Longtime Gabriola Photography Club member and extraordinary photographer John Poirier passed away in May of 2025. An exhibition and sale of his work will be held at the Gabriola Arts & Heritage Centre, on Gabriola Island, August 14-16, 2026. It will provide a welcome opportunity to celebrate John, his work, and his vision of northern Canada and the west coast.
Details are below. Please help spread the word. Hope to see you there!
As an ongoing project, Gabriola Photography Club curates the art display space downstairs at the Gabriola Medical Clinic on Church Street, Gabriola Island. Club members take turns having solo exhibitions or taking part in group exhibitions.
Our current exhibition features Sher Falls (AKA “dragonflydreams88”), who is back with another instalment of her wonderful animal portraits and works of “heart”.
Sher focuses her lens on the beauty she finds every day in nature and the outdoors, then experiments with new layers, textures and creative ideas, until she is satisfied with the artistic metamorphosis that her subjects have undergone.
Sher describes her passion for photography:
“Stalking shadows & stealing light at every possible opportunity with my camera, I’ve become keenly aware of the beauty that surrounds me…I love experimenting with different techniques, transforming those captures into a work of ‘heart’. The creative possibilities are endless…my passion, obsession, addiction…I look forward to the possibility of sharing my vision and interpretation of the world through my lens on Gabriola Island again this summer.”
As an ongoing project, Gabriola Photography Club curates the art display space downstairs at the Gabriola Medical Clinic on Church Street, Gabriola Island. Club members take turns having solo exhibitions or taking part in group exhibitions.
We are very pleased to present a fascinating new exhibition by John Konovsky, entitled “Between Desert & Sea: how it unfolds”.
John explains the theme and content of his show as follows:
“After a career working as a conservation biologist alongside Coast Salish peoples, the photography of my retirement has focused primarily on morning light.
“The images in this show come from many trips to the Sonoran Desert of the Baja California Peninsula, Mexico. It is neither pristine wilderness, nor fully inscribed by human intention. Geology, biology and ocean interact constantly, often altered by human hands.
“Many assume this desert along the Sea of Cortez (= Gulf of California) is desolate. On the contrary, there is a is rich ecological and cultural history that I want to capture.
“Examples:
“Dawn is the organizing element of much of this work. In that beautiful, early light, when the desert is briefly cool and the day has yet to unfold, the countryside feels simultaneously fragile and enduring. Illustrating that tension is my intention.”
Enjoy some local photo fun on Gabriola Island on Friday, May 8, when we head to Coats Marsh Regional Park for our next field trip.
We will meet at 10 am in the parking area at the end of Stanley Road. (Take South Road to Coats Drive and head uphill towards RavenSkill Orchards; turn left onto Stanley Road, which abuts the south end of the orchard.)
We’ll walk the trails around Coats Marsh, and for those who are inclined, follow up with social time/lunch at Gabriola Golf Club.
If we have rain prior to the walk, waterproof footwear would be advised; otherwise, it the weather remains mostly dry, running shoes should be fine.
Club members and other friends are welcome to participate. Please let us know ahead of time if you are planning to join in, so we can keep you apprised of any last-minute changes.
We’re excited to welcome guest speaker Julian Elliott, who will present a photographic journey across Mongolia, from the famous Steppe landscape to the eagle hunters of the Altai region in western Mongolia.
Julian is an award-winning professional freelance landscape and travel photographer, as well as an occasional writer, who constantly travels the world. He says he is “basically a nomad traveller”.
Much of his time is spent in South-East Asia and Central Asia, capturing landscapes and cityscapes along with the various cultures that inhabit these regions. He also travels and photographs in Europe.
Julian has won numerous photography awards and his photographs and stock footage have been sold in over 40 countries through Getty Images and other agencies, for use in magazine spreads and other commercial uses, corporate websites and TV broadcasts.
You can see more of Julian’s work on his website.
The meeting will be held via Zoom, on Wed. May 20 at 10 am PDT. The link will be sent by email to all Gabriola Photography Club members on the Friday prior to the meeting. Make sure your membership is up to date so that you receive this info.
A note to non-members of our Club: you’re welcome to attend this event as a guest; contact us by May 18 to sign up.
Gabriola Photography Club 