Camera Trap

My first encounter with Peter Mather came after a public slide show presentation of his photo series 'Caribou People' on a frosty winter day in Whitehorse, Yukon. I was new to the north and also new to Canada; in fact, it was through this photographer's imagery I was introduced to the migratory species for the first time. Until meeting Peter, I had never seen a caribou.
As I sat there, in awe of the unique images and learning about this incredible species he put on display, the one thing that kept running through my mind was 'what does it take to capture these images?'

During the presentation of unique photographs of caribou giving birth to their calves in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve, and stories of the looming environmental threats to the herd, Peter kept referring to the missing link to the story - the one image he has so far been unable to capture; the winter migration of the Porcupine Caribou Herd. The final picture he needed to finish the story.

Instantly, I not only wanted to see this unique image, I desperately wanted to see how he would capture it, and the ways in which this pursuit would impact him. Peter is not only a photographer; he is a father, a math teacher, an environmentalist. How did he weave these dangerous, isolating, and incredibly costly quests into his own life?

Although I had never before encountered a caribou prior to embarking on this project, I knew all too well how the pursuit of unique imagery can take a toll on an individual. My personal obsession with imagery had taken me from Australia to Canada, from Edmonton to the Yukon, and had presented countless struggles, obstacles and internal and external battles along the way.

As Peter described the upcoming expedition that would take him deep into the arctic, in order to capture an incredibly specific image he has constructed in his mind, I knew I had found an opportunity to explore a theme that had both haunted and inspired me through my adult life - obsession.

My reason for creating Camera Trap was so show the harsh realities and multitude of challenges that inspired individuals face when pursuing the photographs they dream of. This unique industry is often celebrated and glorified, however rarely do we see deep into the day-to-day lives of the people who acquire some of the images that inform our understanding of the natural world. What does it really take to capture these images? What is sacrificed, and what is gained when we chose to pursue an unlikely dream?