Eric L. Chan is a photographer, filmmaker and teacher based out of Mississauga, Ontario. What started out as a hobby, turned into a job and he has dipped his foot in just about every type of photography.
A few years ago, Chan began to go hiking regularly with friends and would snap some shots for the sake of memory. As he posted the pictures on social media, they gained a bit of traction and over time, it snowballed into the company that he runs today – Limit One Productions.
Between gigs, Chan still takes the time to reconnect with how it all began and explore Ontario’s backyard with his friends and shooting partner, Joey Christopher.
Chan enjoys taking lifestyle portraits of people enveloped in wildlife as a means of promoting the natural wonders we are lucky enough to have all around us. About 95 per cent of the places they go are within an hour or two from Toronto and are accessible day trips. Most people assume Chan and his partner are travelling all around the world when they see some of the incredible landscapes they have posted, but in reality, it’s probably a half hour drive from their doorstep.
“I hear many of my millennial friends complaining that it is too expensive to travel and I completely empathize because I am in the same tight-budget boat,” Says Chan. “My photography is a means to showcase the adventures you can still have on a shoestring budget every weekend to relax and regroup before Monday rears its ugly head.”
One thing Chan tries to promote when taking newcomers out on a day trip is ensuring they enjoy the scenery but leave as little of a footprint as possible. “We want to enjoy the environment we have without disturbing it and the delicate ecosystem that it supports; so little things like brushing our shoes off of seeds before and after to prevent the spread of invasive species, making sure we aren’t stepping on newly sprouting trees, and not feeding any wild animals are examples of simple steps we can take.”
“Ontario is such a rich and diverse landscape of many types of environments and ecosystems. We should all respect and appreciate it while we still can because it’s slowly being paved over with concrete, landfills, and condos,” says Chan, before adding, “Live sustainably, appreciate the natural world around us, and go out and explore.”
