Today we’d like to introduce you to John Fecteau.
Hi John, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
As a child growing up on the edge of a swamp in eastern Massachusetts , I developed an early fascination with the flora and fauna that lived around me. My interest in science and nature only grew as the years went by. After high school, unable to ignore my ever increasing wanderlust, I joined the U.S. Air Force in the hope of traveling and seeing the world. While stationed in the Philippines in 1981, I bought my first 35mm camera and a lifelong passion was born. I knew nothing about photography but was determined to learn. Over the next 10 years I read everything I could get my hands on, shot lots of slide film and made copious mistakes. While stationed at Travis AFB, Ca., I attended Solano community college where I studied darkroom techniques, composition and the art of photography. Through passion and dedication, I developed an ability to see the world differently. In 1991, I moved to Montana in the hope of pursuing my photographic aspirations by immersing myself in the “Big Sky Country”. I spent countless hours scouting, shooting, sorting and labeling slides, contacting editors and various tasks associated with the business end of photography. I learned to do portraits, weddings and worked seasonal jobs to pay the bills. I lived out of my truck for the better part of a year while I went on the road to explore not only the American west, but the dream of becoming a full time nature photographer. At some point during that time, I came to realize it wasn’t really the life that I wanted to live. So I got a “real” job in 1996 as a city letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service in Missoula, Montana and continued my education through professional seminars and workshops, photo clubs, competitions and independent study. I began getting published in magazines, calendars, postcards etc.. The internet was in its early days at that time but has since then provided an immense resource for learning and marketing unavailable to us old-timers. To this day, I continue to study and learn new techniques while traveling and shooting select locations in the West as time permits. I retired in 2021 and split my time between Arizona and Montana.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Chasing any dream presents many challenges, and photography is no different in that respect. Of course money is an ever present necessity in anyone’s life, no matter what their chosen vocation. For the better part of a decade, I tried to balance my desire to become a successful photographer with paying the bills. I had to be creative with the limited funds I had available to me at the time. I faced stiff competition at every turn. Frequently, I would expend much time and energy on shooting and submitting photos to various publications, only to be summarily rejected, with nothing to show for my efforts. I learned to take rejection in stride and persevere in spite of my many failures. I remember reading a quote that basically stated that “it takes years of hard work to become an overnight success”. I can attest to that!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At this point in my career, I am mainly interested in capturing beautiful landscapes lit with great light and turning them into vibrant metal prints. Most of my work over the last two decades has been shot with that end goal in mind. I particularly enjoy the challenge of scouting out and finding great compositions in lessor known places, although I still do shoot the more familiar National Park images as well.
I’m most proud of my passion, perseverance, and maturity as a nature photographer, which has spanned over 40 years. Being a perfectionist is not an easy road to travel, but I believe it is necessary to achieve a high level of quality and artistic vision if you want to stand above the crowd. It is my sincere hope that my work embodies that ideal.
Setting yourself apart from the sea of shutter junkies out there is not an easy task these days. I feel very fortunate that I don’t rely on my photography work for my livelihood and I’m glad I will never have to. This allows me a great deal of freedom in what I choose to shoot. As a result, I only pull out my camera and tripod when something print-worthy appears in front of me. I never feel pressured to produce new images, and I think that is reflected in my work. Certainly, my 45 years of experience doesn’t hurt either.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was a shy, introverted kid, who had a fair amount of friends but truly enjoyed being by myself sometimes. That probably had something to do with the fact that I had five siblings and lived in a neighborhood full of kids so alone time was hard to come by. Whenever I was alone, I would usually be off exploring, fishing, or looking for the various critters that inhabited our backyard brook and nearby woods. We rode bikes a lot, usually with some destination in mind that involved catching frogs, fish or turtles as the end game.
TV was just starting to be an ever-present part of our lives in the 60’s. It was an amazing time to be alive and aware of the changing world around us. Vietnam, The Beatles, the Space Program all indelibly seared into our memory banks. I spent a lot of time daydreaming about far-off destinations that I would someday visit (perhaps some degree of unrecognized clairvoyance on my part!).
My father had an 8mm movie camera and a Polaroid Land camera that he used to record some memorable moments in our family history. As I think back to those times, I wonder if maybe he planted the seed that later sprouted into an insatiable desire to preserve my own photographic history. In addition to being a mechanic, he was a musician in a guitar and banjo club. I was blessed with an amazing mother who sacrificed almost everything to raise her family. She was a singer in our church choir so music was an important part of our lives. Although I often wished to the contrary, there was hardly a dull moment at my childhood home.
Pricing:
- High quality aluminum prints shipped right to your door
- Prices range from $65 to $2500
- Custom Sizes Available up to 8ft. Wide
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @johnfecteauphotography
- Facebook: @johnfecteauphotography
