BANFF – Rockies locals, especially photographers, were saddened to learn of the passing of widely published and respected scenic photographer, Douglas Leighton.
Leighton died on March 18, at his home in the Blaeberry River, west of Golden, B.C.
Leighton was born in Banff in 1953 and grew up there. At the age of 10, his family relocated to Penticton, where he acquired his first camera. Always keenly interested in the natural world, he worked as a B.C. Parks naturalist for eight years, developing his photography skills while capturing images for interpretive slide shows.
While living in Nelson, Leighton and Rockies photographer Scott Rowed became friends through their shared passion for nature and photography.
“The news of Doug’s death gives me a lot of sadness,” Rowed said. “We spent many days together photographing and hiking in Kokanee Glacier Park, the Valhallas and other regions of the Selkirks and Purcells, as well as countless evenings over bottles of wine or other West Kootenay products, musing about the politics and religion, especially with the religious right becoming a force in U.S. politics.”
Leighton moved to Banff in 1985 to pursue a professional photography career, as did Rowed. The two collaborated on tourism industry photography assignments and continued to share ideas, including creating a series of cookbooks.
Leighton’s gorgeous images captured the majesty and the magic of the Rockies, captivating locals and tourists alike. His award-winning coffee table books were published in several languages, making his The Canadian Rockies the all-time best-selling book on the range. His images were published by the National Geographic Society, Audubon Society Books, Time-Life Books and in Canadian Geographic, Nature Canada, Equinox and Beautiful British Columbia magazines, among others.
Along the way, Leighton’s work provided deep inspiration for a multitude of successful professional photographers in the Rockies.
“When I first started photographing in the Canadian Rockies in the early 1990s, Doug was the premier landscape and nature photographer in the area, and frankly, one of the best in North America,” said wildlife photographer John E. Marriott.
“His coffee table book, The Canadian Rockies, was the gold standard of books and when I got around to publishing my first few books in 2007-09 about the Rockies, I literally used Doug’s as motivation and inspiration, both to strive to achieve what he achieved with his book in terms of sales and success, but also to try to equal or better it in my own way.”
For Banff-based Paul Zizka, whose images of Banff under the brilliant aurora have exposed an entirely new vison of the range, Leighton provided creative inspiration.
“I never met the man, but his work – especially his Rockies aerials – was a huge inspiration for me to pick up the camera a few years back,” Zizka said. “Upon getting to Banff the first time, it is partly his imagery that ignited my desire to get out there and explore beyond the townsite.”
For wedding and commercial photographer John Bonner, a longtime Banff resident now living in Comox, B.C., the memories and inspiration are more personal.
“Doug was just a great guy and an inspiration,” Bonner said. “I’ve never met anyone who loved to laugh more.”
The two met nearly 30 years ago when Bonner was working at the Banff Film Lab and Leighton routinely brought in slides for processing.
“As we did 35mm slide processing, many of the local pros brought us their film for processing,” Bonner said. “Doug was by far one of the friendliest and most easy-going photographers, pro or amateur, I ever served. He was so willing to share his knowledge and experience. Most of all, he was just a joy to know, almost vibrating with positive energy and great humour. If you had a question about wildlife, and especially about birds, he had a wealth of knowledge that he was willing to share. He leaves a great legacy with his documentation of the natural history of the Rockies.”
Widely known for his photographic talents, Leighton’s passion for birding inspired him throughout his life. In 2005, he left Banff to live in the Blaeberry with his wife, Myriam. He continued to pursue various projects, and consistently added to the eBird data stream.
“From time to time, while photographing the Columbia Wetlands, I’d stop along Highway 95 to chat with what I knew to be an intense birder,” said Golden photographer Darcy Monchak. “He seemed to have as much knowledge as anyone regarding the flora and fauna of the area. Only after a while did I find out that he was Douglas Leighton, whose 1993 photography book The Canadian Rockies had helped to inspire me and many others to seek out our own compositions of that vast cordillera. While he still had his camera gear with him, his main equipment of interest were his binoculars and scope. It was obvious that his key passion now was to be a keen observer of nature, and it was like he was part of the ecosystem of these wetlands.”
His contribution, Zizka said, is a lasting one.
“I feel Doug’s departure is a huge loss for our photo community,” Zizka said. “Douglas provided us with such a unique perspective on the mountain parks. Many of his images have been emulated time and time again, and many will never be repeated because of the efforts he put himself through to create them. I look forward to browsing through his books and enjoying his vision for years to come.”
To share condolences, visit https://memoryleaf.net/doug-leighton.
