Profile of Toronto photographer Rob Mee (Landscape, Nature, Cityscape, Architecture)
Welcome to another profile, featuring Rob Mee, a Tdot Create community member and GTA photographer who is keen on developing skills and traveling to further his expertise with photography, and appreciation for history, geography, nature, landscapes and culture.
This article is based on the Tdot Shots Five Questions Interview. For our profiles at our page @tdot_shots we ask:
Who are you?
How did you get into photography?
What do you like to shoot and where?
What gear do you use?
Who are your favourite photographers?
Please read on to get to know Rob Mee a little better. We have provided many of Rob’s works in their wide aspect ratio for viewing on a computer or large screen. Hope you enjoy.
Mike Simpson
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Article and Photography by Rob Mee
During the 1980s while completing my graduate degrees at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, I developed a keen interest in photography. I lived a few blocks from George Eastman’s (think Eastman Kodak) former house which became the International Museum of Photography in 1949 and houses a wonderful collection of images and motion pictures along with ongoing exhibitions and research. The very first image I saw was a large print of “Moon Over Hernandez” by Ansel Adams and I was mesmerized by it’s detail and tonal range and stared at for about 20 minutes before moving on!
So after that experience I visited the museum often. Upon completing my studies, I purchased my first SLR camera (a Nikon 401) and began making my own images. When I retired 15 years ago I enrolled in a summer course with Rob Stimpson whose landscape work I had followed after obtaining the 2006 Ontario Parks calendar that featured Rob’s images of Ontario Parks. After that workshop I was hooked and decided to adopt photography as a serious hobby. I continue to enjoy learning about photography and it has nicely complemented my two other favourite pursuits, paddling and travel.
For the first few years I was mainly interested in landscape photography and the bulk of my images were made while on canoe trips in the back country during the Spring, Summer and Fall seasons. In recent years I developed an interest in architectural photography during the Winter season since paddling wasn’t an option. I enjoy abstracting details of architecture and I find that black and white photography often emphasizes the shapes and contours of a subject or scene and works well with the high contrasting light in the middle of the day.
In the past year I have also taken on a couple of unique projects documenting the installation of the newest carillon in Canada in 49 years which had me climbing up vertical wall ladders with my camera gear into the belfry. Most recently I did a shoot of the pipe organ at a local Toronto church. Both of these projects complemented my interest and background as a musician. In the Fall of 2022 I had my first solo exhibition “Waterscapes – From Algonquin to Antarctica. It was very rewarding to see my images that I printed and framed, on display in a gallery since 99.9% of my images are posted on IG and FB and viewed on a laptop or phone. I also developed a website which is really one large “photo album” of my various trips and special projects.
Over the last few years I participated in several photo tours/workshops to various locations from the Yukon to the Grand Canyon to Antarctica and in April I will be spending a couple of days in the Lofoten Islands of the coast of Norway followed by a train trip thorough Germany, Switzerland and Italy. In the shoulder seasons like November I have travelled twice with the same group of photographers to the Scottish Highlands and the Outer Hebrides. When I’m not travelling then I often join photo walks in Toronto with @tdot_shots and enjoy meeting fellow photographers in person whom I follow in IG.
My main camera that I use 95% of the time is the Nikon D850 and it has served me very well. I have 5 or 6 Nikkor lenses including the “Holy Trinity” but tend use my 2.8 24-70 most of the time. I also have a D500 (crop sensor) which I purchased used a couple of years after my d850 as I wanted to have a back-up camera and in some places like Antarctica I didn’t want to be changing lenses out in the elements so the second body was very convenient. The D500 has virtually the same menus and controls as the D850 so I can move between them seamlessly. Now when I’m on photo tours or workshops I often seem to be the only one who still uses a DSLR although I do own a mirrorless camera – the Target Brownie 6-20 Made in Canada in the 1940s!
As for social media I usually post once a week on IG and less so on FB as a way of keeping myself engaged in photography and like my website my social media posts are quite varied rather than on one particular subject matter or genre of photography. I very much enjoy following fellow photographers on IG and their various websites. While there are too many to mention I am particularly drawn to the imagery of Viktoria Haack, Rob Stimpson and Richard Martin – so much so that I have done workshops/tours with them and their work continues to inspire me.
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Thank you Rob. We are grateful for your support and contribution to this series.
Follow the artist on Instagram and check out their site.
https://www.instagram.com/focusonmeephotography
