Meet Your Neighbours – David Bradt: Capturing Light

by Jamila Douhaibi | photos by David Bradt – 

The way that an owl’s eyes pierce through the distance at you, the exact moment a bee starts extracting nectar, or how a coyote’s fur ruffles in the wind. These might not be familiar for everyone living on the beautiful West Coast, but photographer David Bradt knows how to capture animals at just the right moment.

Seven years ago, David was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Leaving work, he needed something to focus on. He went out and bought a camera, started watching YouTube videos on photography, and became a wildlife photographer with a passion for capturing birds and bears and all of the animals that flourish in this region. David says that “being out in nature and taking photos” enables him to “live in the moment.” For him, his transition into this artistry has been a therapeutic journey. When you’re in a space of high stress, art can provide a time of mental clarity along the journey. David says that there are so many different ways that people can deal with the big medical issues that arise in their lives, but nature is what has helped to heal him.

Now a heavily followed photographer who has received many accolades, David’s West Coast Wildlife Photography business is soaring as high as the eagles and owls that he captures. Winning the popular vote for the Canadian Wildlife Magazine contest twice this year, his stunning photo capturing a bear with a fish in its mouth will be featured in their October/November issue. David has also been featured in Canadian Geographic for two different photos in the last few months. One is a profile shot of a bald eagle, the light capturing the matching yellow eyes and beak.

Locally, David can be found at the Saanich Peninsula Fairgrounds at the weekly Saturday markets, and spent the summer with many other residents along Beacon for the Sidney Street Market. He saw a lot of the same faces stopping by his table to purchase prints, cards and canvases during the popular market.

Looking at his photos, there’s a clear intimacy between photographer and photographed. But David says there’s also an important element of respect. Even as he continues to learn more about the animals he studies through his lens, he has always been aware of ensuring he is ethically approaching animals from a distance. He says it’s all about “waiting for a special moment;” he once spent three hours with an owl before getting the right shot. At first the owl was cautious and hid from him, but eventually became curious and even posed for its picture.

As a self-taught photographer, David has been lucky to have friends to guide him along the way. Another photographer and close friend of David’s took him to different places during the year to learn about the best spots throughout the seasons. David lost this friend a few years ago but says she was an “amazing mentor” and he often thinks about her when he visits the places that she took him. Mainly photographing close to his Brentwood Bay home and around Vancouver Island, David also takes trips to Jasper to get pictures of elk and grizzly bears.

David says “I love every moment,” but still has his favourites. Catching a black bear in a tree or crossing a river always tops his list, but he also loves capturing all of the owls around the Peninsula. He says blue herons are often waiting for him when he takes his camera along the walkway in Sidney, and he has just learned how to perfectly capture the hummingbirds mid-flight outside his home.

Coming to photography from a dark mental and physical space, David has used the practice of art in nature as his therapy. He says that “chasing the light,” the way the sun captures a blue jay on a branch, or a seal’s head as it emerges from the water, is what makes his work worthwhile every day.

David will be at Candy Cane Lane at the Saanich Fairgrounds on December 14, or check out his beautiful pictures through his Instagram: west_coast_wildlife.