-Story by Nessa Pullman

It鈥檚 by following our curiosity that we find our true passions 鈥� by listening to that small, subtle voice inside, begging us to come a little closer. But not everyone hears that voice right away. And for Peninsula-based photographer Dave Hutchison, it took awhile to find the path to his passion.

But today, Dave has carved out a career niche with his love of photography, working for clients that range from BC Ferries to National Bank Financial, and producing images for over 20 calendars, books, thousands of art cards, tourism guides, magazines and more.

Recently, he鈥檚 had two images accepted into the PPOC () National Images Salon (competition) and received his second PPOC Accreditation in Scenic/Pictoral Photography from PPOC.

鈥淚 consider myself fortunate to have ventured into places that many others don鈥檛 visit,鈥� he says on his website at . 鈥淭he Great Bear Rainforest 鈥� has called me back repeatedly with the lure of grizzly and Spirit bears.鈥�

He has also photographed whales, wolves and birds, landscapes and seascapes from all over North America and, recently, Europe. His images are breathtaking.

Growing up in St. Catharines, Ontario, Dave was drawn to the outdoors. Cycling, a cherished hobby, gave him the opportunity to be outside in nature 鈥� easily his favourite place to be. By 1993, Dave found himself on the West Coast of Canada in Vancouver, selling commercial exercise equipment to large corporations such as Telus, BC Hydro and Canada Post.

In 2002, Dave gravitated to the Saanich Peninsula in search of a quieter surrounding to call home. Still working for the company in Vancouver, Dave commuted from his home in Sidney to his workplace on the Lower Mainland every few days for two years.

鈥淭hat back and forth lifestyle 鈥� it鈥檚 enough to burn anyone out. You start to feel like you don鈥檛 really live anywhere. I needed to find an outlet to offset that,鈥� explains Dave.

As the owner of four Whippet dogs at the time, he began photographing dog racing around BC. What started out as a simple pastime, soon catapulted into a career in which he never thought he鈥檇 find himself.

鈥淚t was just very peaceful, being out in the field, no one else around except me and the dogs. To me it was very therapeutic after a long work week.鈥�

Soon after that, Dave went on a trip to Yellowstone National Park with his friend and fellow photographer .

鈥淚 remember being completely wowed by the abundance of wildlife 鈥� bison, pronghorns, elk 鈥� everywhere I looked. It was that connection to photography that I hadn鈥檛 yet experienced. It was the bait that lured me in,鈥� he recalls, the memory still so tangible.

鈥淚t was an image I had taken on my trip to Yellowstone that was my first framed and sold piece of art. It was then that I realized this could become much more than just a pastime.鈥�

As he launched his career in nature and wildlife photography, his home in the Saanich Peninsula provided an 鈥渆xcellent training ground to experiment and practise with landscape photography,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he Peninsula has these amazing sunsets 鈥� from Deep Cove to Moses Point.鈥�

Dave approaches photography as a form of communication.

鈥淲hat I love most about nature and wildlife photography is that I can communicate to others what is out there to preserve 鈥� what we have to cherish and keep. People buy artwork because they can connect to it, whatever it may be,鈥� he explains. 鈥淭here are so many different genres to communicate 鈥� whether it鈥檚 painting, music, or dance 鈥� it鈥檚 all the same in the sense that we are trying to communicate. For some reason photography happened for me 鈥� whether it came to me or I came to it.鈥�

What especially draws Dave to his work is the way in which immerses him in nature.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a whole different life when you are out there in the wild with another being; it teaches you how to be present in an instant,鈥� he says, adding, 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e alone with wildlife, you can only be fully there 鈥� nothing else matters. And that鈥檚 where the real teaching comes into place 鈥� it teaches you to stay calm, to breathe, but at the same time it magnifies itself into all areas of your life. Photography is just a medium 鈥� a portal 鈥� to reveal how you鈥檙e going to be in this world.鈥�

Dave began conducting one-on-one photography workshops eight years ago.

鈥淲hen I work with my students I don鈥檛 call it 鈥榩hotography,鈥� I call it 鈥榠mage making.鈥� I teach them how to create images, not to take snap shots 鈥� they already know how to do that.鈥�

He soon expanded the personal sessions, and within a few years, he was hosting group workshops and photo tours around BC.

鈥淔or me, it鈥檚 about meeting the students where they鈥檙e at, not to be above or below them. We are all creative beings, it just sometimes takes something to bring it out in us. For me, it was much later in life.鈥�

As I sit down with Dave on a late summer鈥檚 evening, I can feel his excitement as he tells me his plans for his in Italy, Colorado and the Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary in Northern BC. Dave鈥檚 outlook on his craft may seem ordinary to some鈥攂ut it鈥檚 his outlook on our role as creative beings and communicators of our earth, that seems imaginably exceptional.