Place De l’Opéra, Paris, 2012

This frame was captured from the centre exterior balcony of the Palais Garnier immediately before making the interior image of the grand central stair. The weather had not been on my side that day. It was raining hard and with a strong wind blowing directly at me making it impossibly to keep the lens dry for any length of time. I worked with the rain and in fact needed the dense cloud cover to prevent me from shooting directly into the setting sun. The wind, however, was proving problematic. I had contemplated coming back the next day but the forecast called for sun, which would have made for a different image. I decide to give it a few more attempts with the last one being this print and the only successful capture that hour.

– David Burdeny

David Burdeny initiated his career with the Jennifer Kostuik Gallery in 2001 and has been exhibiting his images from the world over, including Antarctica, Iceland, Brazil, China, Burma, Cambodia, France, Italy, Canada and the USA. Known for his finely composed photographs, Burdeny has spent the past 25 years exploring a variegated photographic Landscape ranging from minimal seascapes, ornate European interiors to abstract aerial images. Widely collected in Canada, the USA, Asia and Europe, the sheer beauty of David’s images has firmly placed him within the realm of Canada’s most sought after photo-based artists. Burdeny has an innate curiosity for new subjects and themes, producing over 20 themed photographic series. Be it mounting a camera beneath a self-built drone, shooting from the deck of an Antarctic bound icebreaker, or waiting for an ocean tide to advance, he faithfully embeds his own formal signature into each and every image, further expressing a life long passion for the built environment and the camera’s interpretation of it.

David Burdeny’s Masters in Architecture and Interior Design background combined with his upbringing in the vast Canadian prairies provides the template for his keen technical ability, enduring patience and minimalist aesthetic.