Silver and Stone

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.

Today, color film is the chosen medium for most photographers and highly
saturated color the expected norm in quality photo books. In contrast,
McIntyre exerts his individuality with this impressive album of 40
black-and-white plates.

Many professional photographers acknow-ledge that b&w is an art form
requiring a higher level of skill than color. While good color can mask
weak technique, in b&w, nothing stands between the photographer’s
mastery and the viewer. McIntyre’s photos were taken in the Georgian
Bay and Muskoka areas of Ontario. The objects he photographs are
commonplace: rocks, water, trees, roots, snow, weeds. His subject is
light.

Using large-format cameras and the depth of field that affords, he
exploits the full tonal range of his medium. The result is photos that
echo the eternity of the rocks and water they portray.

At least 20 of the 40 plates are works of art worthy of gallery space.
They call the viewer into the rocky, windswept landscape, seducing with
the impression of a world where the rocks and roots and quiet waters
have always existed in harmony and will always be there, frozen in time.

Photographers will analyze this work for inspiration on McIntyre’s
award-winning technical skills and marvel at his mastery of the grey
scale. Those who know Georgian Bay and the Muskokas will value the book,
for it captures the very essence of this geologically unique area.
Others, if capable of being moved by visual art, will find in it images
that speak of the humbling majesty of nature.