Newsletter #221: April, 2026
© Chris Harris. All rights reserved
This Newsletter is celebrating 20 years of sharing photographs and stories from the Cariboo Chilcotin region of British Columbia.
Welcome everyone!
Contents:
- Photographic Projects; Meaningful
- Newly Published Photographic Exhibition; Ape Lake
1. Photographic Projects are Purposeful and Meaningful
I am a huge believer in photographic projects, small or large, from 12 hours to 3 years, or even on-going projects. They give me direction, intent, purpose, and most important, a goal to complete and share with others.
A photographic project means choosing a location or subject, and visually exploring it in great depth; photographing it over and over again until fresh perspectives are revealed in ways that are original and exciting.
Over the years, I have undertaken many self-assigned projects. I refer to these as ‘Documentary Projects’ or ‘Fine Art Projects’.
Documentary Projects:
Between1990 and 2016, I gave myself five self-assigned Documentary Projects. These large book projects showcased the landscape of the Cariboo Chilcotin region of central British Columbia; the part of BC where I live. The five-book project was conceived as a legacy project; as a personal legacy of my work in the region; as a legacy for future generations to more fully understand our region and province. Each would require 2-3 years of exploring and discovery; to amplify a sense and spirit of place, and an everyday awareness of cultural and economic value. The style of photography required to accomplish this, was documentary.
The Bowron Lakes: British Columbia’s Wilderness Canoe Circuit
My first book project was about a world-renowned canoe circuit which attracted paddlers from around the world. As a passionate paddler, photographer, and wilderness tour guide, I have paddled the circuit over 100 times; experiencing its moods in every season. My dream was to photograph this ‘adventure of a lifetime’ and share it with the world through book sales and slide show presentations throughout the country.
A paddler connecting with the landscape on an early spring morning
Paddlers in awe of their sense of place
As a solo paddler, I have a deep relationship with my Chestnut cedar-canvas canoe; my ultimate mode of travel
Through photography, I capture the connection between paddlers and the spirit of the land
Experiencing the Bowron Lake landscape in winter
Several editions of this book have sold over 10,000 copies and have been highly successful in providing a deep sense of place for Canadian paddlers and those from abroad. For me, this documentary project was both purposeful and meaningful.
Back Country Roads
This is an example of an on-going documentary project which emphasizes a singular subject within a much larger grassland landscape. These are the roads I travelled to reveal the physical and spiritual power of the Cariboo Chilcotin grasslands; one of the few intact native grasslands left on the planet. These images are my way of connecting us to an earth that has nourished peoples for all times.
The very exercise of looking for compositions which emphasize the design element of ‘line’, has had a powerful impact on my photography over the years. These smaller and often on-going documentary projects are hugely satisfying, and when well done, will take photography to new and unusual places.
Fine Art Projects:
Most recently, since 2017, my projects have changed in purpose and style. They are more expressive; they include several styles of photographic capture, and they require photographing in far greater depth. By greater depth I mean (a) investigating my subject to see beyond what I am looking at; gradually moving from the physical world to the imaginary world, (b) experimenting with capture techniques to express subjects in new ways, and (c) discovering a subject as it has never been seen or experienced before. By doing this, I can express both my subject and myself in ways I never thought possible and bring viewers an experience they never knew existed.
The Arbutus Tree
This 3-hour in-depth visual study resulted in a 20-image presentation; another example of a fine art project. Instead of simply looking for new perspectives to describe the reality of my subject, I turned to my imagination, and the creation of art. This requires looking within the subject and discovering what has never been see before. In going beyond the surface, I often discover new styles of expression; sometimes pure abstraction (above).
Rita’s Bicycle
Betsy was her name
An imaginative exploration; from realism to abstraction
One day Rita arrived home with a new bicycle; spotless and colourful. I couldn’t resist! Within a day I had produced a 50 image 5-minute slide show put to music which I have shared with many people over the years. It was an in-depth visual study which covered the entire continuum of photographic expression; from Representational to Abstract.
Fence Lines
Fence lines are another example of an on-going fine-art photographic project in which I incorporate different styles of expression depending on my response to the subject.
Soda Lakes
Two years ago, I challenged myself to complete another photographic project; my first major fine-art project. It required a commitment to exploring a subject in great depth.
My subject is a series of four evaporative soda lakes near where I live. These lakes are the subject of intense scientific research; they are among the most productive biogeochemical environments on the planet. Each lake is chemically unique, and with daily changes in environmental conditions, its waters and shorelines constantly change in colour and texture. It’s as if new nature-art is displayed daily.
Soda Lakes
Each lake is unique in colour, texture, and form and my response often called for interpretations rather than replications. I am always excited to re-imagine these lakes as art.
As lines appear, colours emerge, shapes unfold, and textures reveal themselves, a reality unfolds.
With imagination, a new reality emerges; a photograph is born.
This Representational image describes the shoreline of a soda lake.
Inspired by painters and art movements, I gradually and freely move back and forth across the continuum of photographic expression; from Representational to Abstract; from what is seen to what has never been seen. The above three images demonstrate that transition.
For years, I traveled alongside these soda lakes and never stopped to photograph. During this project, I travel less, I see more, and I imagine more than I see. Within the appearance of things, I see what I have never seen before.
When I am not bound by the ideas of realism, I am open to the possibilities of expression.
Soda lake sunset.
A Newly Published Photographic Exhibition
2. British Columbia’s Coast Mountain Foothills ~ Part III.
Ape Lake: Emerging Landscape
During the past 35 years I have had the good fortune of exploring, photographing, and published 13 books on the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast region of central British Columbia. As I continue to curate my entire image bank, I post Photographic Exhibitions on my website which pertain to the most spectacular areas within the region. They are a sharing of imagery, stories, and beauty; the intention of which is always to deepen our awareness to a land that has been gifted to us and that we should hold on to as sacred.
Exhibitions are like art gallery exhibits, providing viewers with a sense and spirit of a special place within the Canadian landscape. They are also designed to preserve a moment in time; a historical and educational resource designed to generate a visual identity along with a sense of understanding, appreciation, and value, for local residents, fellow Canadians, and global visitors.
Ape Lake: An Emergent Landscape
Our Ape Lake hiking and photographic adventures were one of the most profound experiences ever. Following retreating glaciers, and a catastrophic geological event known as a jokulhlaup, we found ourselves exploring a land void of human contact. Unknown and untouched, hardly a person had ever walked here.
We flew our canoes into this remote lake and set up camp.
Mountains are not static; they actively create valleys, soils, and first-generation colours.
We are Privileged to witness.
View the Exhibition here.
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