The Spark of Passion

I was exposed to image making and basic camera techniques at an early age, with the passion taking hold in primary school. My Grade 4 teacher was a think-outside-of-the-box kind of guy who pushed all of his students to explore their creative means. This early education at the hands of a passionate educator left a lasting impression on me, as I incorporated image making into my life’s journey.

Fast forward to age 17, I was leaving high school restless and full of energy. I wanted to see beyond my little neighborhood of East York, so decided to join the Canadian Army. I served as an airborne armoured soldier in the Reconnaissance Squadron of The Royal Canadian Dragoons, Canada’s Senior Calvary Regiment. The Dragoons became my family and home for the next three years. While it was by no means an easy journey, it taught me more about myself than any other chapter of my life. During that time, I was exposed to great leadership and saw the world through a different lens, interacting with different cultures across multiple countries throughout my service.

On the heels of this experience, I enrolled in Ryerson’s School of Image Arts (Bachelor of Applied Arts Program), considered to be the top image arts school in Canada. My primary focus was documentary photography and I had the privilege of studying under leading photographers and filmmakers who were very influential in their disciplines. This included Dave Heath and John Solowski. Dave imparted his wisdom selectively, to those in whom he saw talent and dedication, and always pushed you to do better work. It was John who suggested I also enroll at the School of Design at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in Rochester, NY.

At the time, RIT was the top school for imaging arts in the United States, and Photoshop was in its infancy. RIT was one of a few schools teaching digital imaging. This would change my life forever. While full-time enrollment was beyond my financial means, I managed to work out an agreement with Ryerson allowing me to attend RIT during the summer months, and trade the American credits for the Canadian equivalent.

During this time, I was also serving in the Army Reserves and, in 1993, I took an assignment to go to Bosnia. Though it would mean a leave from university, the Bosnian War had been going on for almost a year and I wanted to be there. The morning before I flew out, I stopped by Maclean’s Magazine and made a pitch to their photo editor, Peter Bregg, for exclusive rights to photos I would take while overseas. In the end, Maclean’s bought all of my images and Peter imparted some advice, saying, “I know you have a real passion for photojournalism, but the world of journalism is changing; your work is good enough for the commercial advertising world.”

Digital.freedom is Born

I took Mr. Bregg’s words to heart and, after working as a freelance assistant for some top Toronto photographers, set out on my own to establish a studio, Digital.Freedom. Shortly thereafter, the art director for Home Depot Canada heard I was doing digital photography work and wanted to meet me. He needed a digital studio to handle all of the imagery required and, at just 26 years old, I started my first contract with Home Depot. I would be the Studio of Record for Home Depot Canada (and four of the nine American divisions) for the next decade.

By 2005, I was walking into a meeting with Lowe’s USA, which was planning to enter the Canadian market and needed a Studio of Record for Canada. After a three-year test run, managing over 20% of the photography work in the United States, Digital.Freedom was awarded the Canadian portfolio and became Lowe’s Studio of Record. This was a great honour and recognition of the dedication and hard work of my studio team.

While the home improvement industry has been a staple of Digital.Freedom’s business, my passion for portraiture predates my success in commercial advertising. This area of my work was born out of a call I received from the managing partner of Gowling WLG, even before I had graduated. The project was to convert image archives to assist with on ongoing case, but it led to being asked to take on the portrait work for the firm. Thirty years later, I am still working with Canada’s top Bay Street firms, traveling across Canada and the United States, meeting and working with the best professionals in the legal industry.

A Wider Lens

In 2004, I decided to go back to the former Republic of Yugoslavia. I was no longer in uniform and the Dragoons were doing a closing-up tour as the war was winding down and the country was beginning to stabilize. The experience was surreal in contrasting it to my first visit. Now, I could actually walk through the streets of Sarajevo peacefully and enjoy a Turkish coffee at a café, watching life go by.

Inspired by this last tour of the Regiment, I had the good fortune to speak with the Regimental Sergeant Major about our shared time in the Army, life in general, and how I could help the Regiment out. It was the first of many conversations that led me to becoming the inaugural Patron of The Royal Canadian Dragoons. The role was a perfect fit for me, as I had been looking for a way to give back, help people, and generally leave the world a better place.

I have now spent almost two decades volunteering in this role and, in 2017, was honoured to be awarded the Meritorious Service Medal by the Governor General of Canada. The experience of that moment, sitting in Rideau Hall, was beyond humbling to say the least. I took my family with me, wanting them to meet and be inspired by the other recipients, and so we could all experience what community is all about: Imagining the best for each other and working hard to achieve it.

For me, being a photographer has been more than just running a successful enterprise. It is a visual journey of how I have defined my life. I have helped to build, create, shape, reward, challenge and inspire people through my life’s work in photography. And for that, I will always be grateful.

- David Batten, MSM