Welcome to The Canadian Photographers Network!
This site was launched back in 2001 as a discussion forum where professional photographers could share information and ideas about the unique realities of operating a photography business in Canada. Over the years, CanPhoto.Net has gone through some changes and seen some ups and downs, including an extended hiatus, but it has continued to evolve and is now a full featured site with lots of resources for Canadian photographers.
The objectives of CanPhoto.Net have always been pretty fluid and are shaped by feedback from our members, but some of our current objectives include:
- To draw attention to the work of talented Canadian photographers by showcasing their work on our homepage.
- To create an online community for the Canadian photography industry that brings members of the industry together to support and encourage one another by openly sharing information and ideas in our professional discussion forums.
- To foster better business practices and professional development among working photographers.
- To provide current information about news and events within the Canadian photo industry, keeping our members informed and up-to-date.
About Me
My name is Andrew Ross and I’m a photographer living and working in Toronto. I started this site in 2001 because I was frustrated by the lack of online resources available at the time for photographers in Canada. Around the same time, American groups like Editorial Photographers were starting and I was very impressed by the way they were using the internet to openly share information and ideas for the betterment of their industry.
I didn’t consider myself an expert in either photography or web design, but I knew a little bit about both, so I put together a pretty basic site with a discussion forum and invited people to join.
About You
Why include an about you section here? Because this is a community site and you are an important part of it! You’re as much of a founder as I am. So please get involved and help us build a thriving, and uniquely Canadian community. Contribute. Comment. Criticize. It’s all good, as long as it’s constructive and encourages the growth of the community.
This site would not have survived for more than a decade without the support and encouragement of long time members like Alastair Bird and Peter Wm. Richardson. Alastair and Peter have been around since the very early days and they are always the first people to step-up and offer advice when people have questions in our discussion forums. They have contributed more to the forums then any other members, and they were the first to get back online when the site was relaunched after being shut down for awhile due to some personal difficulties in my life.
Despite my lengthy absence, Alastair and Peter where the first to get involved again and they helped to keep the forums alive. I can’t thank them enough for their contributions and ongoing support.
Since relaunching in 2011, CanPhoto.Net has also been very fortunate to welcome guest bloggers Melissa Avey, Stephen Caissie, Ajani Charles, and Jessica Schlamp. They have all contributed some great articles to our site and I hope you’ll check out their work. If you’d like to join them as contributors, please visit our submissions page for more info.
It’s Nice to Share
I honestly believe that helping others is an important part of living a meaningful life. I also believe that sharing information and ideas is the best way to make the Canadian photo industry better for everyone involved.
I hope you agree and if you know of any photographers who would like to be a part of our community, please tell them about CanPhoto.Net or help spread the word by giving us a shout-out on your social media networks.
If you have any images from exciting new projects, behind the scenes videos, industry news, etc, that you think should be featured on our homepage please contact me.
I’d love to hear from you and I do my best to respond to every email, comment, forum post, tweet, etc.
All the best and I look foward to seeing you online.
Andrew Ross
Founder & Publisher
The Canadian Photographers Network
http://www.canphoto.net | andrew@canphoto.net
www.facebook.com/canphoto.net | www.twitter.com/canphoto
