I became a commercial photographer because I failed at everything else.

Yup, three months into grade 11, I hitch-hiked to Vancouver to live life as a hippie and I don’t regret a moment. By the time I was 21, I’d held 23 jobs so it dawned on me that teaching myself a skill was the best way to go - best decision of my life.

I have been fortunate to work in photography for nearly 50 years; from garage bands to Celine Dion, I’ve worked with artists of all stature and level of creativity. My clients are actors, musicians, authors, corporates and stunt people. I work with people like Norman Doidge, a neurologist pioneer who has written two books on neuroplasticity. I’ve worked with the holder of the Guinness World Book of Records for Balloon Twisting. Drake. Gordon Lightfoot. Rick Moranis. Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Bananas in Pyjamas. A particular favourite is Ess Hödlmoser, a mind-boggling performance artist, aerialist and contortionist whose shoots are beyond thrilling.

Hi, I'm Denise

I was born in England and raised on a military base in Canada. My father was an Air Force cinematographer who was a prisoner of war in the British army in WW11, captured in Tobruk; spent 3 years in POW camps and after the war had to support a family which meant developing award winning photographs in my mum’s mixing bowls because there was no money for real equipment. He just got every job done at any cost. I like to think I’ve inherited his ingenuity and perseverance in my better moments. (feel free to call it ‘bloody-mindedness)

Once I started having children, I used to shoot clients in my dining room while standing on a couch in my living room and having the baby on the floor. In time, I rented space and we cashed in pop bottles and took the subway to the studio every day; my kids played and grew up there while I worked. Aside from my daughter, Hayley, discovering the “your account is overdue, please remit payment” rubber stamp and then stamping all my papers, books and photos with it, the whole situation worked out beautifully.