This photographer creates stunning visual poetry from his local surroundings

Canadian photographer Jason Pettit‘s work captures the raw beauty and intricacies of the natural world, with a particular focus on his local environment of Ontario. Pettit showcases the rich textures, vibrant colours, and natural environments, from rugged coastlines to serene forests.

His photography blends artistic vision with a deep appreciation for nature, inviting viewers to experience the serenity and grandeur of the outdoors in an evocative way. Pettit’s ability to evoke emotion and tell stories through his imagery makes his work both visually striking and profoundly moving. DIYP caught up with Jason to find out what inspires him to create art.

DIYP: Your work is like visual poetry; how long did it take you to find your style? What was that process like?

Jason: We talk a lot about style, and I’m not sure if I have one, but I think all of us are too close to our own work to see it clearly. However, if we photograph while being who we are and don’t seek to mimic the style of others, then our own style will naturally come through because it is an extension of our individual personality.

Having said that, I’ve often been told that my work and style have an element of minimalism. I only partially agree with this, but my own belief is that minimalism means something different. Beyond minimalism, which is the absence of things, my idea of minimalism is more in the message instead of the visuals.

So, I think that my style has come from my evolving ability to be receptive to my natural surroundings. This has taken me most of my life, dating back to well before I picked up the camera. And hopefully, it will continue to evolve and become even more clear….we never finish learning.

DIYP: Tell us about how you got started in photography? And what inspires you to go out and shoot?

Jason: The timing of my discovery of photography also coincided with the beginning of a new period of my life. Having spent many years raising my children I didn’t have the luxury to leave the house for extended periods of time by myself. Honestly, I was so involved in their formative years that diversions never occurred to me. I didn’t even think about photography until I finally found myself on the shores of a new era in my life where I came to the realisation I needed something that was just for me.

I’m not conscious of my decision to pick photography specifically out of the hundreds of hobby choices out there, but I have come to understand that the unconscious decision was informed by my personality; I’ve always appreciated art but had no real talent for most aspects of it, I enjoyed being out in nature and desired to get more exercise. Impulsively, I found myself ordering a cheap used Olympus EM-10 online.

DIYP: How often do you revisit the same locations? How much planning is involved with your photographs?

Jason: I photograph almost exclusively where I live, in Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada. I’ve lived here all of my life so by now I’ve explored almost every nook and cranny there is. I feel that revisiting a site many times is crucial for creative photography. Being a part of the landscape is necessary so you can tell its story truthfully.

Although I hadn’t carried a camera around with me for most of my life I had unknowingly been developing a mental catalogue of places and scenes that came in very handy when I finally did come to photography. Today my personal approach when I go out to create is to keep an open mind about expectations. I found the clutter of preconceived ideas about location, and optimal times of day for ideal lighting was distracting and making me anxious.

Freedom from that necessity helped me explore unfettered, and I found that this is when the creativity came, unbidden and deep from within, where thoughts are more ghostlike and require a loosening of the mind to coalesce. It’s hard to plan ahead when your goal is to create emotional photographs, you just can’t schedule your moods.

DIYP: You have some very clear projects, for example the Under Glass – how did you come up with the idea to do that? Can you explain the process?

Jason: Over time, we all begin to notice patterns in our photography, subject matter we’re drawn to, lighting conditions we prefer and so on.For myself, I began to see clear categories in my work after some years, which inspired me to organise my photographs into individual projects.

There are many photographers who come up with an idea for a project ahead of capturing any images, and this is certainly a viable approach, it’s just not been the way in which I created my projects, they sort of just made themselves known to me once I was mature enough to notice them.

For my “Under Glass” project I had been working on a series of images with a darker monochrome edit when I realised they reminded me of displays in a museum kept under glass for people to view as if they were artefacts which no longer existed. From there I was able to more clearly identify subjects which would suit that project in the field, prior to making an image.

DIYP: What equipment do you carry with you on a typical day?

Jason: I like to keep it limited. I found that too much gear was getting in the way of my creativity by distracting me with excess weight and lens changes…I hate swapping lenses. Currently I have a Nikon Z7, a Nikon 24-120 F4 S lens, a small travel tripod and a few lens filters. This set-up allows me to hike further and concentrate more on finding great subjects to photograph.

DIYP: Your photos often involve some kind of movement or flow, even though they have a meditative quality to them, can you explain how you shot for example the falling leaves photograph titled Adrift Amongst the Stars?

Jason: I really enjoy it when I can include a kinetic vibe to my images, even with static subjects. I find it is often the seed to a lasting image where there is a character that keeps drawing you to review the photo over and over again without getting sick of it.

“Adrift Amongst the Stars” was taken on the surface of a small pool at a local conservation area bordering Lake Ontario. Travelling a trail along the top of a bluff for long enough will bring you to the water’s edge, albeit steeply. As the water levels in the lake were unusually low this time of year, I was able to travel along the stone beach to a little pool set just back from the lake.

The pool had a thin coat of clear ice, and underneath were the remnants of the recently fallen autumn oak leaves suspended there. As I set up my tripod, it began to snow lightly, and the clear black ice was soon speckled. The appearance of the frozen leaves, with the specks of snow on top, resembled a vista from space, so I named the image on the spot “Adrift Amongst the Stars”. A circular polarizer was also important so I could cut the glare from the ice and complete the space vista effect.

DIYP: What advice do you have for anyone who would like to start selling large-format gallery prints of their work?

Jason: Take your time while choosing a gallery you would like to represent you. Visit it and pay attention to how they display the artwork, is there lots of space around each piece? Has the lighting been adjusted to properly show the work? Things like these will inform you as to whether the gallery advocates for their artists.

Be patient, don’t just go with the first gallery that approaches you. If you feel for any reason that there is something which doesn’t match with your creative vision then pass it by and seek out more suitable spaces. Ultimately getting your work in a physical gallery is a very satisfying thing, enabling you to do justice to your work by allowing it to enter its ultimate state, a framed print viewable to the public.

You can see more of Jason’s work on his website or follow him on Instagram.