Stunning images are beautifully presented alongside biographical essays that enhance the soulful nature of this unique portfolio.

Many people wear a lifetime of experiences on their face, yet who that person is and what they have experienced often remains a mystery. In Resilient, Wayne Simpson’s first book of photography, readers will encounter a collection of portraits accompanied by individual stories of inspiration, tragedy, and humanitarianism. The book’s overall narrative is an emotional journey in which readers will inevitably see aspects of themselves in the stories of some truly remarkable individuals.

With compassion and respect, Wayne Simpson has befriended individuals and discovered personal stories such as an 89-year-old homeless man’s struggle to survive, an 18-year search for a lost brother, a man’s 40-year devotion to building a ten thousand square foot nuclear fallout shelter, and many more. Intertwined with each story is the subnarrative of the photographer learning who he is as each connection is forged.

Always compelling and at times haunting, Simpson’s portraits keep storytelling at the forefront. The atmosphere and mood are often crafted with multiple studio lights on location. Many of Simpson’s portraits are graced with intricate details, each adding additional layers of complexity to the portrait and in turn making each portrait a visual story on its own.

Wayne Simpson is a professional photographer originating from Aamjiwnaang First Nation and from Lindsay, Ontario, who specializes in dramatic portraiture and landscape photography. Whether he is photographing a person or a place, Simpson’s ultimate goal is to create images that evoke emotion and a sense of mystery. Exceptionally executed, his portraits hold a mythic quality and hint at a deeper story, beckoning the viewer to wonder about the subject’s life and experience. He actively seeks out many of his subjects and builds a rapport with them before creating a portrait. Simpson’s signature and award-winning style has firmly established him in the Canadian photography scene. As an educator, he conducts portrait and landscape workshops both at home and throughout Canada, and he is a proud contributor to OFFBEAT, one of the nation’s leading photography communities. His work has been published in such magazines as Outdoor Photography, Outdoor Photography Canada, Photo Life, Canadian Geographic, Legion, League, and Canadian Rockies Annual. He lives in Elora, Ontario.

Wayne Simpson's profile page

Dave Brosha has had exhibitions of his work in the Northwest Territories and elsewhere in Canada, United States, United Kingdom, Spain and Germany. His images have appeared in Photo Life, Practical Photography, Canadian Geographic, Maclean’s, The Independent (UK), The Globe and Mail, The Sunday Telegraph, China News, The Guardian, Tehran Times, Montreal Gazette, Outdoor Photographer and many more. Dave has published three books of photography: Northern Light: The Arctic and Subarctic Photography of Dave Brosha, Southern Light: Photography of Antarctica, South Georgia, and the Falkland Islands, and Tones of Grace: 100 Black and White Images From Planet Earth (Fall 2022). He is also the author of a travel memoir, The Art of Misadventure (Fall 2022). In addition to having lived in numerous places throughout northern Canada for much of his life, Dave has travelled extensively throughout the provinces and territories of his native country and numerous countries abroad. He and his family live in St. Ann, Prince Edward Island.

Dave Brosha's profile page

Praise for Resilient:

“With this riveting, heart-wrenching collection of images, Wayne Simpson goes well beyond the pixels. While the portraits alone showcase Simpson’s masterful photographic abilities and leave us reeling in awe, the accompanying stories give the readers a window into what has transpired for these remarkable subjects. Resilient is not just a sensational display of cutting-edge, moving portrait photographs; it’s a journey we undertake, through the lives and experiences of others, thanks to the courage, creativity and inquisitiveness of the artist.”
—Paul Zizka, author of Aloft: Canadian Rockies Aerial Photography, The Canadian Rockies: Rediscovered, Grandeur of the Canadian Rockies and several other bestselling photo collections

“Spending time with this book reminded me of the words of St. John: ‘The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it’.”
—George Webber, author of Borrowed Time: Calgary 1976–2019; Saskatchewan Book; Alberta Book; Prairie Gothic; and Last Call