Our City Tonight (OCT) had a chance to visit Wild Space Gallery on Granville Island in the Creekhouse Shops area. We talked to the very talented co-owner/co-founder, Steve Woods (SW), who is a world-renowned adventure and wildlife photographer, and has travelled the globe capturing the beauty of the natural environment and underwater world.  

We wanted to share this story because of the contribution to the economy and the environment by a local company, Wild Space Gallery. Through their photography and creative recycling to give new life to salvaged natural textiles, they have brought an awareness through their art.

Steve Woods began his career in the UK as a press and sports photographer. He paired this experience with a master’s degree in photography from De Montfort University in Leicester, England. Steve photographs beneath the waves as well as on land, with endangered species and indigenous communities, photographing them and contributing to conservation and research efforts globally. 

He has created foundations for the preservation of many animals as well as sharing his experiences through teaching extensive photography workshops and he’s led expeditions in numerous continents above and underwater, from the Equator to the Arctic. 

OCT: Steve tell us a little bit more about yourself and then we can talk about this new gallery that we’re standing in today and your partnership with the other businesses involved.

SW: I am a wildlife and conservation photographer and originally from the UK but now based in Vancouver. My whole premise is to photograph and show the beauty of the natural world in order to raise awareness and raise funds so that we can better learn and protect the natural environment. 

We have opened the Wild Space Gallery and it’s a new venture for us, for me and two other friends. The gallery here is in partnership with another photographer, so there’s two photographers and then a clothing company as well. We are all intrinsically linked by sustainability and protecting the natural world.

OCT: Your gallery is already very popular. There’s been a lot of traffic coming through during our interview with you. Let’s talk about your photography and please feel free to talk about your successes. Didn’t you just provide the photograph for a very famous book cover?

SW: Yes, I did. I have been very lucky to do some wonderful things. I just shot the front cover for Sir David Attenborough’s book called Trials of Life which, the photograph was a pair of humpback whales, a mother and a calf. It was just a lovely and tender moment together. I have been very lucky to work with some other wonderful names like Jane Goodall and Paul Nicklen as well as Cristina Mittermeier. 

We have just finished a fundraiser called 100 for the Ocean with Paul Nicklen, Cristina Mittermeier, and Chase Teron, as well. This fundraiser involved 100 photographers in fact, hundreds of the best-known photographers and artists from around the world. They all came together to donate their work to raise money for marine conservation. This was really amazing.

OCT: Although that particular fundraiser is now over, how can somebody still participate?

SW: Ocean conservation is always ongoing and the threat to the ocean and everything the wild world faces through loss of habitat and also through climate change. These concerns never ever end, and you can do so many different things. 

One of the smallest things you can do which is incredibly impactful is to follow these photographers and different people on their social media. Be sure to like and share their work because it brings that work to a wider audience through your participation. 

One of our biggest goals is to actually just raise awareness. It can be as simple as just coming into stores like our gallery and buying postcards or buying greeting cards as well as the larger prints. Or you can even share with family and friends and it’s so important to get kids involved. I believe that is really the biggest thing—is increasing our children’s awareness.

OCT: Can we talk a little bit about your circular fashion that you have on display here in the gallery?

SW: It was one of the most interesting things as part of this whole process for me actually. My work is very animal based, so I am photographing the animals. I’m spending so much time out in the wild and that’s my style.

My other friend and photographer, Jeremy Kreski, was brought in as part of the gallery as well. His work is different from mine as he is photographing the landscapes and all of the Pacific Northwest environments. Our work kind of overlaps because the animals that I’m photographing are on and in the land where he works. There’s a great synergy there. 

Then we brought in another friend Paul from Anian who is responsible for the wonderful clothing that we have in the gallery, not only does it look great, which is lucky because I get to wear it all the time now, but it’s circular fashion. All of its salvaged. It’s either recycled or made from recycled materials and discarded stuff. 

For instance, the buttons are made out of oyster catching boxes or fishing gear things like that. And the clothing is actually made and designed in East Vancouver. You can’t get much more local than that. Everything you see here in the gallery is local and it’s designed local and it’s made local. All of my work is printed locally right here in East Vancouver.

OCT: It’s great to know that your Wild Space Gallery is taking care to be sustainable here in B.C. as well as for Canada and globally. Congratulations on all of your success. 

To watch the video interview in full go to richmondsentinal.ca/video