Wilson Barry
"We were the only inhabitants of West Craycroft Island. Us and our dog Camomile, a handful of chickens and the local brown bear population. I remember my dad banging garbage can lids together to scare the sleeping bears out of our front yard every summer morning. We didn’t have TV, just one or two radio stations depending on the weather. There were no roads or even trails on the island. All transport happened by boat. I had total freedom to do as I pleased, exploring the beaches and forests around our little home. I built tree forts and fished for perch off the dock."
"I was home schooled by my mom and spent most of my time reading books. I was never bored. The winters were long and cold with very few visitors. The closest community with a grocery store was a 4 hour boat ride away, so we had to be very self sufficient. Summers were much more social with boats stopping in and the occasional trip to Vancouver to visit extended family. My dad was an amateur photographer and had a beautiful old Nikon F 35mm camera with a couple of lenses. He set up a darkroom in the basement of our house and some of my earliest memories are of the dim red light and smell of developer and fixer."
"Out of necessity for food and money on the island my parents became commercial fishermen. They bought a small fish boat and spent the seasons catching crab, salmon and prawns. They still do to this day."
"I was home schooled until the age of 9. My parents moved off the island to a small logging community on the north end of Vancouver Island where I started grade 4 in the local public school. The first day was terrifying. I can remember sitting in my desk with my green pencil case and spiral bound notebook. Not knowing what to expect. Surrounded by 25 other kids my age."
"The small logging community was great as a kid but my teen years were more difficult. I definitely didn’t feel like I fit in, so I worked hard in school, graduated with some scholarship money and moved to Vancouver to go into engineering at the University of British Columbia. After 2 years of struggling and getting bad grades my scholarship money ran out. I decided to take a year off and figure out my next steps. I had a camera and enjoyed taking photos so thought I’d take a couple photography classes. I loved it. So I got a job at a camera store selling photo gear and signed up for night classes."
"After 3 years at the camera store I met a local photo assistant through friends and he convinced me to quit working at the camera store and start freelance assisting. Through his connections I met some awesome local photographers that hired me regularly. It was here that I really learned about photography and how to make a living taking photos."
"Both my parents were very supportive.. I think initially they were disappointed I didn’t finish university but they bought me my first Nikon SLR camera as a high school graduation present so it was their support that led me down this path."
"I started in the photo industry at the store ‘Lens and Shutter Cameras’ in Vancouver. First working at the photo finishing counter then moving to camera sales. It was around for the beginning of consumer digital cameras and I loved all the technical details about the models. They became very popular quickly and I sold hundreds in the last year or two I worked at the shop."
"This was also when I started using Photoshop. I think it was version 3, before layers. After the camera shop I was a freelance assistant working with many local and international photographers over a 3 year period. Vancouver is a busy hub for international TV and movie productions so I spent lots of time assisting stills photographers on big motion picture sets. It was here that I got a sense of large scale motion productions, massive gallery shoots with hollywood celebs and all the work that goes into TV and movie production. In 2002 I moved to Toronto, where the commercial photography industry was much larger, to try and get my start."
"Like a lot of kids I had a subscription to National Geographic Magazine which had a huge influence on me early on. I loved unfolding the multi page spreads to reveal the epic landscape or wild life shots. I’ll never forget the first time I watched Kubrick’s 2001 A Space Oddessey. I’ve alway been drawn to visual symmetry and balance so this movie really captivated me. I recently watched Sicario which was beautifully shot by Roger Deakins."
"Now I’m married to an amazing woman and have a super sweet 10 month old baby girl. I’ve lived in Toronto for over 13 years years and have been fortunate enough to work with some awesome people on a huge variety of projects, both locally and around the world. Raina and I are continuing to collaborate on our reel and have a couple more artist profile pieces in the works which I’m really looking forward to shooting."
"Looking forward I am looking at doing more of everything that I’m doing right now! I feel extremely lucky that I’ve turned a hobby that I enjoyed into a career, so I don’t want to let that feeling go. Raina and I are always looking for projects that incorporate stills and motion and push us creatively. I’d love to continue down this path seeking out interesting people and help share their stories."