My interest in photography emerged out of my interest in ecology, geography and the natural environment. I grew up in an old farmhouse on the outskirts of London, Ontario, Canada and my childhood afforded me lots of time and space to explore the creeks, forests and fields of my immediate surroundings. I spent hours mentally processing the menagerie of forms, textures and patterns evident in the natural world. I carried this passion forward by completing an Honours B.Sc and M.Sc. in Geography from the University of Western Ontario.
Thereafter, I spent twenty years in the Department of Botany at the University of Guelph as a cliff ecologist; certainly one of the most unusual jobs on the planet. Here I spent my summers suspended by ropes studying the ecology of old-growth forests that grow out of sheer vertical cliff faces. My story and accompanying photographs of this unusual forest were published in the 2007 book “The Last Stand; a Journey through the Ancient Cliff-Face Forest of the Niagara Escarpment” (Dundurn Press, Toronto) and I have also co-authored two other books related to ecology. I have presented my photographs from this time to over sixty different audiences.
I was also fortunate enough to serve as Research Director for a large nature reserve, which gave me the opportunity to photograph a broad range of habitats in all four seasons and my travels have allowed me to photograph on every continent including Antarctica. I currently reside in Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
- Peter Kelly.
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