Picture nature in PoMo Arts Centre’s exhibits

Two exhibits at the Port Moody Arts Centre highlight the beauty of nature as seen through a photographer’s lens.

In the Plum Gallery, Joci Sirak’s photos of Japanese maples showcase his interest in the outdoors and his talent in contrasting light and shadow, colour and the effects of layering focused pieces with uncertain or blurred elements.

Branch Dance is just one of the photos that demonstrate Sirak’s ability to highlight the jagged contours of red maple leaves on a rough, mossy branch by setting them against a blurred carpet of leaves and just the outline of surrounding branches.

Golden Leaves shows his exploration of light and shadow as soft sunlight illuminates a maple tree in hues of bright gold, orange and red.

In Raindrops II colour is the defining element, with maple leaves in pale yellow and dark plum float against an inky black puddle clogged with bright green grasses.

Japanese Maple is the only wide-angle photo and it’s put to its best use capturing the beauty of a graceful maple tree, awash in flaming red fall leaves with branches barely touching the surface of a perfectly still lake nearby.

“I think I went a little bit deeper in recent years with this media,” Sirak said. “It’s really amazing, what I can do with just one camera and a fixed lens.”

The images were captured using a Pentax medium format camera with one of two fixed-focus lenses.

The bulky camera is usually reserved for studio shots but Sirak often takes it with him outdoors, whether he’s shooting at the Van Dusen gardens in Vancouver or on hiking trips in the B.C. backcountry. The intense colour and high resolution of the images is thanks to his use of positive film.

Surprisingly, Sirak has no formal photography training.

He was born in Hungary and discovered a love of nature as a child, thanks to a teacher who often took the class camping and hiking in the mountains. Sirak later earned a forestry degree at the University of Sopron, Hungary and worked for several years as a logger, then a horticulturalist at the university’s botanical gardens.

It was Sirak’s move to Canada about 10 years ago that inspired him to pursue fine art photography.

“I always used to do the tourist shots... but just as a hobby,” Sirak said, adding he’s always been interested in a variety of art forms. “I just started to take it more seriously about four to five years ago. I got some really good shots and I see in them there is a whole universe.”

Sirak works in the landscaping business and his love of hiking often keeps him outdoors. When it comes to capturing nature on film, Sirak goes exploring in the early morning hours to catch the best light possible.

“I get up early and I’m usually back at home before anyone even leaves the house,” he said with a laugh.

But regardless of the hour, getting the right shot is always more important than getting any shot. Sirak doesn’t usually adjust the elements he’s shooting, preferring to photograph the scene as nature created it, but will spend whatever time is necessary to ensure the light, angle and cropping are exactly the way he wants them.

“Sometimes I work for three hours — it’s like a meditation, I’m really enjoying it — but sometimes I never touch the camera.”

Also at the Port Moody Arts Centre is an exhibit of photographs by Sarah Ronald, who keeps a studio in Port Coquitlam, titled Of the Land.

The collection of landscapes represents not only a love of the outdoors but also a moment the artist has experienced with the environment. In her artist’s statement Ronald says the exhibit is designed to inspire viewers to find moments of connection with nature in daily life.

“It is easy to forget that the world does not revolve around us, that we are simply a small part of this huge living organism,” she writes. “Give yourself a moment to really take in the sights, the sounds and the smells of the nature that is around you.”

Of the Land offers several different perspectives on the environment. A collection of cloud formation photographs captures dramatic plays of light on shadow, while photos of a sun-baked desert show off the soft contours of rock and cliff against a vibrant blue sky.

Visit www.pomoartscentre.ca for more information.