Gun Roze

Gun Roze- A Photographer Being Photographed.

I have been fascinated with photography since I was a lad. My passion for it deepened after taking darkroom courses in high school and OCAD (then OCA) in the mid 70s.

Photography became an essential aspect of my daily life. Many of my friends and colleagues were photographers. I often became their subject for portraiture and more creative projects.

My various looks from the 1970s onwards are forever well documented as a result.

David Bowie was my God at this time. I was on a month-long high school European road trip. I think this photo was taken in Switzerland on our hotel’s balcony in Summer 1973. Photo by a classmate.

For our photography course we had to create studio lighting for a portrait. My perm was in honor of Roger Daltry and my unique sweater was knitted by my mother. OCA 1975. Photo by a fellow student.

Just hanging out by the secluded rocks on Lake Ontario high on acid with a good friend. The Beaches, ON 1978. Photo by Liz Van Atter.

I loved to practice playing my harmonica. I was definitely a visual artist as opposed to a musically inclined one. The Beaches, ON 1978. Photo by Liz Van Atter.

I asked my photographer friend to shoot my portrait so I could give a framed print as a gift to my mother for Christmas. This is an outtake. Toronto 1979. Photo by Karen Perlmutter.

While working as a colour printer at BGM, my coworker asked if I would come to his loft to be photographed. This is just one of the many rolls of film he shot. Toronto 1980. Photo by Tom.

I became friends with a local teenager I met while vacationing with my family in Florida. Though I mainly photographed him, he also wanted to photograph me. Florida 1983. Photo by Richard White.

Sometimes I was up for doing almost anything to create a fun photo with a photographer friend. This photo was taken on the top floor of my apartment from my deck. Metcalfe St, Toronto 1992. Photo by Kathie Tutter.

I photographed my actor friend Sean often. Being a talented photographer himself, once in a while I became his subject. Vancouver 1995. Photo by Sean Day Michael.

I think this photo is also from my session with Jeff Weddell. Vancouver 1997.

My photographer friend Peter asked me to come to his studio for this yoga inspired photoshoot. One of the images was used in his client’s brochures. I think it had something to do with shipping/packaging. Vancouver 1996. Photos by Peter Horvath.

My Toronto friend Dimitri was also living in the Lower East Side and came to hang out at my apartment. This was taken on the roof where I loved spending time socializing. LES, NYC 2000. Photo by Dimitri Mavrikis.

My colleague was working on a series of most unusual portraits and asked if I would be willing to participate. Prospect Park, Brooklyn 2014. Photo by Adam Pape.

Vancouver 1997. Photo by Jeff Weddell.

Gun Roze is a Toronto born Fine Art Photographer. His fascination with photography began with his first gifted camera at the age of 8. Though he studied photography related courses, his most valuable knowledge was gained as a Master Analog Darkroom Printer for professional photographers during his devoted 35 year career. The demands for his expertise as a personal colour printer opened up work opportunities in Vancouver, San Francisco and New York City. Throughout this period Gun continued with his own photography and creative projects.

For his personal work, 2012 was a defining year for him. While living and working in NYC, he rediscovered 28 rolls of 35mm colour negatives in his archives. The film was shot mainly on the streets of Manhattan in 1982. This series showcases his first exploration into street photography and is titled “MANHATTAN 1982”. In 2013, three of the images were included in a prestigious NYC gallery group show focused on NYC life in the 80s. Two years later, 21 of these images were exhibited for his premiere solo show in Toronto at Akasha Art Projects.

The enthusiasm surrounding this discovery inspired Gun to return to street photography in NYC, though from a resident’s perspective. His daily practice is reliant on the easy access of his ever present point-and-shoot compact digital camera. With this dedicated method he has gained a solid following and reputation for his unique captures. Since returning to Toronto in 2015, Gun has continued with his daily approach to street-based photography and its detailed representation of his hometown’s various neighborhoods. To view a body of Gun’s work, please visit his website- www.shot-by-gun.com

Gun has recently self-published a quality hardcover photo book titled MANHATTAN 1982. A signed copy for $100 CDN (+shipping) can be ordered by directly emailing him gunroze@gmail.com