Ron Gesser in the Westmount Independent

Author of the article: Martin C. Barry
Publishing date: February 21, 2023
Photo by: Martin C. Barry

An amateur photographer from Claremont Ave. is one of two Canadians chosen as finalists in an international photography competition.

Ron Gesser’s striking portrait of an elderly woman from the Kutia Kondh ethnic group in central India was among the top 10 images in eight categories from 32 nations chosen as finalists in the World Photographic Cup awards taking place in Singapore on March 17.

The image, which was taken by Gesser when he was travelling in India, shows an aging woman whose facial expression suggests she has had a challenging existence. He noted that her ethnic group’s current way of living is at risk, as is the way of life of many other indigenous peoples around the world.

An investment advisor by profession, Gesser has taken pictures informally since age 11. However, it was only around 15 years ago that he decided to get serious about his preferred genre – “street” photography. A trip to Peru with his wife, Sharleen, marked the beginning of what are now annual treks to various destinations around the globe – including Cambodia, Vietnam and Ethiopia – where he indulges his love of photography.

“We just got back from a trip to West Africa – from Benin,” he said. When he’s on a trip, he takes along two cameras and five lenses.

Gesser belongs to the Montreal Camera Club, the Canadian Association of Photographic Art and the Photographic Society of America. Although the nomination from the WPC isn’t his first award citation, he says it’s “probably the largest and the biggest I’ve ever received.”

His mirrorless digital camera brand of choice is Fuji. He shoots entirely in manual mode, hand-selecting the aperture and exposure, leaving only the autofocus engaged. He says he appreciates the camera’s traditional design, with control dials on the camera body as they were in the days of analog film photography. “I find that I’m more connected to the camera, that it’s more fun and it’s more inspiring than taking something when it’s more computerized – even though you can do it that way too.”

While on photo shoots, he will often be accompanied by a guide who might help to establish a rapport with the people Gesser decides he wants to photograph in cities, towns and villages. He usually pays his subjects for the few moments it takes to snap their picture. “In certain places like Benin, Ethiopia and elsewhere in Africa, they know their photo is being taken and you have to pay everyone for their photos. Sometimes you take their photo and you pay them, or else you pay them and then take their photo. It depends.”