Sharing the view
The photography of Jags Brown
by Berry Wijdeven
The photography of Jags Brown
by Berry Wijdeven
When Jags was a young boy, his parents (“old Haidas” as Jags calls them, who spoke Haida and lived off the land for part of the year), would take him all over the islands, camping for months at a time. Jags remembers the spectacular sites they visited and the wildlife they observed. He vividly recalls whales jumping out of the water or diving under their boat. But nobody had cameras in those days, so there was no way to capture any of it.
When Jags was seven his mother bought a little 35 mm camera and let him take a picture. He remembers the first picture he ever took. He still has a copy. It’s a photo of his mom. It took some two months for the film to be mailed off and for the small envelope with photos to return, but when Jags saw his first photo, he was hooked. He now had a way to capture the things he had seen. And share it with others.
Then life happened and Jags spent years fishing and working in logging camps and it wasn’t until he started a bistro and guesthouse with his wife Sue, that he found the opportunity to take up photography in a serious way. When Sue and Jags were designing their bistro, they closely examined the building plans. Jags was going to be the barista in the joint, so they looked at where the coffee machine was going to be located and where he was going to be standing most of the day and modified the design plans to maximize the views of the inlet. Windows were added to the front and sides of the building as well as to the doors, so Jags wouldn’t miss a thing. “Nary a whale sneaks by”, he says and it is not uncommon for Jags to rush outside to grab some shots of a passing target.
Jags photographic interests are multitude. There is the natural beauty of Haida Gwaii of which he just can’t get enough. In his role as guide and storyteller with Haida Style Expeditions (a Haida run tour operator) he not only shows people what these islands are all about, he also gets to take photos in some prime locations.
Jags also takes pictures, on the front porch of the bistro, of local and off-island guests who visit his place and, over the years, has build up quite the portrait collection.
Jags has been taking photos, in front of the bistro, of Skidegate Inlet. Over the years he must have taken thousands of photos, often from the same location. Multitudes of sunrises, whales cruising by. Or boats. Like a Skidegate Auggie Wren, the cigar store owner in the movie Smoke, many of these shots are similar, yet always different. Different time of day, different light, sometimes with fog or during a storm.
Jags is self-tought, picking up photography tips from books he’s purchased, the internet and lots of just trying different things. As to his camera of choice, he has a few and is always looking for new ones with greater abilities. Right now he’s quite hooked on the Olympus OM-D E-M10 MarkII with it’s 4/3 sensor. He also uses a Canon SX60 HS, mostly for video, because of its 65x zoom.
Jags’ dream is to one day buy a little boat and sail right around the islands, finding little coves to explore. There’s a stretch on the West Coast of Moresby Island he has heard much about but has yet to see and one day hopes to get to. And take pictures. But for now, while he runs a business, that dream is on hold, so Jags spends time guiding and making some mighty cappuccinos while looking out of his windows. And we’re thrilled he shares his view with the rest of the world.
Jags’ dream is to one day buy a little boat and sail right around the islands, finding little coves to explore. There’s a stretch on the West Coast of Moresby Island he has heard much about but has yet to see and one day hopes to get to. And take pictures. But for now, while he runs a business, that dream is on hold, so Jags spends time guiding and making some mighty cappuccinos while looking out of his windows. And we’re thrilled he shares his view with the rest of the world.