Those in Bradford West Gwillimbury community Facebook groups might recognize his name, and they’ll certainly recognize his photos.
Larry Guay frequently shares his astonishing shots in the groups online as he captures the beauty of wildlife and its surroundings. He’s taken photos of everything from stars to insects. His bread and butter are photos of anything related to the natural world.
Though it might seem like photography is a lifelong passion of his based on the quality of his work, snapping pictures was only something he discovered his love for just a few years ago.
“I didn’t pick up my first camera until about five years ago,” he says. “I actually bought the camera with the intention of making videos of me fishing. When I bought the camera, I wanted to learn how to make videos to put on YouTube for fun because I’d seen a lot of fishing YouTubers. So, I bought the camera intending to do that and when I started looking into how to do video with the camera, I learned that learning the basics of photography first might help me with my videography. I accidentally ended up falling in love with photography while teaching myself the basics.”
Going from a novice photographer to professional, took him a lot of committed hours.
“I’ve got an obsessive personality, when I jump into something it’s feet first and I’m all in,” he said. “It was really the first couple years I spent hours watching YouTube videos on different styles and types of photography. I ended up linking up with people to go on photo walks and learn from them. Most of it though is self-taught through YouTube.”
A love for being outdoors and around animals has made the process of honing his craft easier because he’s happiest when around nature.
“I’ve always been outdoorsy,” he says. “As a kid I came up through scouting and spent a lot of time camping and hiking. I’ve also always loved animals, both pets and wild animals. The combination of my passion for outdoors and love of animals really drove me towards wildlife photography.”
Starting from scratch as a late bloomer with his hobby, Guay has steadily seen his skills improve over the years.
“It comes in waves,” he explains. “When I first got my camera and went out on a hike to take my very first pictures of trees, I thought I was terrible. After about a month of practicing I thought I was everything I could possibly be, and after another two or three months I realized just how far I still had to go. Probably in the last two years I’ve become more confident in my photography. I’m now where I feel when I leave the house I actually know what I’m looking to achieve and can generally get some results I’m happy with.”
As a self-taught photographer who was late to the game, Guay understands how important it is that he’s persistent with it to ensure his positive trajectory continues.
“I try to get outside with my camera at least three to four times a week,” he said. “Usually on the weekends, if time allows, I try to get out for a couple hours for at least a hike or a backroads drive. Sometimes if I’m strapped for time, I’ll even just take my camera for 10 minutes to a pond. It’s a skill that you have to keep working at to keep your edge at, especially with wildlife you never know when and where you’ll see something.”
Eventually, Guay hopes to take his photography to another level.
“Literally just before everything shut down with COVID I was considering doing a pop-up stand at the farmers market or Carrot Fest,” he said. “I’m at a crossroads where I want to pursue it further and make it a more focused part of my life, but I’m also hesitant to try and make it a full-time business. I want to continue pursuing it as a hobby and hopefully turn it into something, let's call it a side hustle.”
Checkout Guay’s photography on his website here and his Instagram here.
