Burlington photographer's works hanging in AGB

Ivan Prasin took his dog out one morning, walking down to the Burlington waterfront with a camera in his pocket. 

A few quick pictures of the water turned into something else after a few more mornings. Prasin experimented with timed exposure and leaving at the right time to get the right light. As of February 9, three of his photos are hanging in the Art Gallery of Burlington. 

“I approached the Art Gallery, had my gear with me, and showed them some photos on my phone,” Prasin said. “After that, they wanted more of my work.” 

The three photos hanging in the gallery are of the Brant Street Pier at different times of day, with orange and purple skies. 

Prasin compiled eight photos and let friends and family vote on the best ones to share with the gallery. 

“Most of them agreed on these three,” Prasin said. “It’s hard to sift through a lot of photos.”

Prasin picked up his first camera in 1969, and has sparsely been seen without one around his neck or in his pocket since. Wherever he went, he was the guy with the camera. 

Now with his pair of Nikon’s – a Z fc and a D850 for those curious – he’s transitioned mostly to digital but still keeps a few rolls of film around. He keeps the Z in his pocket, and uses the D850 when he knows he’ll need it. 

Despite having a a collection of digital cameras, Prasin was reluctant to switch to digital after decades of shooting film. 

“I was a big fan of film and staying old school,” Prasin said. “I didn’t like the manipulation, Photoshop, and everything that’s happening nowadays. It’s more photo art than photography.”

Prasin still carries a camera made in 1946 that has a few photos left on the roll of film, which he said he needs to finish off soon.

As a photography instructor, Prasin is used to using various cameras at a time. 

“They’re just tools,” Prasin said. “Whenever I do workshops I will go out with a camera that is cheaper and lower quality than everyone else's, so I can show people the results I can get with my camera. It’s the photographer, it’s not the camera.”

Although Prasin’s photos are hanging in the gallery, he understands that they are not his best work, necessarily. 

He added that he may never actually take his best picture. 

“My best photo is probably my next photo.”