Biography

It’s taken me a few years to get here, and it’s sure worth it. Just about 30 years ago I graduated from Loyalist College’s print journalism program, and began my photography career as a photojournalist with the Kitchener-Waterloo Record. I then worked for the Oakville Journal, and I became the first photographer for the Milton Canadian Champion. It was important to learn to be quick and creative. I was meeting all kinds of people, for different reasons, and going to what seemed to me to be far away places. I was born and raised in BC, so the Mennonites of Elmira seemed pretty exotic to me. I returned to BC in the mid eighties and worked in Quesnel, Maple Ridge, Vancouver and Victoria before settling down in North Vancouver. I began freelancing for business, newspapers, government, and the logging and sawmilling industry, as well as shooting weddings, graduations and family reunions. I was assigned to create an image, and to capture the moment that shows a person at their best, at a very important time in their lives. Most of my work has been “on location” meaning I use available light and sometimes a small studio pack. The location tells part of the story, and helps set the tone. My experience helps bring out the personality of the artist, family group, politician, or royalty. I am accredited with the Professional Photographer of Canada, (PPOC). Once my kids left home, I felt it was a good time to move on and get refreshed and re-energized. I chose Summerland because of the beauty, closeness to other cities, and, very importantly, because I have other family here too. Computers and the internet have made communications, processing, and delivering of images to clients easier and faster, and, thankfully, without the darkroom. I have spent a lot of time getting a print just right. Now, it takes only a few minutes. My website , http://www.tomburleyphotography.com, is up, and is constantly being updated. I finally have a garden where I can grow tomatoes with some hope of success, and I am working on an outdoor garden portrait studio for individuals and groups.