John's evolution as a self-taught photographer began in Saskatchewan. The paintings of his mother, Christel, influenced John in "more ways than I can describe in words", he says. As a child, "art was all around me", whether it was Christel's own work, the work of her art students or that of accomplished masters, "I couldn't help but be a sponge and absorb!" Today, whenever John is complimented on his "eye", he is grateful to his mother.

  That gratitude is also extended to John's father. "I helped Dad build a darkroom in our basement and learned many of the technical aspects of photography as a teenager". "Dad was fearless about anything new …if it could be learned; he'd learn it". In 2001, when John suffered a construction injury, he chose a new career that would allow him to follow his passion. "Any fears I had of this endeavour were quickly dispelled by my inherited I can do it attitude".

  Currently, with the support and encouragement of his wife and daughter, John's specialty is in multi-shot panoramas. This is challenging and time-consuming but eliminates the distortion often found with wide-angle lenses or single-shot panoramas. "I generally shoot each panorama at various focal lengths and exposures, resulting in several hundred individual images. I then take the best 20 to 40 shots and blend them together to form the finished piece". Several days work can be spent on any given panorama that John produces. "I couldn't do this if I didn't love it", he states emphatically, "my passion for panoramas keeps me going".