Rodger Hort Photography
ABOUT ME
I bought my first camera as a 15-year-old from the Canada Customs Auction, a quarterly event in Toronto. I had saved up my earnings from various part-time jobs to buy a Minolta SRT-101, a single-lens reflex camera that takes interchangeable lenses. That camera is built as solid as a tank, and I still have it today.
My interest in photography blossomed when I was in high school. In grade 10, my second year of chemistry, I was introduced to the world of chemical compounds, reagents and qualitative/quantitative analysis. Among other things, we learned about silver's role in industrial processes, including that of photography. The light bulb went off for me, and I searched out the photography lab at our school. An older student showed me the basics of developing B&W film and enlarging/developing pictures from negatives. When I saw my first image slowly materialize in the red light over the developer tray, I was transfixed by its magic. This was the exact moment when I truly fell in love with photography.
Back then, we learned how to “do” photography by voraciously reading many, many books because this was well before the internet age. I went out with my camera and shot lots of black-and-white because I could develop it and print it myself. An additional benefit was that it wasn't as horrifically expensive as working with colour film and prints. Over time, with lots of practical experience, I learned from my exposure failures and compositional errors why my photography didn't look as good as those I saw in books and magazines.
After some time, another light bulb went off in my head, and I became a student of light. My photography improved immensely when I started paying close attention to it. Things such as light quality (hard or soft), colour (warm or cool), and direction (sidelight, backlight, frontal light) all affect how I regard my photography endeavours' successes and failures. The results of that study are what you see on this website.
I'm working on a shopping cart for my website, but until it's ready, if you wish to buy one of my prints for your wall, please get in touch with me through the “Contact” link, and we'll discuss the image you're interested in. I print my photographs with my fine art printer on matte paper using archival inks that can last for over 200 years without the fading that occurs with traditional silver halide prints. My black-and-white prints will last for over 400 years. Photographs usually increase in emotional value when the subject is no longer around. My prints are a legacy that can be handed down to your descendants.