Yvon Bourque

Back when most of my classmates were dealing with growing up; I was nurtur¬ing a serious enthusiasm for photography. Son of a Montreal carpenter, I enrolled in photography courses, soaked up theory, bought my first Pentax Spotmatic camera, shot rolls of film, and learned how to develop and print – all before leaving junior high school. I had many dreams and like many aspiring young photographers, I dreamed of getting assignments from National Geographic and traveling the world over. Decades later, the road has led me into other directions. With the responsibilities of an engineering ca¬reer and family, my plans were altered but only slightly. The enthusiasm of the young boy and the love of photography are still strong. I never abandoned my photography dreams. One of my biggest frustrations is that I do not have enough time for more. I have used Pentax 35mm and medium format cameras, but now, I use Pentax Digital SLR cameras almost exclusively. Technology is good. The freedom to unleash one’s creativity has never been greater. You either follow the flow of progress or you are left behind. My work has given me the opportunity to travel across the United States, Canada, Mex¬ico and the Caribbean. My photography career never took-off as I had dreamed, but as a second career, I spent countless hours during the past decades capturing not only the beauty and the people of America but other countries as well. I have won numerous awards, written articles and books on my beloved subject and recently published several Pentax DSLR cameras books. Where does a tireless hobbyist go from here? Like all other areas of our modern life, photography has gone digital. As an artist, I am fascinated with all of the new digital pos¬sibilities. I am finally contemplating the idea of replacing my present career shingle for one stating Yvon Bourque, Photographer/Author. With perseverance, all is possible.