A baby’s first step, a couple stealing a kiss, an exquisite sunset - a photograph can freeze a single moment and allow a memory to last a lifetime.
To help capture the precious moments at The Hospital for Sick Children is a team of award-winning photographers, Diogenes Baena, Mark Sawyer and Robert Teteruck. Their work has appeared in numerous medical and scientific journals and publications including Life, TIME, Maclean’s and The Toronto Star.
Whether it is an event, portrait or action scene, the photographers at SickKids help to shape the look and feel of SickKids and SickKids Foundation through their attention to detail and artistic instinct.
On February 25 and 26, the Atrium at The Hospital for Sick Children will host a photo exhibition, inSight, to display the professional and personal photographic images from Baena, Sawyer and Teteruck. Please feel free to stop by during regular business hours to view the exhibit.
Here’s a glimpse at the photographers of SickKids:
Diogenes (Dodge) Baena: http://www.elementalview.smugmug.com/
While attending school at The University of Toronto, Dodge spent most of his time in the University’s darkroom instead of in his classes. He purchased his first camera, a Minolta XE-5, at the age of 17. He honed his skills in photography at Ryerson and accepted his first job in the field in his second year. While he has worked with a variety of cameras including the Olympus and Canon systems, if he had to choose just one it would be the 5MP Olympus E-1.
Working at SickKids is a dream job for Dodge. For him, it is emotionally and spiritually fulfilling. He feels as though he is contributing to the well-being of children in the best way he can.
“Walk to Paradise Garden” by Eugene Smith is Dodge’s favourite photo. A photo featured in the exhibit from Dodge pays tribute to Smith.
Dodge’s advice for capturing the perfect photograph: “Do not impose your will, your misconceptions and prejudices on your subject matter, be it portraits or landscapes. Be like a blank slate, so that your subject matter can write their own story.”
Mark Sawyer: http://www.marksawyer.smugmug.com/
Mark has practiced still photography for many years. He began taking photos in high school and contributed to his university paper. He has used many different cameras throughout his lifetime but currently relies on his Nikon. Mark tries to shoot everything in colour and then converts it to black and white if he sees fit.
Over the last four years he has produced videos for The Hospital for Sick Children. He said that it is rewarding to contribute to the treatment of children through clinical photography and videography that help train staff and highlight the Hospital.
Mark believes there is no ideal scenario for photography. He says you can capture a great shot just about anywhere, anytime as long as you have a camera – even if it’s on a phone.
Mark’s advice for photographers: “The most important thing these days is to take the time to compose and expose correctly in the camera because the computer programs cannot “fix” everything.”
Robert Teteruck: http://www.robteteruck.smugmug.com
Robert has taken photos professionally for more than 25 years. In addition to working at SickKids, Robert works on freelance assignments for a variety of organizations like Discovery Channel, Canadian Newswire Group, Metro Land Media and others. His work has been featured in the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (MOCCA), the Archives of Ontario and the Art Gallery of Ontario.
Instead of focusing on a specific piece of equipment, Robert is more interested in the thinking behind the camera than the technology. He views the camera as a passport that gives you the opportunity to see places others don’t often get to see.
Robert believes that having the opportunity to do what he loves every day in such a special place like SickKids is an honour.
His advice for capturing that perfect shot: “The camera can be a really magical tool because in a sense it allows us to view the world through someone else’s eyes. I think having a sense of wonder and taking the time to really look at what’s around us is key.”