Ana Macedo
The Chilliwack Progress
July 23, 2007

Stephan Baker is a local photographer with a special gift. If you've ever had the occasion to see his work, you notice that he uses his camera as a tool to share beauty with others.

Stephan grew up in Cranbrook, B.C. He didn't live on a farm but grew up on acreage allowing him to develop a love for the outdoors.

His father was a draftsman and was always drawing and painting. "I seem to have inherited that from him. I was always doing and selling my art since I was sixteen years old," he said.

Then, he was given a camera for his 12th birthday and his focus changed a bit. "The first pictures that I ever took were of Fort Steele. I still have them. In fact, I was looking at them the other day. They were square, black and white photos," he added with a quick chuckle.

Photography is artwork and it's like any other art form. If you have an interest in it, you pick up the basics and develop your own style. That is exactly what Stephan did. He takes mostly scenic shots and has developed a real flair for taking photos of animals and all aspects of agriculturally related items. My favourite Stephan photo is one where Chilliwack Heritage Park is in the background and hundreds of sunflowers dot the foreground. I also love the way that he can capture a little critters' personality. Stephan has the innate ability to bring out the best in even the homeliest of creatures.

"I am a member of the Professional Photographers Association of British Columbia. Through them, I have taken a variety of courses and workshops. I also speak to a lot of other photographers and I read a lot on the subject. I have a real interest in it and have just picked up on it, he noted.

In 2003, Stephan's health forced him to change course. It was at this point that he decided to attend the Christmas Craft Market as an exhibitor. "Aside from my career, I had been doing pet and auto portraits using pencil as well as pen & ink. I was always taking pictures to use for my drawings so I thought that I would use my photographs and turn them into bookmarks," he explained. He spoke with Janice Uebelhardt from Greenhill Acres and she allowed him to use her animals as subjects for the bookmarks. They sold out instantly much to Stephan's amazement. "A had a woman come up to me and told me that she wanted a picture of Mt. Cheam. She wanted 15 cards sight unseen. I did it for her and next thing I knew I was in the card business," he laughed.

Then, a school teacher told him that what Chilliwack needed was a picture book. Stephan thought that it was a good idea and eight months later he published his first book. 'Chilliwack...Adventure Outdoors' came out in October 2006 and has been extremely well received. "It's been out for eight months and it's already halfway through its first printing," he beamed. The City does use it as a promotional tool. It's gone to Australia, Holland, the US, China and many other places. "This year, I am finally going to introduce postcards," he quickly added.

Stephan always carries a camera with him because he never knows when the perfect shot may come along. He enjoys both digital and film photography noting that there are advantages and disadvantages to both. Admittedly though, he mainly uses his digital camera these days.

While Stephan teaches art and drawing in the elementary school system, he spends most of his time on photography. "I enjoy both but I do spend about eighty percent of my time on photography and twenty percent on teaching. I do refer to myself as a photographer," he added with a smile.

Stephan tries to combine both careers any time that he can. He has been working on a project entitled 'Children of the 49th Parallel.' "I've been working with grade four, five and six children from McCammon Traditional School. I had them take photos of what they saw life to be like in Chilliwack. I also established a contact with a teacher in Russia who had her students do the same thing there. I decided on Russia because they too are on the 49th Parallel and we both border the Pacific Ocean. It's so interesting because the photos of their lives are very similar," he noted with interest. Stephan is looking forward to working with a school in Germany as well as the United States to develop the same project. Once completed, he hopes to publish a book that will compare life in diverse cultures through the eyes of children.

I would highly recommend that you log onto www.stephanbakerphotography.com to check out how Stephan can capture a moment forever.