 Scene Feature - October 1, 2003 |
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April Bartlett/Gazette
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St. Albert photographer Corey Hochachka poses with his buddy, a red-eyed tree frog. Hochachka combines his love of photography with his fascination for the colorful creatures. |
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Of frogs and photos
Tiny amphibians are the apple of his eye, so photographer Corey Hochachka leapfrogs into his work. |
By Chris Jurewicz
Staff Writer
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Since he was a kid, Corey Hochachka has been amazed by amphibians.
The colours, textures and overall look of frogs and lizards were pleasing to his eye then, as was the smooth feel of the creatures. Now, as a 34 year old artist living in St. Albert, Hochachka incorporates amphibians into his photographs.
"I choose the ones that are more colourful for photography. I can kind of combine my fascination, my love and interest with them with the photography," said Hochachka, who has his own business called Troglodyte Photography Inc.
Hochachka lives with his wife Michelle and their two sons in Mission and his work is done in and old garage, which Hochachka transformed into an art studio recently, after moving in two years ago.
The garage also houses his pets - one Red-eyed tree frog, two Green tree frogs, one White's tree frog, two Yellow Headed Dwarf day geckos, one Golddust day gecko, three African Fattailed geckos, three Japanese Firebellied newts, and a bunch of Oriental Firebellied toads.
People may be familiar with the Red-eyed tree frog as a member of the species used by Telus in their television advertisements. Hochachka has plans to purchase two more of the frogs to start breeding them.
"I have a lot of experience from breeding the Firebellied toads last year, just on how to care for them, raise them, feed them and make sure the temperature is correct." he said. "They're relatively similar. The hard part was finding small food when they go from a tadpole into a toadlet or a froglet, in this case."
Hochachka is currently breeding wingless fruit flies to ensure that there is sufficient food for the froglets.
"I have maybe 1,000 but that's not many because they can eat 1,000 in a week," said Hochachka. "To feed the little baby toads, they have to start with a small meal and work their way up."
Hochachka's photography studio is anything but typical. A couch sits in one corner of the studio, the frogs and lizards take up space in another corner and a computer and desk sit near the back, while sample of Hochachka's work decorate the walls and fill in the middle of the room.
A sample of Hochachka's studio samples includes an early morning shot of the St. Albert grain elevators, an inside look at an abandoned house near Vermilion and many pictures of his closest friends - his frogs.
"When I lived at home, I had a few pets. When I moved out, I got out of having pets because I was broke," he said, "I started getting back into it when started to settle in."
Hochachka said he's been drawing since he was a kid and loved art throughout his high school years at Edmonton's Queen Elizabeth Composite High School.
After studying Fine Art at Grant MacEwan Collage for one year, Hochachka earned a photography diploma from NAIT. He was a freelance photographer after graduation and later opened the business in Edmonton.
He said the move to St. Albert has allowed him to further his career as an artist.
"We're so close [to Edmonton] and we have the same clients. I found St. Albert to be much more supportive, or easy to get into as far as the art community goes," said Hochachka. "I've grown a lot more since I move here."
For Hochachka, heading outdoors and taking pictures of frost-lined flowers or picturesque sunsets is the next best thing to working with pets.
"I do some landscapes, bugs, there's a caterpillar right there [pointing to a print on the wall], old rusty things, abandoned houses; anything that you find outdoors that might look common to the average person but has so many interesting things to focus on," said Hochachka.
"But I'm a Commercial advertising, Stock and Fine Art photographer," he added. "The advertising pays the bills, Stock is basically stockpiling images that can be used for almost anything - and I'm trying to make more money at that. It's what I enjoy; it's more free than Commercial because in the latter, they're telling you exactly what they want, which makes the job easier but less creative. Fine Art is the prints and that's what I love the most, but I make the least amount of money from that."
And despite the financial hardships that can be expected with any new business, Hochachka said he loves his job. The best part of the work to him is seeing the image from his mind make the jump to the print.
"Not everything of course turns out, but the one that do are just so cool," said Hochachka. "And I also enjoy the peoples smiles when they like my work."
You can see samples of Hochachka's work by logging on to www.trogphoto.com. His work will also be on display Oct. 4 and 5 at the Edmonton Reptile and Amphibian Society Show and Sale at Northmount Community Centre in Edmonton.
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