Edward Burtynsky was born on February 22, 1955 with the name of Edward Taras Buratynsky.

His parents lived in different parts of Ukraine, but were displaced because of Hitler. They both went to Ontario, Canada and met there. That is where he was born.

He is of Ukrainian descent. The closest thing he has done was to take some pictures for the Holocaust memorial in Canada, which did impact his parent’s life heavily.

Burtynsky was not wealthy. He began painting at age of 7 then his dad got him a darkroom. He began taking pictures at 11 years old. To make money, he began to take pictures of his classmates and sell them to parents and also took pictures of Ukrainian events in community. He opened a darkroom rental with the help of then wife.

                            Techniques

Burtynsky uses a camera and has a darkroom. He submerges  photographs in the liquid then hangs them to dry.

He prints his work at image works across his building, which his ex wife is in charge of.

Jim Panou is his producer who helps him find locations to take pictures of and showcase his work.

Burtynsky says his intent is not to provide a lesson to people but to inform people of what we do to the world to live how we want.

Burtynsky does not intend to give political views or environmental issues that need to be changed through his art, although it may seem like he is.

The photograph series that helped him become known and to get out of struggling financially was the nickel tailings. The pictures were misinterpreted and put on a page of National Geographic.

The people who influenced Burtynsky early were Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Eadweard Muybridge, and Carleton Watkins. He saw their work in a museum in the 1980s.

In 1985 he married Jeannie Baxter, who helped print his work at her studio. They had two children then separated in 2007.  She encouraged him when he was ready to give up art because of a roadblock he experienced in his work.