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Gordon Ross Photography

24 Nov 2023
Church, Mandalay, Burma Diptych

Changing the lights on a cross in Mandalay, Burma. 

I took this picture while leading a tour years ago in Burma. When I look at this image, I wonder what conversations brought them to do this risky job. 

What would lead these 2 to risk their lives to change the lights on a cross high above the ground, on an old structure, without safety gear, in bare feet?

Was it the priest that asked them to do it? Was it a belief that they might be protected by God, or that they might curry favour with God by changing the light, and ultimately be saved? 

Or was it more mundane? Just a job that needed to be done and these were the available guys? In countries, where they have poor safety standards, dangerous jobs are undertaken regularly. When someone dies doing a job like this in a poor country, they rarely make the news. 

We stayed for a while, but it was kind of unbearable to watch them moving around up there. We couldn’t watch any longer so we left. I hope they made it down. 

News 12:40 pm , November 24, 2023 0
03 Dec 2021
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Portrait Genres

Portraiture has been one of my principal genres at my home base on Vancouver Island. It’s also one of my principal genres abroad. Portraiture is a dynamic interplay between the photographer and the subject. I love it because I get to meet and get to know so many amazing people. I feel blessed with all who have entrusted with me this deeply personal task.

What kind of portraits do I shoot?

My portraits fit into the categories of traditional/formal, environmental, lifestyle, glamour, conceptual and corporate headshots.

Portrait

Traditional

A style with an emphasis on the face, expression and mood.

Professional Portrait

Environmental

An environmental portrait is about the context of the person in an important or relevant place for them such as their work, their studio or some sort of activity such as their sport of hobby.

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Lifestyle

This style capture people in a space and activity that they identify with their lifestyle.

Portrait Alt

Glamour

A glamour portrait is all about the glam: clothing, hair and makeup.

Conceptual Portrait

Conceptual

A genre that resonates with an idea. It is about conveying a message through portrait imagery.

Commercial Portrait

Corporate / Commercial

The corporate headshot is about the upper body and face and is usually shot against a monochrome background with even lighting across the face.

How the Process Works

First we set a time and a place for the shoot. This could be in the studio or it could be on location in nature or at another location of your choosing. Then, the images from our shoot are put into a private gallery for your review. From there, I edit the images of you select and I deliver the photos to you as prints, as electronic files, or both.

Gallery 1:43 pm , December 3, 2021 0
20 Sep 2021

A wildlife gallery of images from around the world

I have taken photographs since I was a boy and I have explored a number of photographic subjects along the way. Wildlife photography is a genre that stayed with me and matured with me as I grew older. To see a wild creature fully inhabit its wild space with its raw natural energy is powerful and captivating. To capture it photographically is my icing on the cake.

From Antarctica to the Serengeti, our planet has an amazing variety of landscapes and climates. It can be a challenge to work in such extreme environments but there is always a way if there is the will. I am creating a number of downloadable cheatsheets for anyone keen to learn more about how to work in extreme environments. I’ve figured a few things out along the way.

Wildlife photography excites me due to its dynamic nature. There is also the added excitement of travelling to and through wild spaces. That alone is reason enough to be out there. Indeed, oftentimes the animals don’t show up anyway. Landscape photography anyone?

This wildlife gallery is first and foremost a celebration of the wild things that we share the planet with. Some of these images are for sale as prints as well.

Gallery 5:47 pm , September 20, 2021 0
28 Mar 2021

World Portrait Photography

A portrait should convey some important aspect(s) about a person that leaves you with the feeling that you know something about the individual beyond the image. I’ve had the great fortune to travel widely and photograph thousands of people. It’s so fulfilling to quickly engage someone, get them to relax, to connect with them and then to capture that moment.

One of my recipes for a successful portrait is to make eye contact with my subjects right at the beginning. I want them to know I’m serious about my work and that this is not going to be just a snapshot. I want them to feel that I’m genuinely interested in them. We’re all mirrors to each other. I think everyone wants to be acknowledged and witnessed as if to say, I, too, have a story.

