Royce Howland

Royce Howland was born in Oklahoma in the 1960’s and has been slowly growing up since that time. He moved with his family through a succession of places across three countries and two continents, arriving in the small prairie town of Camrose, Alberta by the time he was 15 years old. Feeling very much at home between the “big sky” prairies and Canadian Rockies, he has made Alberta his home base ever since.

Following a B.Sc. at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Royce began a career in the information technology industry that has spanned over 20 years so far. When he moved to consulting roles in the 1990’s, new travel opportunities became available. Discovery of interesting places in western North America led also to rediscovery of the natural world, largely sidelined since his childhood days. For sure, it was the hummingbirds in southern California that sparked his interest in birding. Several years as a birder progressed in turn to photography, initially on a casual basis and then with increasing focus.

While still actively consulting for clients in the IT industry, Royce now dedicates substantial time to photography. Since the beginning of 2006, he has specialized in landscape work with the occasional foray for birds, wildlife and other photographic interests. He finds his subjects both in his home region and abroad. Favorite travel destinations include the American southwest, England and Crete.

Royce acquired his first serious camera gear based on the Canon EOS digital lineup. He continues to shoot Canon cameras with a variety of lenses from Canon, Sigma, Olympus and others. In particular for landscape work, his development-oriented approach often involves significant “digital darkroom” work. This includes panoramic image stitching and High Dynamic Range photography. Royce views photography as an end-to-end creative process involving deliberate control of both taking and making the final image, with the photographer having increased creative potential thanks to the advent of digital image processing. The aim of his visual style is to creatively interpret the light, but also to remain true to the original scene.

In addition to his photography work, Royce is currently Editor in Chief of NatureScapes.net. Along with his editing role here, he writes articles and contributes in the photography and discussion forums. He also contributes photographs and articles to other publications on the web and in print. Publication credits include the Calgary Herald, Photo Life, Audubon’s American Birds, and Birder’s World. His images have been used by several conservation organizations, and he has been interviewed for CBC television. Many of his signature images are available for digital licensing and as fine prints.

Royce makes his home in Calgary, Alberta with his supremely understanding and supportive wife, Deb.

To see more of Royce’s work, please visit his web site at www.vividaspect.com.

Photo Gallery