SirakPhoto: Photo Gallery of Joci Sirak

I was born and raised in Hungary, Europe. I´ve had an avid interest in nature since elementary school, thanks to one of my teachers, who frequently took us camping and hiking in the mountains of northern Hungary. I completed my degree in 1984 at the University of Sopron, Hungary, majoring in Forestry and Lumber Industry. After I received my degree I worked as a logger in Miskolc, a horticulturist at the Botanical Garden of the University of Sopron, a technologist at a furniture manufacturer in Miskolc, and as an animal keeper - later on a deputy director - at the Game Farm of Miskolc, in northern Hungary. I moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1998.

Artist Statement

"But man does not create... he discovers."
     --Antoni Gaudí

I´ve had a fascination with photography ever since I was 18. British Columbia enchanted me the moment I moved here with its majestic peaks, the grandiose slopes of the surrounding mountains, the many faces of the ocean, its rugged rivers, and its flora and fauna. Canada proved to be such a strong inspiration, that with the turn of the millennium I decided to pursue a career in fine art photography, even though I had never formally studied it.

For me, the most important aspect of photography is composition, a search for balance within the milieu of light, shadow, color, and sharp or fading elements. Whether the photo draws from the surroundings of a nature park, or a forgotten, unkept back street, my goal is to use this compelling harmony to lightly accentuate the form or subject, or even elevate it to another dimension.

In recent years I have spent most of my time in the city of Vancouver, trying to get a closer glimpse at its hidden treasures, while also taking more black and white and contemporary pictures.

My latest objective is to create pictures with less sharp subjects, giving more meaning to the blurred and uncertain (background) elements of the photographic image, thus making them an integral segment of the complete photograph.