Documenting Earth’s Extremes: Getting The Shot & Staying Alive”
Explorer & photographer George Kourounis shares hair-raising tales from his many worldwide expeditions to photograph storms, volcanoes and other natural disasters. He’ll also give you tips on how to use bad weather to your advantage, how to protect your gear, and how to stay safe in the worst conditions imaginable.
Bio:
George is an explorer/photographer/storm chaser/& TV presenter who is known globally as a expert who specializes in extreme forces of nature and natural disasters. For over 20 years he's been on the scene during Mother Nature’s worst temper tantrums, including tornadoes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, avalanches, floods, and any other extreme you can imagine. His adventures have taken him to 70+ countries, across all seven continents to places such as Madagascar, North Korea, The Congo, Vanuatu, Antarctica, Venezuela, Greenland, and Siberia.
He is an Explorer-In-Residence with the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, a National Geographic Society expedition leader, the chairman of The Explorers Club Canadian Chapter, and was named one of Canada’s top 45 living explorers by Canadian Geographic Magazine. George has given several international TEDx talks and has addressed the United Nations Environmental Emergencies Forum. He regularly appears on television, commenting on weather events and disasters, and has hosted 49 episodes his own TV series “Angry Planet”, which aired globally on numerous networks.
DUE TO THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK THIS SESSION WILL BE HELD ONLINE VIA WEBEX. PLEASE WATCH YOUR EMAIL FOR WEBEX LINK DETAILS. THE OCC LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING OUR PROGRAM IN A DIGITAL FORMAT.
Bio
From an early age photography has always been a passion of mine .The creative process was intriguing to me as well as the power to capture a moment in time. Photography was more than black and white, it was being able to see in colour. We have a responsibility in this world to record and expose the beauty as it is. Photography has evolved but will always remain pure in my heart .My journey began in South Africa and through the lens I saw a divided nation. Behind the glass Photojournalism was a vehicle to the struggle. Acquiring a National Diploma in Photography [Pretoria, South Africa ] , a brighter future was seen in the viewfinder in Canada's uninterrupted beauty of a nation of Canada where I continue to be inspired to create.
Clarity is becoming a husband and father.
Member Team Canada World Photography Cup 2020.
Artist Statement
I am an Artist,I create because this is what I believe I am meant to do.
When I am creating, I feel a sense of exhilaration and know that this is who I am.
The feeling of comfort and enthusiasm is what drives me to challenge my creativity.
The best part of what I do is to create photographs that I am proud of, defining a subject and portraying it to the best of my ability .I believe I have been given the gift of being able to see images and visualize the end result.
My eye is constantly searching for images looking for patterns, textures and how the light is affecting the subject. I visit the subject and admire and respect its beauty, then I dissect it looking at every possible angle to portray it at its best.
I fall in love easily with my subjects and have a feeling of attachment and leave with a lonely feeling of detachment.
I am happy when I feel I have depicted it at its best, and sad when I have failed and this failure brings me back to the subject and the challenge of creating the image that I set out to do and proud of.
I don't always succeed but learn from my failures and my peers.
I am euphoric when I am photographing, and the sense is heightened when find the right angle of the subject.
I have been creating for over 35 years and through time and my journey had led me to architectural photography and this genre of photography is where I feel at home.
I continue to challenge myself by shooting every day and putting myself out to the world and the constant challenge is what drives me
I have so much to learn and it’s the journey is what inspires me.
DUE TO THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK THIS SESSION WILL BE HELD ONLINE VIA WEBEX. PLEASE WATCH YOUR EMAIL FOR WEBEX LINK DETAILS. THE OCC LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING OUR PROGRAM IN A DIGITAL FORMAT.
Presentation :
Photographers like to present themselves as gurus. Masters of light. True professionals who approach every situation from a place of 100% preparation. Sometimes, we like to think we walk on water. In this humorous and honest presentation, Dave will share some of the many moments in his career when it didn't go quite as planned. From horrible failures to crazy happenings, Dave will share some of his embarrassing stories from his years as a traveling assignment photographer.
About Dave:
I am a photographer, a dreamer, and a documentor. I am a writer, an explorer, and a purveyor of beauty and light. I am on a continual journey to seek out and capture the beauty of existence- whether it's the most extreme and pristine environments in our world, or the beauty of humanity.
I am a creative who tries to avoid labels and enjoys, first and foremost, storytelling with my photography. Using time, place, and moments with others - my aim is to further an appreciation for the fact that we all live in a shared space. And that there is far greater good to be appreciated in this world than bad.
In addition to living throughout northern Canada for much of my life - an area of Canada that I have worked hard to document and share with audiences, I – along with my beautiful wife, Erin, and our three children – have also lived in Asia and have traveled extensively through both the many provinces and territories of our native country and numerous countries abroad. I now live proudly on Prince Edward Island on Canada’s East Coast, and am a child of the sea.
DUE TO THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK THIS SESSION WILL BE HELD ONLINE VIA WEBEX. PLEASE WATCH YOUR EMAIL FOR WEBEX LINK DETAILS. THE OCC LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING OUR PROGRAM IN A DIGITAL FORMAT.