Joanie immigrated to Canada from the Philippines. Her love of nature started at an early age. Although she studied to be a Medical Technologist her natural interests were in drawing, painting and photography.
In 1984, she met Norman Piluke. She was inspired to redirect her artistic talents toward Photography by attending Seneca College. However as life progressed she began working with Norman who recognized her appreciation of photography and took her under his wing. While on field trips together the challenge of using different equipment, from 35 mm to large format further inspired her to grow as a photographer.
Having gained her confidence in the technology, she acquired her first medium format camera, a Mamiya RZ 6x7. Throughout those years, Joanie was also exposed to and enjoyed the use of film and the creative printing process in the darkroom. Today, like Norman, you can see her using her Digital SLR camera.
She is also a avid birdwatcher and has been enjoying field ornithology for over twenty years. This often assisted Norman in capturing birds on field trips during the good old film days. That time, Joanie carried her telescope and a pair of binoculars.Today, with the advent of digital SLR, she can be found photographing birds side by side with Norman Piluke and other avian photographers.
Joanie says, "I always loved nature as a kid growing up in the Philippines. The pleasant air of the outdoors, bird watching and enjoying the wild flowers take me back home. As much as I enjoy the nature trails I also love to travel abroad and explore other countries in this beautiful world. The greatest accomplishment of this adventure with Norman is recording our travels and sharing our experiences with others through our exhibitions.
In the 80s, if someone asked Joanie if she does photography, she answered, "sometimes." Managing the Norman Piluke Gallery for her husband was her main priority and still is! This time photography has become a fulltime activity for Joanie. You will also find her many images, along with Norman's work, displayed in their gallery and their exhibitions.
