Gary was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, however the family moved to Pickering and Gary and grew up and attended school in the Pickering area.

The family home was in a rural setting and outdoor activities in a country setting were the order of the day during the formative years.

A trip to the wilds of Alaska in 1970 initiated a lifelong interest in photography and the natural beauty of the outdoors and wildlife whether it is in remote areas or in our own backyards. A camera was always taken on travels and photography soon became an avidly pursued pastime.

After graduating from high school duty called and Gary joined the Metropolitan Toronto Police Force and spent the next 33 years policing the streets of downtown Toronto.

Prior to retirement, Gary made the natural progression from film to digital and has kept up with the latest digital, computer and printing advancements with a view to developing a business in the field of photography as a second career. This career change will be based on some 38 years of photographic experience.

The goal was to be able to take photography from the initial stage of taking the picture, through the editing and printing stages, and to be able to produce a framed fine art print as an end product.

A business development course was completed in 2007 and a gallery was opened in November of 2007 in Hampton, Ontario where Gary has resided since 1987. Gary presently works with 35mm and medium format film as well as digital photography and produces all of his own prints from start to finish. Fine art prints are presented on archival materials and framed to museum quality standards.
The theme of Gary’s work is “discovering art in nature” with landscapes, nature and wildlife as the subject material.

Original photography, custom commissioned photography, artwork reproduction, photo restoration and enhancement, film scanning, custom printing and custom made solid wood framing are included in the products and services offered by Photography by Gary Blake.