#6 of #100NB artists - photographer Noel Chenier
(This post is a part of the #100NBartists series, which will add 100 new artists to the directory in 2017. Follow on Instagram!)
Noel Chenier is a professional photographer and instructor at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design. He worked as a photojournalist for years before turning his hand to teaching, which he LOVES! Noel also launchedLearnPhoto365 which is a great website that offers photography tips for aspiring learners, including an app that is getting more and more traction. He runs photography workshops, one of which is a trip to Grand-Manan where participants get to photograph puffins! Noel is a passionate lover of all things photography and he can't help but share it with anyone who will listen (or look). He has a great eye, lots of experience and talent to match. This guy can take a picture of just about anything and make it look good.
Noel has a great photo in the "Pride of Place" show at the Saint John Arts Center and I wanted to feature it here.
"Dark Harbour" - Noel Chenier
Here is a little Q/A to get to know Noel:
What do you love about your job as a photography instructor at the college?
I love sharing my passion for photography with my students. It is so fulfilling to be surrounded by creative people eager to learn and share my knowledge and experiences to help them find their own passion and hopefully become successful photographers.
What is it about the medium of photography that speaks to you?
Photography is about capturing moments, and telling stories. I see photographs as “concrete” records of moments in time, and viewing photographs can trigger memories and emotions from those moments.
Tell me about the photo you have in the show, "Dark Harbour", what is special about it? How does it fit with the theme "Pride of Place?"
“Dark Harbour, Grand Manan” is a photograph taken during one of my annual photography workshops on the beautiful island of Grand Manan. The island is an example of an amazing place in our province that many people have never visited. I was one of those people, until one of my students suggested I should do a workshop there. The Bay of Fundy is a natural wonder, and this photograph taken of the moving waters as the sunsets is my attempt to capture that.
*Note: I took my very first photography class from Noel. This was before he started teaching at the College, but you could tell he was a natural teacher with a love for his medium. I learned how to use the settings so I could finally take my camera off "auto" and see what my camera could really do. Now I know about fun things like metering and aperture! Thanks Noel :)**