BY JULIEANNE STEEDMAN
For Wild Northerner
I met up with Matthew Barton in Sudbury at the newly established KIVI park; our children played while we sat and discussed his work. Matthew’s work caught my eye on a Sudbury Facebook group for visual artists. His work is filled with colour, texture and showcases the brilliance of life in northern Ontario.
Barton grew up in Lively, lived in southern Ontario and then navigated his way back north. One of his favourite things to photograph is the night sky; he talks about how the sky here in the north isn’t comparable to that in the south, and that this was one of things he missed deeply during his time away. Living away from the area really made him appreciate life in the north; he enjoys heading north of Sudbury or to Manitoulin Island to take advantage of the stunning night sky that he missed.
Barton has been serious about learning and investigating photography for about ten years now. He started with film and then moved into digital after he received a camera as a gift. He wasn’t sure if he would be as ‘into’ the digital camera as he was with film, but that changed one night after he photographed the northern lights, “It was a real wow moment,” he says, “You could just see so much more with the digital camera”. He still shoots in film and often will do both (film and digital) at the same time. He especially enjoys photographing the northern lights, and when I questioned him about where he travels to go to do this, he says that he doesn’t – that the lights are out around here (Sudbury) more often than you’d think. He tracks them using different apps and by checking the weather. “Sometimes you don’t think they are there, but after a few shots on the digital camera, you can see them”.
His favourite shot is of High Falls in Dowling, which he took in the autumn. Barton shares that the moon is especially tricky to get right - “It can often make the shot look too bright, like it’s daytime out”. In this piece he got the balance just right, the moon is eye-catching, there is an amazing star trail and they are perfectly balanced against the exquisite fall colours on the woodland.
Barton doesn’t have one particular favourite spot to head to to take photos, but does enjoy spending time in Killarney. He says it’s a real combination of things; he loves to take his kids and walk, “You get these great panoramic shots with reflections in the lake, plus it’s awesome to stop and notice the small things, the tiny flowers and wildlife dotted along the trails”.
You may have seen some of Barton’s work around the city of Sudbury. He has been part of shows at Artists on Elgin, Science North, The Greater Sudbury Public Library, and Gallery 6500. He also most recently won the Science North Wild Weather photo contest. You can find his work on his website at www.northernlitesphtography.com or on Facebook; Matthew Barton Photography.