Ken Straiton: short biography.


Kenneth Straiton was born in Toronto, Canada, and graduated from the University of Waterloo, Ontario, with an Honors BA in Social Psychology. Straiton moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, to study architecture, but soon changed to study filmmaking, then, to pursue a career as a photographer-artist. Along the way he worked as a carpenter and contractor, taught photography, and traveled extensively. The 1982 exhibition "Quiet Idols," was shown in Canada, Japan, Europe and USA, and was acquired by a number of museums and collections.

1984 saw Straiton move to Tokyo, where he spent 26 years working in commercial and corporate photography, and producing magazine features. From the time he moved to Tokyo, that city became a focus of personal work. "Tokyo Stories", first shown in Zurich in 1992, has continued to evolve. The projects "One Hundred Views of Tokyo", and in color, "Tokyo Street Level", continue Straiton's focus on the manmade, built environment, its interaction with different cultures, and manifestations of the iconic and monumental.

Straiton has also been documenting disappearing cultures and landscapes in China and Southeast Asia.

Straiton's book, "Japanese Design: A Collection", is in its second printing.
Ken Straiton is now located in Toronto, Canada.

Contact:
ken straiton
Toronto, Canada
tel. 1-416-535-7145
e-mail