Photographer Reave Dennison joined museum members, supporters, and friends at the June opening of Under 60 Tons, showcasing his photography of life in the tow-boating industry of the Pacific Northwest. We caught up with Reave about the impact of the show, and what’s next for his work.
About Under 60 Tons
Runs 6 June – 2 November 2025
Based on Mayne Island, BC, Reave Dennison is a darkroom enthusiast with a deep appreciation for traditional photographic processes. Alongside his work in the trades, he focuses on documenting the labour and lives that shape the Pacific Northwest. Each of his prints is enlarged on silver gelatin paper and carefully toned—an intentional choice to preserve and honour working histories through film photography.
Objects relating to West Coast tugboats from the Maritime Museum of BC’s collection are also displayed.
Visit us at the Maritime Museum of BC this summer to see the show.
“Photography’s Capacity to Illuminate”
Documenting a disappearing industry
Reave Dennison, Photographer
I am very happy to be able to contribute a small body of work to a very large group of existing information about the tow boating industry in the Pacific Northwest.
For me, personally, the opportunity to display my work at the Maritime Museum of BC is a great privilege. I am thankful for the enthusiasm of the Museum and their appreciation for photography’s capacity to illuminate and share experiences that are overlooked or taken for granted. If it was not for the Museum, the opportunity to bring this story about the heritage of British Columbia’s tow boating industry to Victoria wouldn’t have been possible.
I am currently working with a graphic design and publishing practice out of Vancouver, Information Office. We are working on completing my first published 160 page monograph that goes deeper into the experience of living and working in the tow boating industry in the Pacific Northwest. My hope is to have the book printed and released by early 2026 alongside the release of a new exhibition documenting the dwindling culture of beachcombing.
