Our sense of vision, an outlet to our soul, the providing piece of how and what we see in this world as beautiful, tragic, peaceful and creative. We see, but only for the moment until it is forever stored in our minds as a distorted memory of the past.

Calgary based commercial and fine art photographer, Greg Gerla enthralls the basis of his work on the openness to his own creative world.

“The majority of artists tend to wear their heart on their sleeve and the same is true with me, “ Gerla explained. “My personal work says the most about me.”

“I’m passionate about what I do and no matter what it is I’m photographing, I inject a healthy dose of personal creativity into the process.”

Like any artist, inspiration comes from what is happening in our current world. Whether seen by ones own eye, news media, or social networks, Gerla continues to stay current in his photographic angles by challenging his skill.

“Photography is a constantly changing beast and trends in fashion, style & pop culture force me to constantly change with what is current,” Gerla said.

“I see this as a positive thing; it certainly keeps me on my toes and there is no chance of complacency.”

Locally, “much of the economy is connected to the oil industry,” and photographers adjust to the market to have ingenious ways to standout in the crowd from other professional photographers.

“One has to be able to accept that business is constantly fluctuating and it hones your skills in the ups and downs of the market,” Gerla explained.

“One needs to harness it as a means of driving you further.”

Although the industry continues to remain competitive, Gerla’s methods of staying ahead of a visually oriented society would surprise most, as he doesn’t look at it as two hockey franchises in head-to-head battle at the Stanley Cup Final.

 “Competitiveness is a double-edged sword [and] it can be a debilitating force,” Gerla said. “See your competitors as colleagues within the community.”

“Celebrate their success and use that to push yourself and when this happens, the entire community moves forward.

With his love for fashion and fine art photography, Gerla has a never-ending source of inspiration and creative execution in creating that next sought after piece of imagery.

“[Fashion] provides a wonderful arena to try new things and to step out of the normal expectations in pushing the creative envelope in the commercial marketplace,” Gerla said.

“Fine art allows me to pay attention to internal creativity. It clears the mind and allows for a deeper exploration into the process of making imagery.”