About Island Light Photography

Behind Island Light Photography are Francis and Adam McKenty, two brothers who have been working together with their cameras for more then a decade to document and share the beautiful and mind-boggling wonders of creation in a way that is respectful of all life (yours included).

At Island Light Photography we use a low-carbon approach to photography: Most of the photos on this website were taken within walking distance of wherever we happened to be living, which was usually on or near the small island of Cortes at the north end of the Georgia Strait in British Columbia, Canada. (Or on the wooden sailing vessel at right.)

Beyond ethical pracitices for taking photographs we also endeavour to create our photo products in an ecologically and socially sustainable way while maintaining the highest quality standards. Our greeting cards are made using 100% PCW recycled card stock and our photos are all printed locally on Vancouver Island.

Nature is a rewarding and challenging subject. The miraculously self-balancing and interconnected community of living creatures we are lucky enough to photograph is a perpetual source of wonder and inspiration.


Standards


These days when someone sees an amazing photo, usually the fist thing they think and second thing they say is "is that Photoshopped?" It is sad but true. Luckily for us when this touchy subject comes up we can loudly say none of our photos are "Photoshopped"! (if we're lucky, this announcement will carry far enough that we won't be asked the question again for at least another minute or so). We have very strict standards about what kinds of image adjustments we use.
  • We have no "composite" images (two photos taken in different places and then "photoshopped" together).

  • We do not "clone" anything that was in the original scene out (we do remove the sensor dust marks).

  • Unless noted in the description, none of the photos on IslandLight.ca are of captive animals from zoos or game parks. (Or of stuffed dead animals either.)

  • We always do our best not to harm or disturb any plant or animal life while in the field (which actually does include not swatting mosquitos).


    • The Gear


    A pentax Ist DS disguised with bark and cabbage and protected from the drizzle by a plastic bag waits near our composter with very long remote trigger cord leading in the basement window. Some of the the photos on this website were taken with Nikon and Pentax film cameras using both print and slide film. More recently though we have been using only Pentax digital cameras, specifically the K3, K5, K7, K20D, K10D, and istDS DSLRs.

    As for glass we have a large assortment of mostly old-style manual focus lenses. Three Sigmas, a Tamron, a few Vivitars, a hand full of Pentax lenses, a few teleconverters and some extension tube.