County scenes

Dramatic landscape images on display at Closson-Chase

Johnny C.Y. Lam has travelled the world taking photographs for The Globe and Mail and CBC as well as a number of non-governmental organizations. He has covered assignments in places such as India, Rwanda and Argentina, and has been profoundly affected by the people that he met during the course of his work. Rwanda, in particular, left an indelible impression with him. “I didn’t know very much what the country was all about, I only knew about the recent history that had happened there,” says Lam. “I had a very heavy heart going into it, and upon meeting the people there and working with them, I began to have a bit of understanding. And it left me feeling really warm, because the people were really welcoming and opened their hearts to me and let me photograph them in a very intimate setting.”

In 2011, he and his wife, pattern designer Kate Golding, moved to Prince Edward County. “I wanted to move to a more rural setting that gives me a more intimate feel, especially with the community, and I thought Prince Edward County was a perfect place to facilitate such a relationship with the people and the land as well,” says Lam. Since moving here, his professional work has been shaped by the gastronomic culture of the County. He has worked with local chefs and vineyards, as well as various County promotional organizations. He has also collaborated with Golding on several projects, the most recent being to document her trip to Newfoundland for a wallpaper design commission. That work was the subject of a three-part series published in the Travel section of The Globe and Mail.

His personal work, however, has been driven by his love of the County’s landscape and the connections he has forged with the people here. A selection of his recent work is on display at Closson-Chase Vineyards until October 26. It comprises nine impressively large, limited-edition prints of the County’s landscape and its people. They provide a dramatic view of the County and display the skill and photographic vision that Lam has developed over his career. “This is a very intimate and personal show,” says Lam. “The work has never been published before, and the series here is all work that I’ve been collecting since 2015. It’s a very personal connection to the land and the people that I’ve met. I was exposed to such beautiful landscapes in Prince Edward County, that really has touched me and I really try to bring a small part of that feeling to my audience.”

To see more of Lam’s work, visit his website at johnnylamphoto. com.