Chasing Newfoundland

Newfoundland is a place that simply can never be caught, but that has not stopped Ray Mackey from chasing her. He is in the office when he is travelling the back roads and remote coves and villages of the province. His eye for beauty imbues each photograph with a quality not easily given over to words. This remarkable collection does justice to one of the world’s most unique landscapes.

From Fogo to St. John’s to St Lunaire-Griquet and towns and villages up and down the coast, Mackey catches glimpses of this magnificent island like no photographer has caught her before. Newfoundland is in Ray Mackey’s blood, and Chasing Newfoundland is his love letter to the province. Come along and chase Newfoundland with him.

Five questions with our authors

1. How long have you been chasing Newfoundland with your camera?

I have been really chasing Newfoundland with a camera my whole life. It seems I was never travelling here unless a camera was with me. When digital photography began to take off, like many others, I jumped in full time so it has been about 12 years now. Today’s media and online world just makes it easier to share with everyone. I am super pleased so many folks enjoy my work.

2. What is the hardest you ever worked to get a perfect shot?

Well, I’m not so sure about a perfect shot. I think I can look at any image and find ways it could be improved so I guess that is very subjective. That said, I’m not sure I could pin it down to a single shot but when I find a composition I like and it requires long travel time and multiple visits to capture it, it sure challenges your resolve. For example, I have driven 5,000 kilometres over two days and stayed up 48 hours straight to get an iceberg shot, only to find it was so foggy I could not see it and had to wait two more days for a shot. It can be exhausting and rewarding at the same time.

3. The lighting in your photographs is incredible. Do you ever use flashes or is it all natural light?

So, short answer is no, I never use flashes for landscapes. Light painting is an option if I am unable to get the exposure for a composition I want but virtually never use it. The goal at all times is to us the available light sources for my compositions. My preference is for natural light first but often I combine it with local ambient and man-made sources such as street and home lighting for blue hour and nighttime compositions. The play of light in all cases adds so many different dimensions to a composition, and for me makes or breaks an image.

4. Is there a Newfoundland photo you're still hunting for? A subject you haven't captured yet?

As always, it’s never about a single image for me but a body of work. However, the remote south coast of the province is an area that I have not spent much time in yet. It has a wonderful presence and its unique coastline fjords and landscape are captivating. It is on my Must Do list for sure.

5. What is it about Newfoundland that keeps drawing you back to photograph it?

Newfoundland of course is my home so I have a natural bias toward it. However, in my opinion, it seems to never sleep; by that I mean it is always changing. Newfoundland has so many changes in atmospheric conditions, largely because of our geographic location in the North Atlantic. Those changes produce new lighting conditions seemingly every hour, allowing me to shoot frequently and sometimes even the same scene many times over. With lighting being the goal for many of my compositions, it’s a natural advantage. The province also has an appealing landscape and culture with a variety of subjects, including the visuals of seasonal events such as icebergs, whales, and other wildlife visitors.

Ray Mackey

MASTERFUL

Windswept mountains and rolling hills. Sun bleached houses and fishing stages. Atlantic-sculpted icebergs and rugged shores. Wild flowers and breaching whales. Sunsets inventing new colours through night's arrival. Newfoundland in all her beauty. Ray Mackay's mastery of light and his dedicated patience in creating a book of perfect Newfoundland moments in stunning photographs, makes Chasing Newfoundland my top book recommendation to have and to gift.

Diane Davis administrator/creator Newfoundland Iceberg Reports

MAGICAL

Chasing Newfoundland is a visual masterpiece that captures the truly unique essence of Newfoundland, by the one person that could accomplish such an incredible and almost impossible task. Ray Mackey has a very rare and magical gift, and this book is everyone's chance to experience Newfoundland like never before.

Chris Davis photographer and filmmaker

GORGEOUS

Ray Mackey is blessed with a unique ability to not only capture the incredible beauty of Newfoundland, but also to convey the mood so vividly that we can feel the wind and hear the sea. His gorgeous images portray a profound love of Newfoundland. They evoke powerful memories of how I remember the incredible places I've visited during my time on The Rock. Whether you're an Islander or you're from away, you'll be captivated by Ray's images. Ray photographs Newfoundland beauty like no other!

John Dolson Newfoundland addict and photographer

STUNNING

Ray Mackey is a man who quietly finds his way to the ocean, to the coves and rural towns along coastal Newfoundland and captures an intimate perspective with grace and grandeur. He shares his vision, with the release of a shutter, creating photographs as timeless, as stunning and as powerful as nature itself.

Pat Thompson landscape photographer

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