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Local photographer's images shine at Tofino Public Market

West Coast photographer and Tofino Public Market vendor David Paul Crombie has taken images of his adopted home to high art.

He started out in (also scenic) Muskoka, Ontario, making his way west, with time spent in Canmore and Jasper, Alberta.

"I really found myself connecting more with the people and the way of life and the mountains - then found my way to the ocean, and I got my feet stuck in the sand, because I can't leave," he said.

From landscape photography to close-ups of the wonders of nature (like a curious tree frog vividly portrayed in one of his images) Crombie enjoys all aspects of photography, "painting with light" at night, and the weddings he's shot that make the most of the West Coast's dazzling loveliness.

"I like the challenge of the wedding moment and knowing that love is in the air, so you're bound to see something special. Having the opportunity to capture for someone what they'll appreciate the rest of their lives," he said.

A number of his works capture the fluidity of water and fog and light, all brought together with a neutral density filter that allows him to do long exposures during daytime. His work can be seen at the Tofino Public Market, the Driftwood Gallery at Wickaninnish Inn and Mark Penney Galleries.

He recently bought a home in downtown Ucluelet, and the West Coast is home.

"I see an opportunity here for me to have the best of both worlds, to be able to relax and be in nature and be around people that appreciate the finer things in life: water, clean air, trees.

"Ucluelet is a destination town and I see the potential for what is has to offer outside the hustle and bustle. And it's the perfect backdrop for photography," Crombie said.

"I like the scenery, the folklore of the whole scene and the surfing - and the people," he said.

editor@westerlynews.ca