Having grown up in Seattle, water in many forms courses through my veins: Rain, rivers, Puget Sound, the ocean...I'm just meant to be near water. When I moved to San Diego, the ocean was my closest respite. However, I think another effect of being from Seattle is a preference for grey skies, and so my favourite time of day to photograph the beaches in San Diego was in the early morning hours, before the marine layer burnt off and the only other people around were the occasional surfers.
Prints and more photographs can be found in the "Beach" section of my print shop.
I love shooting cityscapes in black and white, particularly during the daytime. It showcases architecture, lines, and components that suddenly stand out without resting on the laurels of their colours. Toronto and Seattle skylines are my usual suspects as these are the places I spend most of my time.
Prints and home decor items featuring scenes from Toronto and Seattle are available in my Etsy print shop.
In my other life, I'm a geologist. Aeolian landforms—sculpted by the action of wind, such as sand dunes—are some of my favourite geologic features. They are tranquil, fluid features, beautiful in their simplicity.
Prints of dune photographs can be found in the landscape section of my Etsy shop.
In contrast to my black and white photographs of cities in the daytime, I love the bold colours of city lights at night. To me, that's when cities really come alive.
Deserts are areas of beautiful desolation: Landscapes, often once lush forests or ancient lakebeds, now dry regions shaped by wind rather than water. Even as a geologist, that thought always amazes me as I stand in the middle of these magnificent places.
Prints of my desert photography can be found in the landscape section of my Etsy shop.
Day or night, the sky is a stunning sight. Clouds in the shape of whatever your mind conjures up are replaced by infinite pinpoints of light when the sun goes down.
What's better than combining two of my loves—good food and photography—to create food photography?
Prints and kitchen decor items of my food photography are available in my Etsy shop.
In the early morning hours on the beaches of San Diego, I always had the coastline to myself except for the occasional surfer. Once the sun had burned away the marine layer clouds, the tourists flocked to the sand and that was my cue to pack up and head home.
Prints of my beach photographs can be found in my Etsy shop.
As a kid, I loved riding bicycles. Unfortunately by the time I was in my mid-teens, ankylosing spondylitis took away my ability to ride (among other things). I still appreciate the beauty of vintage bicycles though.
Most of my bicycle photos are taken on the streets of Toronto, so they can be found in the Toronto Art section of my Etsy shop.
Since I am a planetary scientist in my other life, I end up in Montréal from time to time at the nearby headquarters of the Canadian Space Agency. As I don't speak French I feel like I can't fully appreciate the city—yet. Hopefully someday soon I will rectify that situation. Right now I can at least appreciate its photogenic qualities and its amazingly delicious food.
Toronto is the city that inspires me
Fires me...up
Plants desire in me
Where cultures converge
And merge
Giving birth to an amalgam
More amazing than just
The sum of its parts.
~Tanya Harrison
Prints of my Toronto photographs are available in my Etsy shop.
I've lived in a lot of different places over the last 15 years, but Seattle will always be my hometown. From the Space Needle to Mt. Rainier to Puget Sound, I will always live and breath Seattle, even when I live elsewhere.
Prints of my Seattle photographs can be found in the Seattle Art section of my Etsy shop.