~ About ~
Debby J Smit
For me, photography is about capturing the heart and soul of God and His love for us,
which is demonstrated by the beautiful world He has given us to enjoy and take care of. It is also about giving voice to all creation that longs to be seen and heard. As a shy kid and a bit of a loner, I loved the outdoors, spending time exploring the woods, going for walks or taking my dad’s binoculars to go bird watching. It was after seeing two white-tailed deer, bounding through the woods one day that a dream was birthed in my spirit. I heard my heart whisper, “I want to be a wildlife photographer.”
The Dream Reawakened
Fear, insecurity and never believing that this dream was even possible, buried the dream deep inside me . . .
and I went on to work and live in the inner city of Winnipeg, working with children and adults living with disabilities. But at a seasonal winter job in Churchill, Manitoba for the polar bear season, I met Robert Taylor, a wildlife photographer. I was captivated by his adventurous life and the amazing photos he took. So I bought an SLR and started taking pictures of people and nature. I took a few introductory classes to get to know my camera better, but that was as far as it went until I found a letter which I had written to a friend 20 years ago (but never sent) where I had stated, “I should go back to school for photography or learn how to fly.” The dream reawakened and the journey to pursue photography more seriously continued.
Travel Across Borders
I’ve taken a number of road trips across this beautiful country,
to the east, the west and the north, specifically to the Yukon. Now, most of my pictures have to do with nature, wildlife, abstract objects and photographing old cars and barns. I spent the past winter in Hawaii in Photography School at the University of the Nations and was really challenged to use photography as a way to help those with no voice have a voice. On an outreach team to Germany recently, our team interviewed and photographed a community still living under the past effects of communism and made a book to show them the beauty of who they were and where they lived. Through my photography, I want to help inspire hope in people: to look around them and appreciate the beauty in their own lives as well as the world. I want to help people tell their stories through words as well as through my lens.
Header photo credits: Peter van Lieshoud