Since his early student years, Jean-François Bergeron has always shown a passionate interest in nature. Beginning in 1981, he studied biology and photography at the Université de Montréal, and in 1988 was granted a Master’s degree in ecology at the University of Toronto. Jean-François Bergeron also worked as a volunteer for the Union québécoise pour la conservation de la nature for more than ten years. He acted as president of the photo contest La Nature du Québec en images and from 1996 to 1999 became photo editor of the nature magazine Franc-Vert. Through these responsibilities, Jean-François presented nature photography as a vehicle to nature education and a way to raise public awareness about the importance of nature conservation.

In his photographic research, he attempts to express the wealth of the natural heritage and the beauty of the Canadian landscape by focusing on its vibrant colours. In his search of colours, shapes, and lights, Jean-François always had a strong attachment to the Canadian land which remains his primary source of inspiration. Since 1991, Jean-François and his wife Hélène Savard have criss-crossed the ten Canadian provinces and the three territories in order to capture the essence and the beauty of the great Canadian landmarks. Their work which brings out the diversity and the uniqueness of the country’s landscapes and ecosystems, will be presented in 2003 in the book Canada’s Wild Lands (published by Éditions GID – Québec).

Since founding Enviro Foto in 1991 with Hélène Savard, Jean-François has concentrated on bringing the worlds of publishing, communication, and business into contact with various facets of the natural environment and the regions of Canada. His images and the images of his five associates have been published in the book La Nature du Québec – la flore, la faune et les écosystèmes (Éditions GID – Québec). Jean-François is currently leading the Enviro Foto Group towards the production of books dealing with the picturesque Charlevoix region and Québec’s network of parks. His work has been published in Canadian books and magazines and has widely appeared in tourism and ecotourism publications. In fact, Jean-François and Hélène have carried out assignments with almost all the provincial and territorial tourism agencies of Canada. His images have appeared at numerous exhibitions and multimedia events, including the Canadian Pavilion during the International Exhibition held in Lisbon, Portugal in 1998. Besides participating in the writing and design of publications, the photographer is presently engaged in conferences, presenting his views on the value and diversity of our natural heritage.