Steven Friedman was born in 1964 in Ottawa, Canada, graduated from University with a degree in Economics and pursued a successful career as an Economic Consultant. First working with a pre-eminent Canadian economic think tank, and then breaking out on his own, it wasn’t until he found an SLR camera on an autumn hiking adventure in the Gatineau Park that he took his first photograph. This new found craft quickly became his passion and before long he established himself as a respected fine art landscape photographer.
Steven’s talent for capturing the natural beauty of the world through his expansive, evocative landscapes can’t help but bring you into the moment. The imagery transports you behind his lens to explore remote and inaccessible regions, awakening a sense of wonder and appreciation for the natural world; the crispness of the air as the sun rises, the smoothness of sandstone carved by thousands of years of wind and water, the dance of intense colour.
Steven’s prior life as an Economist seems incongruous with the artistic side of his brain that creates such beautiful art, yet they are similar. As an Economist, he made sense of often random appearing data; in his photographic work he makes sense of the chaos of nature.
To capture the images, Steven travels to remote locations around the world with his wife Joni, hiking sometimes 20 kilometers to an inaccessible region and working with impossible patience. He has visited a location for eight days to capture just the right light, waiting long periods for the rain to stop, the wind to still, the fog to lift. For his current tree series, Steven visited the same stands of trees in autumn eight consecutive years.
Lecturing at workshops, Steven relays his passion to amateur landscape photographers, encouraging them to seek the untouched and unique natural world through thoughtful composition and the magic of beautiful light.
Steven Friedman Landscape Photography Awards:
2014 International Photography Awards - Professional Nature Category - Second place and
five Honourable Mentions
2014 International Panoramic Photography Awards Open Category – Silver Medal and a Bronze medal
2014 BBC Wildlife Photographer of the year Awards – Three images reached Finalist
2014 International Color Awards – Nominee Professional Nature Category
2013 International Photography Awards - Professional Nature Category - First place and five Honourable Mention
2013 International Panoramic Photography Awards Open Category – Silver Medal and Seven Bronze medals
2013 International Color Awards – Nominee Professional Nature Category
2012 Open Photography Awards – Finalist Nature Category
2012 International Photography Awards - Professional Nature Category - Third place
2012 International Photography Awards - Professional Special Category Panoramic- Second place
2011 International Photography Awards - Professional Special Category Panoramic- Second place and two Honourable Mentions
2011 BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year – Three images reached Semi Finalist
2011 PX3 Prix De La Photographie Paris Awards - Professional Nature Category – Bronze Award and a Honourable Mention
2010 International Photography Awards - Professional Nature Category - First place and three Honourable Mentions
2010 PX3 Prix De La Photographie Paris Awards - Professional Nature Category - Second place
2009 Hasselblad Masters Finalist Nature/Landscape Category
2009 International Photography Awards - Professional Nature Category - Second place and three Honourable Mentions
2009 PX3 Prix De La Photographie Paris Awards - Professional Nature Category - Honourable Mention
2008 International Photography Awards - Professional Nature Category - Second place and five Honourable Mentions
2008 PX3 Prix De La Photographie Paris Awards - Professional Nature Category - Third Place and four Honourable Mention
2007 International Photography Awards - Professional Nature Category - First Place and Second place and four Honourable Mentions
2006 Sidney Fine Art Show - Jury's Choice
2004 Sidney Fine Art Show - First Prize
2004 Sooke Fine Art Show - Jury's Choice