (otherwise known as the office bathroom).
I was a late adopter of digital photography. But as I began to get increasingly better image quality with my digital phone camera, I eventually gave in and acquired a modern mirrorless digital camera. For the gear curious, I went with the Fujifilm XT-5 body and prime lenses because it still gives me the comfort of that analogue look and feel.
My photography falls broadly into two genres: landscape and portrait photography. I still enjoy black and white, but shoot in colour when it works. I'm hesitant to use the term "fine art" (partly because I'm not exactly sure what it means), but it might be an apt descriptor for at least some of my work. I've been experimenting with a number of techniques/styles, including intentional camera movement, long exposure, high-contrast, low-key, and modern pictorialism. And while digital images are with us to stay, I'm old-school enough to believe a photograph is not complete until it is printed.
My landscape photography focuses on local Island scenes, with an emphasis on the North Shore, particularly the area in and around PEI National Park. I offer some of my landscape work as photo-cards (4"x6" photo on 5"x7" cardstock) and/or on 13"x19" fine art matte paper suitable for framing. I do my own printing. Contact me for details.
While my recent portrait work features dogs as subjects, I do still photograph people on occasion. I shoot both classical and environmental portraiture. I have a studio set-up with canvas backdrops and lights, but I prefer to use natural light as much as possible (with portable backdrops as appropriate). Contact me if you are interested in a custom portrait for you or your dog. Portaits are printed on 8"x10" semi-gloss paper or 13"x19" fine art matte paper suitable for framing. I do my own printing.
My Story
Originally from Nova Scotia, I've lived in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario, the Northwest Territories, and Manitoba, and now make my home in Prince Edward Island. My wife and I live in an old farmhouse with our two dogs.
I'm retired after more than 40 years of work as a civil servant at the municipal, regional, provincial, federal, and national level. My work mostly centred on environmental management and parks. Among other jobs, I worked as a National Park Warden for Parks Canada, a Director of Parks for Manitoba Conservation, an Enforcement and Compliance Officer with Environment Canada, and as a Program Coordinator for the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment. Somewhat unexpectedly, my last gig before retirement was working as an Animal Protection Officer with the PEI Humane Society for seven years.
My formal education includes a bachelor's degree from the University of New Brunswick and a master's degree from Dalhousie University.