Photographer Ian Macdonald-Smith has decided to celebrate a personal milestone with a special exhibit.

At age 46, he's holding a show of his work to mark the 23 years he's spent in the industry.

Called Half Life, it opens this evening at the Bermuda Society of Arts in City Hall.

"The reason for the show is that for exactly half my life, I have been a photographer," he told The Royal Gazette.

"I thought it would be nice to have a little show to celebrate, and I have submitted work to both the Charman Prize and to the Biennial [Exhibition] for people to see some of the bigger water reflections, printed on canvas, in one place.

"And two of the pieces were accepted in the Biennial."

The exhibit includes black-and-white infrared photography.

"It shows Bermuda in a new light," Mr. Macdonald-Smith said.

"It makes all of the vegetation go white, so you have this very ethereal, almost surrealist view of the scene. You know that it is not a negative, because it is enough in the image to know that it is the right way round.

"But then you've got palm trees that look like they are snow covered, but you know that they aren't because it would just be the tops, and then you don't usually have snow on palm trees anyway."

The photographs on display are examples of his first foray into the medium.

"Theresa Airey who is another great photographer was kind enough to give me the information about the camera," he said.

"I got it three weeks ago, liked it, and have just been experimenting and the next thing I knew I had this show coming up, so I thought it was worth putting these in.

"I have gone and revisited a lot of the open spaces, a lot of the parks, because with all the trees, the parks lend themselves to infrared photography."

One of the advantages of infrared photography is that it showed Bermuda in a way not usually seen, he added

"As photographers we tend to know the Island better than most, because we have to scour 20 square miles to get fresh imagery.

"So what I have done, with many, the location is hidden in the title or is alluded to."

Also on display is a series of water reflections.

"I have been working on them for 22 to 23 years," said Mr. Macdonald-Smith.

"It is a little bit of a juxtaposition, I like to mix it up a bit."

Half Life is the first solo show Mr. Macdonald-Smith has had here in more than a decade.

"I had one in New York in 2008, but my last one here was actually in 1993.

"I've been very busy travelling and I've exhibited in the Biennial; I had a gallery [Just Clicked] for 11 years if people wanted to see my imagery it was always available."

European scenes are a common theme in his water series.

"Of the water reflections, all of them were taken in Europe," Mr. Macdonald Smith said.

"I've really honed the series and taken it to new levels and Europe is a place where I can really, really get some phenomenal water reflection imagery."

Most of the images are shot around and in various cities.

"Obviously because of the age of Europe in almost all of the significant towns almost all are in or are close to water. And then you have all the old architecture reflected into the water.

"I like to explore the towns and, while I am photographing the architecture, the landscape and all of the abstract fine art. It is a good way to combine my various genres."

He named photographer Graeme Outerbridge as one of the "great mentors" he'd had over the years.

"Graham Outerbridge was an influence with his abstract architecture. I did the abstract architecture, but then you create your own niche, your own style, you don't want to be pigeon-holed as just an imitator.

"I am influenced by the abstract expressionists particularly Jackson Pollock. I love it because of the abstract nature [that] breaks compositional rules and I'm not adverse to breaking rules."

The show is up until May 19.

Tech Art also opens this evening at the BSoA.