Winter Wonderland

Amateur photographer John Stager of Pickering, Ont., has a knack for capturing the magic of Canadian winters

I have always enjoyed taking pictures, but given my busy work schedule as a senior executive in the Ontario government, my picture-taking opportunities and photography skills were both pretty limited. It wasn’t until after my wife Jennifer and I retired six years ago that I became much more interested in pursuing photography as a hobby. I invested in good camera equipment, took a number of courses to improve my level of understanding and joined the local photography club to learn from knowledgeable practitioners. I also spent considerable time taking pictures to further develop my skills. Over time, as I became more proficient with the camera, I developed a real passion for my new-found hobby.

Jennifer and I have also been fortunate since retiring to fulfill our dream of travelling. We’ve taken the opportunity to travel across Canada as well as many other countries in the world, where we have experienced and enjoyed the people, culture, history and landscapes of each place. We complement each other very well; I love to take photos, while Jennifer has a great sense of image composition and an eagle eye when it comes to spotting birds and animals.

Although we have travelled to many destinations, we both still feel that Canada is the most beautiful country in the world. From a photography perspective, I particularly enjoy the wide variety of landscapes, flora and fauna that Canada has to offer, not to mention the benefit of our four seasons.