Whenever I asked, Dave Steers would share a photo.

Sometimes two or three, forcing me to spend hours deliberating over which one to choose.

Sometimes, (terrible confession) I’d grab a screenshot of one of his images from his flickr account and forget to credit him. And still, he has remained generous, supportive, responsive.

I don’t know that a single community event has taken place without Dave being there to document it, not to mention very many rescues – as manager of the Pemberton Search and Rescue team, he has served this community in countless ways.

As we consider what impact the loss of the Whistler Question has on our community and its stories, I lament even doubly so the loss of Dave’s lens and quiet commitment to serving and honouring this place.

He’s been shooting steadily for the last decade, returning to a lifelong love that started with a dark room with his brother, and was followed by a degree in photojournalism.

From an earlier attempt to turn the focus onto Dave:

I always find stuff I want to shoot. Possibly because of a bit of photojournalism I shoot in that style – i don’t like posing pictures at all – staging them – I like wandering around having people get used to me and trying to be the fly on the wall shooting things that are happening in front of me…

the Pemberton area is a huge influence on me.

I grew up in a mountainless world and in a way i’m happy about that because i find i can still sit and watch the light play over mt currie for hours…and i’m not sure i’d be doing that if i was born here.

I always look when I see his byline – be it in the New York Times, The Ski Journal, or the Globe and Mail. Obviously, in the Question, where every week, he captured the essence of our small town life.

In December, Dave tendered his resignation from a decades-deep career at Whistler Blackcomb, and is off to the Sunshine Coast to try out a snow-free winter, for a change.

I don’t know if this is Dave’s parting shot for us here at the Wellness Almanac – I hope not – but an artist must be free to go forth and create other things, as I learned once at a totem raising ceremony.

So, best wishes and much gratitude to Dave Steers. As they say, may the wind be always at your back.