John L. Perret
Saskatoon, SK
Canada


I was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, in the heart of the grain belt, in 1950.
My education in the arts started early in high school with extended classes at the Mendel Art Gallery and at the University of Saskatchewan. After grade twelve, I attended the University of Saskatchewan where I earned a Bachelor of Education degree with a major in art, awarded in 1974. That same year I was hired and have been teaching art and photography at the high school level ever since. At the same time I have taken various courses in photography. For the past 30 years I have owned and operated a business called Light Line Photography and I am a member in good standing within the Saskatchewan Professional Photographers Association (SPPA) and the Professional Photographers of Canada (PPOC). In 1989 I earned a Craftsmanship of Photographic Arts degree and in 1996 I earned a Masters of Photographic Arts degree, both from the PPOC.

I have conducted in-service courses on art and photography for the Saskatoon Catholic Board of Education as well as teaching at the University of Saskatchewan and numerous lectures for various camera clubs and wildlife organizations in Saskatchewan. I have had 2 prints accepted to the National Loan Collection of Canada.

Selling and marketing images makes up a good part of my income. My work is on display in several galleries around Saskatoon. I have images on file with Getty Images in the USA. Getty is one of the largest image distributors in the world. I have moved into the digital age and about 100% of my work is now digital capture and digital printing.

I have numerous awards and achievements. In 2001 I placed first in the SPPA scenic and digital category and have received other awards in various competitions. In May 2000 I launched "Saskatchewan In Sight". This book is the work of ten years of travelling and photographing the prairies. It presents an insightful view of the changing seasons from the far north to the southern border of Saskatchewan. The book was republished in March 2005. Recently I received the prestigious FUJI award. This award is given to photographers who have created the very best photography in Canada.I have contributed photographes to Bill Waiser's projects for the Saskatchewan centennial. In 2011 I posted three awards in PPOC national competition. A new book is on the horizon in 2012-13. I have retired from teaching high school and my wife and I will spend more time travelling and photographing.

I have taken up the challenge to portray the prairies in a unique way. My present work isolates form, texture, colour and shape and deals with it as an integral part of the composition. Although I photograph the traditional panoramic landscapes, the ability to isolate form and light has captured my most recent attention. I addition to these challenges, there is always the drama of nature that I find endlessly fascinating.

My long term goal is to continue to produce photographic images of high impact and outstanding quality.