Photographer Mikio Kambara likes to play with light.
In fact, if you look at any of his photographs the imagery of light plays an important role in the artistic shots he takes.
Kambara's photos are on exhibit at Asai's Gallery on Wellington until the end of the month and the images he's captured in just seconds have sometimes taken hours to set up. That's because he's always waiting for the light to be just right.
Many of his photos on display this month were taken in and around the Chilliwack environs, and people will recognize many mountaintops, river views and farmer fields. It's what he does with the light that makes these photos so outstanding.
There's one image with dark black storm clouds surrounding a farmer's field and a shaft of brilliant sunshine breaking through a hole in the threatening sky. Anybody who lives in Chilliwack has seen that image a thousand times\especially in springtime. Yet Kambara spent hours with his tripod waiting for just the right moment to snap the lens.
"There are two types of light," Kambara explains. "The first is when you have a shining light-\like this one through the clouds. It's very understandable, very recognizable. And every major religion has stories about the battles between light and dark. But there are other types of light and they are very subtle, very encompassing. It is an enveloping type of light and it is usually very subtle."
Kambara's use of light is dramatic and yet subtle and somehow comforting. When you see a picture of Mount Cheam with a sunrise behind it, you know it's an image Chilliwack's early risers see several times a year. But when you stop at look at how he's captured the texture of the clouds, the character of Mount Cheam, there's so much more to the photograph than just a simple snap shot. "Sometime these pictures are taken in just a fleeting moment," he explains. "In one minute, maybe two it is forever gone."
The Chilliwack-based, award-winning photographer grew up in Japan and moved to Canada about 30 years ago. He worked as a production and materials engineer and spent many years in the Kootenays before "semiretiring" to Chilliwack where he dabbles in photography and web-based publishing.
His very first camera was a double-lens reflex Yashica 4x4 that he owned as a kid. Even in today's digital world, that camera, he believes, can still outshoot many others. He went digital in 1999, when the technology was still in its infancy and he says none of those original pictures are show-quality.
Technically speaking, he is the editor of a biweekly web-based magazine called Digicamworks and subscribers include digital camera enthusiasts including many from this province. The on-line magazine consists of reader's digital photos, technical articles, recommended free software, suggested web sites and readers' articles. Kambara's website digicamworks.net gets between 7,000-8,000 hits each month.
"My photos are mostly taken in RAW format, with minimal filters and without any digital manipulations," he explains. "In this selection of photos, I wanted to show the audience that photography is really all about light with composition, patience and timing thrown in with lots of luck."
The show is divided into two sections; one wall is devoted to light and the second area is all about flora and fauna. Again using tons of patience and a macro lens, Kambara has been able to capture magnificent images of wildlife, flora in the rain and nature's beauty that surrounds us.
What better gift is there than inspiration. And whether it's shots of wildlife, Mount Cheam at sunrise, or an Indian paintbrush glistening on the edge of Elk Mountain, Kambara's photos will inspire viewers.
Mikio Kambara's photos will be on display at Asai's Gallery at 45949 Wellington Ave. until June 30. The Gallery is closed Mondays and open 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 EM. Tuesday to Saturday. Call the Gallery at 604-792-9895.