Qu the credits

An international student develops a deeper appreciation of photography—and Canadian culture

by Lynda Hills

Qu

As a small child in Shengyang, China, Leon Qu went with his father into the countryside every weekend to take pictures. Then, for his 12th birthday he received his own camera. He’s been experimenting with photography ever since. The UVic international student is now in his fourth year of a visual arts degree.

“I didn’t choose photography, photography chose me,” Qu says.

Qu first studied sociology when he came to Canada, but soon realized that what he really wanted to do was take pictures. “Photography has altered my perspective about the world,” he says. “What I see from my eye is different from what I see through my camera.”

In an effort to put his skills to practical use, Qu joined the arts and writing co-op and completed a work term at Victoria’s Lens and Shutter photography store last summer. He returns there for a second term in May, where duties will include working in the lab, and developing and printing photos. “It’s important to know the printing process and the film in order to control the final result,” he says.

During his first work term, Qu learned to look at photography from two sides. He says his instruction at UVic taught him to think artistically about photography and his experience at Lens and Shutter has helped him understand Canadian culture.
“The job was not simple, so working there gave me a lot of confidence,” he says.

Qu is impressed by Canada’s natural environment, the focus of much of his work. “The geographic landscape is very different here; the air is cleaner and the light very transparent. I especially love the sea,” he says.

Qu’s photographs are currently on display in the arts and writing co-op office and the co-op director’s office at the University Centre. “Visual art is really about what you see, but there are other, more important things that are behind a picture,” he says. “For me, photography is a bridge between the physical and internal worlds.”