S.R. Spence - The HeadWater Collective

About S.R. Spence (Sean) Born and raised in Nelson, BC, I moved to Calgary to start my career as a police officer in 2002. After living in and around Calgary, I moved to Okotoks, AB in 2011, where I still reside. My love of photography came after receiving my first 35mm film camera as a child and learning to use my mother’s 1974 Canon FTb SLR camera. With an abundance of beautiful scenery in my backyard, in Nelson, I found a passion for photographing landscapes in black and white and carried that love of landscape photography into my adulthood as a passive hobby. After suffering extensive work related psychological trauma from various exposures, including 10 years of being a Child Exploitation/Child Abuse investigator, I began exploring photography as a positive and creative outlet to help manage my PTSD, Anxiety and Depression. I find therapy in photographing the outdoors but also love photographing many genres and try not to limit myself to one style. I have created a series of Fine Art/Composition images dedicated to Mental Health and have photographed family events, portraits, food and street as well as continue to shoot landscapes. I try to express my photographs as an extension of what I feel, rather than what I necessarily see and the process of immersing myself in my photography, from start to finish, has been hugely helpful in my journey to mental health. I edit and process all of my own photos and for many, I utilize reclaimed wood to build my own photo frames, which I cut from scratch. I create my frames with as much care and detail into each piece as I do with my photos and try to use my frames to complement and enhance the feeling conveyed through my images. I try to create a complete package where one can have insight into my mind, body and spirit, or to try to provide a way to express or stimulate provocative thought. About The HeadWater Collective Although focusing on photography, I have an appreciation for various disciplines of art, including rustic woodwork and I am constantly challenging myself with new artistic endeavors or learning new disciplines. When forming my business, I wanted something encompassing that multidisciplinary approach to healing. Typically reserved for a group of people, I felt that the term “collective” fit my process and so I adopted it. “HeadWater” refers to the connection to one’s individual mind, body and soul; where a tiny drop of water can result in the form of a raging river, a tiny drop of inspiration can flow into one's hands to create unexpected results.