Georgian Bay

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

John de Visser’s spectacular photography and Ross’s casual essays
join forces in a dramatic coffee-table book that will speak to the
millions who have visited the Georgian Bay area.

Georgian Bay is a huge body of fresh water—an extension of Lake
Huron—a short drive north of Toronto. Because of its location,
unspoiled beauty, and unique geography it has been a popular vacation
spot for Ontario residents throughout this century. It also attracts
tourists from all parts of the world; Americans, Europeans, and Asians
are now among the many who will treasure this photo album as a reminder
of the beauty and tranquillity experienced in this special area.

De Visser is one of Canada’s best-known landscape photographers. His
work has been published in numerous books and he holds several awards.
His style is subtle and always merits a second look. At first glance his
photos seem to be straightforward—clear, clean representations of the
scene in front of his lens. But look again and you realize that he’s a
master in making it look easy. He controls light and exploits texture to
capture the essence of his subject without resorting to an artificial,
manipulated presentation. De Visser’s starting point in experiencing a
scene or feature of the landscape is where the amateur’s view stops:
he meets us on our level and takes us forward to experience, through his
eyes, more than we could see by ourselves.

Although careful checking would have increased their validity, the 20
short essays anchor the photos in time and help the browser mentally
organize the numerous distinct regions that constitute Georgian Bay. A
map would have been useful and the lack of an index makes it hard to
relocate favorite photos or to use the essays.