Some of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s most recognizable landmarks will be featured alongside people and places from all around the globe in a Niagara-based photographer’s upcoming book that showcases his travels across all seven continents.
Self-taught photographer Lorne Demoe, who has travelled to 117 countries, is preparing to release a 15-chapter book, “The Canadian Globetrotters: Lens on the Loose,” featuring 1,050 of the 700,000 photos he has taken over the past 20 years of travel.
The book offers an eclectic selection of images from a photographer who sees beauty in every corner of the world, with the first chapter featuring several photographs taken in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
“Travel photography has many genres,” he said. “My love is for people, animals, architecture, landscapes and cityscapes. It’s an all-encompassing style of photography, but it speaks to where we’ve been.”
While Demoe currently lives in St. Catharines, he worked for 30 years in Niagara-on-the-Lake — 15 years as a tennis pro and another 15 as a massage therapist — and knows the community well.
He works seven days a week to save money for his travels, spending three to four months each year abroad to capture his photos.
The first chapter of his book, “Home Sweet Home,” focuses on the Niagara region and includes 30 to 40 pictures, including Niagara-on-the-Lake at locations such as Butler’s Barracks, the gazebo in Queen’s Royal Park, the Prince of Wales Hotel, the Niagara Apothecary, and more.
“These are actually the hardest photos for me to take, given my work schedule when I’m home,” he said.
He said Butler’s Barracks in particular is a place he enjoys “all the time.” He said he likes the tree formations and the “symmetry” of the photo he took featuring it.
Demoe’s favourite individual photos of NOTL were both of Lake Ontario. One day, when he was looking out from the NOTL golf course, where he used to chip and putt on his breaks, he saw the lake take a photo-worthy turn.
“One day, the Lake Ontario kinda looked like the Caribbean Sea,” he said. “It had a green tint to it.” So, he picked up his camera and captured the scene in front of him.
He also likes a winter photo of Lake Ontario that he took near a sign about Marilyn Bell, a long-distance swimmer who became the first person to swim across the lake.
“You are never really disappointed if you walk through the town of NOTL,” he said.
Demoe’s travel journey began later in life. He first left Canada in 1996, at age 36, and travelled to England without a camera. That trip grew into visits to 14 countries.
About nine years into his travels, his accountant suggested he should make something more out of his adventures, which led Demoe to photography.
Since then, he has seen — and captured — a lot.
“In Antarctica, you’ll find icebergs a mile long, whales, and penguins,” Demoe said. “In Africa, you’ll find everything from the pyramids of Egypt to Ethiopia. I do a lot of portrait photography, too.”
By the time he met his partner, Susan Gillette, Demoe had visited 50 countries. Gillette, who has travelled with him for the last 13 years and wrote much of the book’s text, has accompanied Demoe to 84 countries.
She also contributed extensive journal entries, documenting their 240 flights, cities, national parks, road trips and more.
“She’s been a big part of this journey.”
One of his most memorable experiences while travelling was when he took part in a cleansing ritual with a shaman in Peru.
“We hiked for five hours, and he performed blessings and talked about people. He said that North Americans are often caught up in material things, trying to keep up with the Joneses, but that doesn’t bring happiness. He emphasized living for experiences instead.”
That moment has a profound effect on him, he said.
“I’ve really tried to live that way ever since.”
Demoe sent the book to print at the end of February. He said it will take about four to five months to produce the copies. He said he may get a publisher and has secured a list of more than 100 clients who have ordered the book.
