When Roberta Bondar went into space in 1992, becoming the first Canadian woman to see Earth while orbiting through the thermosphere, she was captivated by the planet’s contoured horizon. Twenty-five years later, that fascination lives on through her photography, which often plays with the line between land and sky.
She first started experimenting with cameras as a child in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., and her photography, like most of her life’s work, balances both art and science, curiosity and creativity. Each photo is a labour of love, not to mention time.
With four photography books to her name (and a fifth on the way), she now donates many of her pictures to her eponymous charity foundation, which aims to address society’s growing nature deficit.
These photos are her intimate portraits of Canada. See more in the July/August 2017 issue of Canadian Geographic.
Captions based on the book Passionate Vision: Discovering Canada’s National Parks, by Roberta L Bondar, published by Douglas and McIntyre, Vancouver 1992; and The Roberta Bondar Foundation Travelling Exhibitions.