Todd McLellan grew up on some of the meanest streets in Saskatoon, where work can be hard to come by and what's to be had is hard and done with the hands. But McLellan had always wanted to put his own hands to a more artistic use than hanging on to the end of a shovel. Flashes of his future began, when his grandparents gave him his first camera, a Kodak 110, when he was just 10. His father, Glen an enthusiastic hobby photographer himself, approved of the gift. Over the years, teaching his son the principles of creating images, Glen stressed one crucial piece of advice: Don't waste pictures. It easily could have been dismissed as just another fatherly admonishment. Instead, it echoes in McLellan's head every time he picks up a camera.

So a serious hobby was born, but not yet a career. A string of blue collar jobs followed, a nagging sense of a world slipping away grew. Finally, the risk-taking began: Leaving family and friends behind to pursue his passion, he moved to Calgary to attend the Alberta College of Arts & Design. There, an elective course in photography put him on the path that ultimately lead to his career today once he accepted that his life's work didn't have to feel like a job.

Graduating in 2002 with a bachelor's of fine arts, he next leapt across the country to continue on with his passion for photography in Canada's big city of Toronto.

A man who has consistently figured out how to get done what's needed, precision and patience are the twin keys to McLellan's method. Relentless at meeting deadlines, and motivated to create as only the artistic in society can be, McLellan's bright personality contrasts with the level of seriousness he brings to his craft. When your life is spent doing what you love, though, it's hard not to be happy.