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Canwest News Service
Robert Keziere was a post-graduate organic chemistry student when he accepted Jim Bohlen's offer to document the Phyllis Cormack's voyage to Amchitka.
Armed with 100 rolls of black-and-white film and a Leica, it was his task to provide the photos that would serve the expedition's ongoing media campaign.
Many of the images, including the iconic photo taken of the crew prior to departure, remain some of the most enduring and powerful attached to the Greenpeace name.
While Keziere admits he was partially motivated at the time from a photography standpoint, he says he was enraged by the Americans' willingness to conduct nuclear testing in the area.
"I thought it was utterly appalling that they would detonate a nuclear device in this region," he says. "I was just outraged."
At the conclusion of the trip, however, Keziere decided against a career in the sciences and activism in favor of a career in photography. He was head photographer at the Vancouver Art Gallery for a numbers of years and has, since 1982, run an independent studio that specializes in art photography.
When asked about what role he played in spawning today's environmental movement, Keziere remains modest.
"Basically, we were not that significant a contribution when it came down to it," he says. "I think it was important to do, however it was done. But it remains a nucleating endeavor, which remains great."
colivier@theprovince.com
