THE STRAIGHT SHOOTER FROM MANITOBA By Alph Leydon, MPA WHAT GREATER HONOUR CAN THERE BE IN CANADIAN PHOTOGRAPHY THAN BEING AWARDED FELLOWSHIP OF THE PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS OF CANADA (F/PPOC)? THE ANSWER IS… BEING AWARDED FELLOWSHIP OF THE PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS OF CANADA (F/PPOC) AND BEING HONOURED WITH THE YOUSUF KARSH LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD. AS IF THESE HONOURS ALONE WERE NOT ENOUGH, BRUCE ALLEN HENDRICKS IS THE FIRST EVER TO ACHIEVE BOTH IN THE SAME YEAR.
SUMMER 2020 | GALLERIE MAGAZINE | 6
Hendricks is a straight shooter. He’s rarely short of an opinion and always happy to share it; he speaks his mind and will stand up for what’s right. He’s ruffled a few feathers along the way, and he’s been known to block the odd social media account, however, if you’re a decent person he’ll treat you like gold. His friends are tight and would tell you he’s a stand-up guy, always ready with a fast quip, often with a note of sarcasm, but that’s what makes Bruce… Bruce! For some, their photographic career starts later in life, for others, it may be an adjunct to their primary career. Not so for Bruce Hendricks. Hendricks is the quintessential photographer’s photographer. He found his passion early in life and from there it has matured into a lifelong vocation. The year was 1985 and on any given day the young Bruce Hendricks could be found working steadily in the red glow of his high school darkroom, in his hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba. He was in Grade 10 and had already chosen Photography over Drafting or Graphic Arts in his Visual Communications Program. Regularly scoring in the mid-90s for his photographic work he was in high demand by fellow students to help with their assignments. The deal was that Bruce got to experiment with what interested him and his colleague for whom he was doing the work would have to accept the score, good or bad. Today as he dodged and burned, adjusted the chemistry, and transferred his substrate from bath to bath he experimented with high contrast printing on fiber paper. The results were solid, the score was high, and his buddy was thrilled.
The British Columbia Years Life’s lessons come to each of us in different ways. For Bruce, the five and a half years he spent in British Columbia through the latter part of his twenties were formative to his future career and personal life. A little naïve yet eager to expand his knowledge in his chosen career he was captivated by the offer of partnership and big promises for a successful career with a recognized professional
