For his first-ever book launch, things went “quite well," says John Banovich.
Banovich, a wildlife photographer and filmmaker, and now a published author, launched his new book at Mason's Cloverdale Home Furnishings March 28.
"We had a whole building full of people," the Cloverdale resident said. "I met a lot of new folks in the area and it was, overall, very positive."
He said there was a good-size crowd on hand, about 50 to 70 people, which included friends, family, and community members. They were there to meet Banovich, get a copy of his book, and possibly grab one of his prints.
Self-titled “Banovich,” his book—a massive 450-page, 9-lb coffee table book—is filled with more than 300 images of wildlife photography and personal stories behind the photos and the animals.
He said both his art and the book were well-received at the launch. He signed every book and said that most people requested personal messages be included, which he was more than happy to do. Banovich said out of every print, every book, and every postcard he brought along, he sold everything but one print.
"I was shocked, actually. Everyone gobbled everything up. It was surprising. I didn't expect that kind of warm response.”
The book was scheduled to be released at the end of March online, but due to some printing and shipping delays, The book is now scheduled to be released at the end of April.
“The book itself is very Canadiana,” Banovich said. “It has a good sampling of images from across the country, most provinces and all the territories. It's wildlife and wilderness."
He’s also penned some personal reflections that have been included in the book.
"There's quite a few stories that tie a lot of the images together and bring relevance to the photos,” he explained. “There are stories behind certain animals that reveal a little bit about their personality, their character. I named some of them. Some of them I have long-standing relationships with—certain grizzly bears and woodland caribou and certain moose. These are animals that I have revisited year after year after year. And so there's some stories behind (the animals) that I share in the book.”
Banovich also reveals some of the tribulations he's gone through working in remote areas and offers insight into the rewarding aspects of being a wildlife photographer as well.
"What I'm hoping to do with this particular book, and this is the first of three, is to engage and inspire people,” he said. "I hope I can lead the reader on a bit of a journey."
Next up, Banovich will be travelling throughout B.C. and Alberta to do some promo for the book, including some events with Sony Canada. Banovich shoots all his images on Sony cameras.
"They're going to have me come out and do some presentations,” he said. “They want to buy a bunch of the books. They've got a new camera coming out in the near future and they're going to package the book with the camera."
Visit shepherdsterling.com/banovich to read more about the book.
"Banovich" by John Banovich, 450 pages, Shepherd Sterling Publishing, will be available on Amazon sometime at the end of April.