People are one of my principal inspirations in photography. I’m fascinated by how we change from moment to moment and I love to capture those ephemeral expressions.  The creative possibilities are endless with portraiture.

Gallery 1:25 pm , March 28, 2021 0
08 Mar 2021

Burning Man 2011

It was my first Burn and as such, I was affectionately known as a Virgin Burner.

I had heard about this festival for years and was always curious. Simply put, it transcended everything that I had imagined it would be. This festival is the poster-child of the Counter Culture Revolution. On the Black Rock Desert, commonly referred to as The Playa, the world’s largest participatory festival unfolds with a density of over 50,000 Burners.

It is intense. It is beautiful. The people are amazing. There are no advertisements and cash is useless during the event — you get to trade your cool stuff. And you get to dress up or down depending on our preference.

I came away from this event dusty and parched, but I was left with the indelible feeling that anything is possible if you put enough creatives in one place for an extended period of time. The minds that gather for Burning Man are simply brilliant. The art will leave you breathless.

I attended for five days, slept about six hours a night, rode my bike all over and still only managed to catch about five per cent of what went down. It’s phenomenally large. You can check out the official Burning Man website here

As a professional photographer, I was obliged to register with the folks at Burning Man’s Media Mecca. All images have been screened by Burning Man for Editorial Release on my website. I hope you enjoy them.

Some of the images have captions.

Gordon Ross

Gallery 10:32 pm , March 8, 2021
08 Mar 2021
Blue Ice-1

Antarctica

Antarctica is the highest, driest, coldest, windiest continent we’ve got. And it’s beautiful. Of all the wild places I’ve explored, Antarctica is right up at the top of the list. There’s something about the rarefied air and the clear light that is spectacular bordering on surreal.

Surrounded by the Southern Ocean it is our fifth largest continent, nearly twice the size of Australia and 98 % of it is covered by ice. Due to the weight of that enormous ice sheet, a good chunk of the continent is actually below sea level.

To get to Antarctica, most people make their way to the world’s southern most city of Uschaia in the Patagonia region of Argentina. There, you board your ship, float down the Beagle Channel and then hit the Drake Strait which depending on your luck could be a smooth sailing (it’s been called the Drake Lake when it reveals its calmer nature) or it could be the wildest ride of your life. Tthe Drake Strait can be THE roughest patch of water on the planet due to the vast Antarctic Circumpolar Current pushing through a region that measures 800 kms (500 mi) from the tip of South America to the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula (map).

The continent itself is a desert and there are no trees or shrubs and only 2 flowering plants call this place home. But where the land is relatively barren of life, the sea is alive with krill, penguins, seals and whales. In the austral summer, the bird-life is amazing with The Wandering Albatross, the bird with the largest wingspan (8-11 feet) soaring above the continent and the Southern Ocean. I could go on…

I hope you enjoy the images.

Gallery 3:37 pm , March 8, 2021
22 Sep 2019
Antarctica -67

Leopard Seal, Master of the Southern Ocean

Here’s a short video of a Leopard Seal that I filmed several years ago. These seals are number 2 in the top predator rank; their only natural predator in the Southern Ocean is the much larger Orca. 

They are “true seals” and do not have external ears. Instead, they have an opening on the side of their head that connects to the ear canal. Their muscular bodies, massive head and jaws make them ideal predators. The Leopard Seal feeds on pretty much everything in the Antarctic waters: penguins, seal pups, fur seals, birds, cephalopods… Like the crabeater seal, it has specialized rear molars that filter water to catch krill. They also have sharp incisors for tearing flesh.

They grow to a maximum of 3.5 meters and weigh up to 600 kilograms with females slightly larger than the males. They are amazing vocalizers and can do it for many hours a day.

This video was shot near the famous Lemaire Channel. Conditions were perfect that day. Smooth waters and clear skies. When they’re not in the water, they spend their time resting on the ice.

