The McMillan Arts Centre is delighted to participate in the Brant Wildlife Festival by hosting an exhibition that includes our own John Critchley.

John’s show is all about local wildlife or wildlife that is accessible without traveling too far from home. The bear photos were taken in Bute Inlet which is within a day’s travel there and back from Campbell River. The bird photos are all from walking around the French Creek area and some as far away as Nanaimo River Estuary. Most involved multiple attempts/ visits to the area and some long hours waiting for the right shot to materialize.

John began playing with a camera fifty years ago but only really got serious about ten years ago. Since then he has been shooting at anything that moves and some things that don’t (landscape) but recently has started to focus more on wild life than any other genre. All of these exhibition photos have been taken within the last two years and all were taken on Vancouver Island except the bear shots. Some were taken in his back yard.

As with most amateur photographers, his desire is to take better pictures and in that regard the learning curve for technique and equipment is very steep. He still has a long way to go and many shots to track down, but despite the cost and the disappointment it remains a hobby that intrigues and excites him.

Please vist the opening on March 5 from 1:00 to 3:00