Lawrence Hislop

Lawrence Hislop is a young Canadian photographer, who has traveled the world extensively while working for the United Nations. He has a BA in Political Science from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, and an MA in International Policy from the Monterey Institute of International Studies based in California. He studied digital video production at the Art Institute of Vancouver; and apprenticed for three years in Carmel, CA with the acclaimed U.S. landscape / architecture photographer, Morley Baer (1916 -1995).

Working as a large format photographer, Hislop embraces the timeless disciplines of Ansel Adams and of his mentor, Baer. Working within the exacting standards of the zone system of black and white photography – where every shade of grey is meticulously articulated – Hislop pursues his own contemporary landscapes.

He is most captivated by innocuous, 'transition' areas – factory districts, river junctions and coastlines. Watch Towers, boat moulds, industrial pipelines, weathered piers; mining sites and several other 'ordinary' subjects are made distinct by Hislop. His commanding compositions and impeccable execution play a part in this achievement. But there is something more too. Hislop's ‘emotional grasp of light' imparts an ineffable quality to these places. Perhaps it is this extrasensory quality that makes these common views extraordinary.

Hislop has developed three extensive bodies of work based in Vancouver, California and Norway. He is engaged once again in producing new architectural and landscape photos, and uses the accumulation of his skills and experience to create unique images focusing on the human/natural environment.