There are estimated to be somewhere between 200,000 to 400,000 Leopard Seals alive today. They are not endangered right now but as the ice shelves melt in Antarctica due to climate change, they’re existence may become more precarious.

I will post more about this amazing region in the months to come.

Gordon Ross

News 11:41 am , September 22, 2019 0
12 Sep 2019
Portrait, Tibetan Bon LamaGeshe YongDong

Portrait of a Tibetan Lama, Geshe YongDong

Geshe YongDong is the spiritual director and main teacher of Sherab Chamma Ling, a Tibetan Bon Buddhist Centre located in the Comox Valley. I took this portrait for CV Collective magazine. 

There are 5 lineages in Tibetan Buddhism, Bon being one of them. Bon is the oldest of all the spiritual traditions in Tibet; Bon, a shamanic spiritual tradition, was the main spiritual tradition of Tibet before the arrival of Indian Buddhism in Tibet. When the first wave of Indian Buddhism washed over the Tibetan Plateau in the 8th century AD, it met with and merged with the native Bon tradition. This early syncretism of Indian Buddhism and the shamanic ways of Bon is one of the key differences that distinguishes Tibetan Bon Buddhism from the other Tibetan Buddhist lineages. According to Bon Buddhism, the teachings are an amalgam of the Buddha’s teachings, animistic ideas and practices as well as elemental rituals (earth, air, fire, water, space) that are linked to our chakras. The history of Bon is fascinating. If you want to learn more about Bon’s origins and practices, Sherab Chamma Ling is the only Bon Centre in Canada. 

Philosophies and spiritual paths are one thing when they are presented on a page. They have much more “life” when presented by a good teacher and in the case of Geshe La, he is a Dharma heir of an unbroken lineage that stretches all the way back to the Buddha Tonpa Shenrab.  The term Geshe is actually an honorific title that denotes academic achievement. It is the equivalent of a PhD in Tibetan Buddhist scholasticism and reflects his deep understanding of Bon Buddhism. He came to Canada with just a few dollars in his pocket and knew very little English. Today, he teaches all over the world and is involved in a number of projects from teaching to translating ancient Bon manuscripts. It’s amazing how a life can shift—from a boy-shepherd in Tibet, to a refugee fleeing Chinese persecution, to running an international Buddhist centre in the West. I think he can scarcely believe it at times.

When I first walked into the highly ornamented centre of Sherab Chamma Ling and met Geshe La over ten years ago, I was struck by his wisdom and compassion. He has actually summarized the Buddha’s teachings as just this—the union of wisdom and compassion. Time and time again, I have heard him say that we are already perfect; we just don’t know it.  Or as he said at other times, we just forgot it, and that his job as a teacher is to simply remind us of our fundamental true and perfect nature. His teachings are rich and varied: from different forms of meditation and Tibetan Yoga (Tsa Lung) to practices such as phowa and sleep and dream yoga, Bon has a rich tradition of practice and philosophy. 

His ability to make the Dharma personal is one of his greatest strengths. Ten years ago, while I was in the midst of some painful change, he offered this: “One of the greatest gifts you can give yourself is to let go”. I have come back to that teaching again and again over the years. Each time, it has proven to be a remarkable antidote. Attachment, according to Buddhism, is one of the three root poisons along with anger and ignorance. Attachment to ideas, to people, to things, to the self…It’s not always easy to let go, but we can try and we all do it differently. This one teaching really resonated with me and it stuck. It’s permanently in my self-help kit bag. 

Geshe La teaches every Tuesday night at Sherab Chamma Ling from 7-8:30 pm. If you can’t make it to the centre, the teachings are broadcast live on Zoom. 

