The heartbeat of Muskoka’s natural beauty echoes in the artistic soul of photographer Andy Zeltkaln. His passion is to capture in pictures the essence of our region, the wildlife and landscapes for which Muskoka is so widely beloved.
“Landscape and nature are my favourite subjects because I do a lot of outdoor activities, such as canoeing, hiking, crosscountry skiing and bike riding,” Zeltkaln says. “Muskoka is so beautiful that anytime you go out into the wilderness you fi nd something inspiring.”
A teacher by trade, Zetlkaln practises photography as a hobby and sideline business. He’s been involved in photography, on and off, for 30 years. “My dad was a photography hobbyist and I guess I picked it up from him,” Zeltkaln explains. “I started taking pictures when I was 17 or 18 years old, but then got out of it for awhile because of the cost of developing fi lm — and because often times you waited anxiously for photos to be developed only to be disappointed with the results. It wasn’t always fulfi lling. But with digital cameras, you have more control over your photography and a more immediate sense of the photos you’re taking. It’s empowering and it got my excitement going again.”
Last spring, Zeltkaln taught photography courses, something he is interested in doing more of in the future. It’s a way of sharing his love for the medium and lets him teach new hobbyists some of the skills he’s learned over the years. “There’s still six or seven years before I retire from teaching, so right now it’s a matter of maintaining a balance between photography as work and photography as enjoyment.”
What exactly is it that Zeltkaln fi nds so enjoyable about photography?
“I love transforming the beauty of my environment into photographic images,” he says, excitement clear in his voice. “It’s what fuels my passion for photography.” Like many artists, Zeltkaln fi nds his medium therapeutic, almost meditative. “There’s nothing better than being out in a canoe, surrounded by silence, and just searching for that unusual shot,” he says. “I can get so enthralled in that, before I know it, half an hour has passed. You just get into that zone.” And when nature is your inspiration, magic can happen.
“I often plan a photo, taking a long time to wait for the perfect lighting conditions or imagining the ideal composition. I’ve even waded up to my waist in water to get the angle I wanted,” Zeltkaln says. “Other times, I take advantage of something unexpected, an opportunity that just presents itself. These are magical moments that you can’t reproduce. It’s rewarding anytime you capture something interesting on camera, something that people haven’t seen before and find inspiring.”
Though Zeltkaln focuses most of his artistic energies toward natural subjects, he also enjoys architecture and capturing people in the middle of action, often at sporting or theatre events featuring students from his school.
A year and a half ago, Zeltkaln began displaying his work at a few events such as the Christmas Craft Show in Bracebridge and the Muskoka Arts and Crafts Summer Show to showcase his art. He’s had some success in getting his work out to a wider audience, and you can expect to see him at more shows in the coming year. With the diversity and endless appeal of Muskoka’s natural beauty, Andy Zeltkaln may be at the initial stages of a long artistic journey.
A gallery of Andy Zeltkaln’s work and a list of future appearances can be seen online at www.Zelcamphotography.com.