I have started this blog a number of times over the past 3-4 months but I have never been able to bring it to fruition.
Recently however, a fellow photographer who I have never met, clear across the other side of the country, gave me a very kind shout out of sorts on social media and it rekindled my desire to finish what I started.
Last fall I sat down with another photographer and started a very long discussion on the merits of promoting other photographers works over my own. The photography community across Canada is a large one and competition is fierce no matter where you live. That being said there has been a move over the past number of years to create collaborations over competitions and the result in my opinion has brought more of us together than wedged us apart.
One community that is founded on collaboration and mutual support is OFFBEAT, a company that was founded by Dave Brosha of PEI and Paul Zizka from Alberta. Together they have built a community of like minded individuals that are truly supportive of each other. Together they have redefined what creative courage really means and many successful careers have sprung up from the many workshops and creative retreats that OFFBEAT sponsor.
I stumbled upon Dave Brosha in 2008 not as a photographer but mistakenly as a writer in a now defunct Canadian photography magazine. I became an instant fan of his writing and then quickly realized he was a dedicated educator and an amazing photographer. As a generalist I was drawn to his ability to cross genres effortlessly with consistent results while never getting hung up by labels.
Over time I became a regular at their workshops and OFFBEAT has played a large role in my journey as I left the hobby world behind to become someone silly enough to want to derive 100% of their income from a camera. Cue the scary music.
Part of the Brosha/Zizka method or teaching revolves around both self critique and collaboration. If you learn how to support and collaborate with others good things will happen and should allow you to self critique your own work to allow yourself to find a path that brings out your best work. It’s not always an easy thing to do and some folks do indeed struggle with the concept. Photography is an art form in my eyes. As artists we need inspiration from other photographers. The OFFBEAT community as it has grown over time offers up a near endless supply of inspiration and support. It has been the sole mechanics underneath the machine that drives me to be a better photographer. But…to be better you need to learn, you need to grow as a human and you need to support others in the same manner you would want them to support you.
I can remember leaving a workshop early in the relationship with OFFBEAT thinking “wow….this concept is really strange”…but I understood it clearly because wanting to support other photographers just made sense to me. Some folks really do feel better working alone but I truly believe that without collaboration you really aren’t pushing yourself in the right direction…to find yourself and create your best work.
Some will argue that working alone is a better road to success and I respect that viewpoint. For me though…social learning is more my speed and supporting others really does help me become a better person and hopefully over time that will show in my work.
Let’s face it….we all as photographers or just people all need to look at ourselves as a checkpoint against where we are in the journey. Self reflection can be extremely rewarding if done correctly. No need to beat yourself up all the time but we all need to be looking at what it takes to be a good human.
So here are 5 Canadian Photographers that I feel need some attention. In their own way they may already have a spotlight starting to shine on them but these folks are all good people and deserve some recognition.
Jon Handforth: Jon above all is one of the warmest individuals I have ever met. His black and white photography is second to none and Jon has built a stunning body of work, both from his travels around the world and his love of his own back yard in Canmore Alberta. Jon’s amazing work can be found here: https://www.jon-handforth.com/
Erin Falkenham: Erin will spend a great deal of time trying to convince anyone who chooses to listen, that she really isn’t a photographer at all. She is an amazing mom and partner to her husband and she is an amazing educator. But more than all of that she is truly an amazing woman who happens to be a damn fine photographer. As a portrait and lifestyle photographer in Nova Scotia she has touched many with her unique accounts of her own family as well as many others lucky enough to be in front of her lens. Please check out her work here: https://www.erinfalkenham.com/ and here: https://theportraitcollective.com/
Natalie Gillis: This young lady seems to have done it all. She is a very accomplished pilot, she has travelled to both ends of the earth and has amassed a tremendous body of work on the way. Be it the Antarctica or Baffin Island or the Canadian High Arctic, her work is being recognized as Nat Geo quality. Soft spoken but committed this young lady is an incredible role model and should soon become a driving force in Canadian wildlife, adventure and landscape photography. Check out her impressive body of work here: https://www.nataliegillisphotography.ca/
Susan Marie: Sue named her business after her grandmother which should instantly tell you she is a person of wholesome values. She is a wedding and family portrait photographer residing in Charlottetown PEI. Full disclosure…Sue is the only photographer in this group I don’t know personally but I have followed her work for some time now and she is a great inspiration to how I have built my family portrait sessions. She brings you right into her images …leaving you with that feeling that you’ve known the people for some time. Her grasp of colours and solid post processing creates amazing moments for her clients. Please look into her work here: https://www.anitamariephotography.com/
Julian Buchwald: Julian is a very quiet and shy man. He doesn’t seem to like being in the limelight but his work can’t stay hidden for too much longer. Julian owns a gallery in Edson Alberta which allows him to be less conspicuous but still follow his photography dream. I label Julian as a generalist but he might take issue with that, but regardless of what we call him…he is a very accomplished photographer. Not a fan of social media, Julian’s work can be hard to find….start here: https://docphoto.zenfolio.com/ and then chase him over here : https://www.instagram.com/julianbuchwald/ This man needs more visibility!