For more information, go to sherabchammaling.com

News 12:18 pm , September 12, 2019 0
03 Jul 2013
Gelada Baboon

Gelada Baboon, northern Ethiopia

This shot of a gelada baboon was published in Audubon Magazine as part of a story on the geladas’ vocalizations and its resemblance to human speech. Years ago while I was guiding in northern Ethiopia, I had the chance to go into the Simien Mountains in the Ethiopian Highlands. Also known as the Roof of Africa, per sq. km. it’s the highest chunk of land on the continent. I took this shot at about 3000 meters (~10,000 ft) amid the stunning peaks and canyons of the Simien Mountains:

I had been trekking in these mountains with my group in a cool mist when we came upon a troop of geladas foraging on the grassland. The gelada baboon has wicked incisors and an equally fierce stare so you instinctively keep your distance. I shot this with a telephoto lens from about 40 meters away (for camera-types, I used a Canon L-series 100-400mm lens @ ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/250 sec at a focal length of 400 mm).

Remarkably, though, the gelada baboon is a herbivore (more specifically, a graminivore, or grass-eater) and their incisors are adapted for chewing grass. It’s the “chest plate” of the gelada baboon, though, that really captures people’s attention. The males’ patch is twice the size and more colourful than the females. The colour of the females’ patch is dependent on hormonal changes: when she’s in estrus, the female patch is brighter indicating her biological receptivity for mating.

Taken in the north of the country, you can see how fertile the countryside is. A stereotype of Ethiopia is that it’s a parched land with a flat topography. So, here I was in the Ethiopia, wet and at times actually cold. What a diverse place it is. Physically, the north is a rugged patch of mountains and canyons; the south is parched grassland with anomalies such as the sun-baked Danakil Depression which is actually 150 meters below sea level; the west of the country near Sudan is wetter with swamps and marshes; and the east is arid and rugged as you approach Somalia. Culturally, it’s just as wild and diverse but that’s for another post.

News 12:15 pm , July 3, 2013 0
30 Apr 2013
Mali Recyclers Market

As if being close to the equator isn’t warm enough, this guy works at a forge all day. The beads of sweat tell the story.

Mali’s average life-expectancy is 53; poverty mercilessly grinds people down.

The Recycler’s Market is on the outskirts of Bamako, the capital of Mali. Here, metal waste is recycled into useful products from car parts to cooking utensils. It’s amazing what resourceful people can do with so little. And it’s also amazing just how hard they work.

News 11:01 am , April 30, 2013 0
16 Apr 2013
Sri Lanka

Portrait at the Botanical Gardens in Kandy

As I wandered through the green expanse of Kandy’s Botanical Garden, I came across this lovely couple out for a shoot with their hired Sri Lankan wedding photographer.

I asked if I could take their picture. They obliged and everyone, including their photographer, seemed happy with the request; their photographer took a picture of me taking a picture of them. My guess is that I am now in their wedding album. The observer being observed. Sounds kind of quantum, doesn’t it?

I am posting this photo for two reasons: I like the composition, the colour, the bamboo background and their expressions and, for those interested in the art of photography, it’s a good example of how to interact with people to get a strong shot.

I was talking to a friend about the how-to of street-portraiture just the other day. First off, for a formal street-portrait like this, you need to be forward enough to ask your intended subject(s) if they would be willing to have their picture taken. Magically, most people say, yes, largely because I think everyone likes the idea of being witnessed. And by asking, somehow you add more importance to the act and consequently people treat the moment with more attention and respect. Another key point is to make solid eye contact when you make the request. Eye contact adds a compelling weight to a request that adds to its sincerity. And voila. Set your camera to the right settings and there you have it. Easy. The world constantly throws up situations like this all the time. And the more you do it, the easier it gets. You just have to get past your fear of asking. If they say, no, fine; no one got hurt. But, really, people rarely say no.

News 3:05 pm , April 16, 2013 0
09 Aug 2009
Yoga-on-the-Beach-11

I took this shot at Long Beach in Canada’s premier west coast park, Pacific Rim National Park. As you can see from the beach, you can walk for miles. You can also do handstands. I love this shot for its balance, if you’ll pardon the pun. And she held the handstand for quite some time.

News 4:30 pm , August 9, 2009 0

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