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Neil, let's start from the classics…. who are you? How would you define yourself with 3 words?

Obsessively passionate observer.

You were born in Halifax…. can you describe your life there and how was art init?

Born there but I grew up in Toronto then on to Vancouver. The west coast is very natural so arts are secondary to outdoors life. Yet these very surroundings inspire many artists in those who see it.

What does being Canadian mean in your art and works?

If anything an open view, less judgmental, perhaps not provocative enough!

How did you find yourself to be a photographer?

The love for the “glossy magazines” in particular Paris Vogue, and Vogue Italia when Juan Gatti was there and later Fabien Baron. I had always loved images, and after gazing upon this level of creativity I was destined to try…

I read in your Bio you are an engineer, how does it apply in your life? And in your works?

With all the changes in technology it let’s me live better with the tools at hand for artists. I had worked with certain study groups that led to huge advancements in image permanence for gallery and museum display

You have dedicated yourself to portraits, still life and beauty pictures, which one is your true one?

When I started I was driven by beauty. Now, rediscovering my true passion is locked down to the world of beauty.

Is it harder to find beauty in an object or in a model?

For both it is a question of what beauty you see in everything around you.

How do you consider painting? Do you have Masters that you follow and have any of them influenced your works?

Yes very much so but in an indirect way. Bacon for the relativity of the space and shadows, what lives in the shadows, Botticelli for the ultimate sensuality and opulence, the Dutch painters for the light.

Art without a strong soul becomes mere decoration. What do you think?

Yes there are some who buy framed images and art at Ikea. While the creators may have had soul, it is lessened in the unsuitable environment.

What could be the breaking concept of the contemporary philosophy that could give a true meaning to art?

Being a fast paced visual culture bombarded with images, contemporary art is a passageway into, away from, and back reality from a fixed central perspective.

Is there a utility of art as decoration? How does this include photography?

Photography always has had a proximity to decoration over art. An image is adding a moment captured into a space and it’s surroundings, thus is part of the décor.

What books you read? What music you listen to?

You’ll laugh but I’m obliged to keep up with technical books! Music mostly rock, but good jazz is my favourite.

Writing can be a sort of personal introspective look into the self an act of purification from personal demons and nightmares. Can it be true for you and your photography? If not, what is it?

Yes definitely, exactly what is parallel to creating a photograph.

Your movie and most preferred dish.

Hard one, Emilie Poulain for it’s abstraction and colour, lobster for it’s colour and taste.

Who are your Masters? What lessons you learnt from their works?

Albert Watson, Irving Penn. I learned the importance of precision lighting, and design from Irving Penn.

Can you describe us your creative process? Where do you take inspiration from and how do you realize your portraits? Digital postproduction: your view and thoughts.

Inspiration comes from a number of magazines, art books, films, and or just walking around. I often draw out a rough illustration and take it from there with the make up, stylists, model etc. The final images then are enhanced bringing them as close to the original concept, sometimes far beyond. Enhancing only betters the illusion of perfection.

Keats said: Truth is Beauty and Beauty is Truth. What do you think? Is it possible for man to contemplate Beauty and understand the Truth of life? I understand the point is that truth when transparent becomes beautiful.

Yet in relation to beauty as in photography this is disjointed. When we look in a mirror we may see a truth , yet the brain distorts the truth to perceive another distorted truth which is the reality we desire to see.

There's a debate among Italian Photographers about the use of Photoshop and the postproduction of the image, considered a betrayal of photography. What is your view about it and the use of Photoshop in photography?

Depends on the intentions and the domain.

I cannot say it better than this:

"A portrait is not a likeness. The moment an emotion or fact is transformed into a photograph it is no longer a fact but an opinion. There is no such thing as inaccuracy in a photograph. All photographs are accurate. None of them is the truth. "

Richard Avedon

Your best photo?

I always say it is my next.

How would you explain Art to a child?

Children only need to describe how the feel, that way no explanation is necessary.

Where do you prefer to work? Can you describe it? And how much the environment/context/set influences your work?

Fortunately I have an atelier. It’s most comfortable there, yet that is a comfort zone that I should be separated from more often.

Internet, boon or doom?

Fact of modern life. Certainly is being used far beyond it’s creators wildest intentions.

Future? Projects?

Taking the time to make a few consequent expositions. Still in the theme of beauty, perhaps some mixed HDTV.

Will Beauty save the World?

It will take a lot of beautiful people to do so.