My Inspirations
My interest in the creative community started when I was 15. I was a skateboard instructor for the city at the time, and everyone I worked with was at least 3 years older than me. After work on the weekends, we started exploring abandoned houses and farms until dark, usually with a camera involved. I wouldn’t say I was modelling, however, a lot of the time I was the subject in a lot of the photography on these adventures. Being a part of these photographs allowed me to feel a part of the story they were telling.
Eventually my interest in photography led to a friendship with Ethan Richardson. Ethan had an early start in photography compared to myself and a very natural talent. I was blown away by the images he would capture at the young age of 15 or 16. Eventually he convinced me to buy my own DSLR camera, the Canon 70D, which is the same camera I am currently using. Ethan and I started adventuring almost every weekend, while he was teaching me most of what I know today about photography. Here are a few photos I took in the first few months of owning a camera.
After diving into the creative community I was obsessed with portrait and lifestyle photography on Instagram. Specifically, Aaron Brimhall and and Samuel Elkins, who are still currently my favourite photographers (@aaronbhall & @samuelelkins).
Seeing their images and lifestyle forced me out almost every weekend with Ethan trying to capture moments similar to theirs. By doing this, it forced Ethan and I to make the best of our surroundings and explore as much of southern Ontario we were able to. I was totally obsessed with trying to capture images similar to their style which is what has assisted in helping me find my own style. Here are a few images I took early on trying to capture the same feeling.
Over the years I eventually started to find my own style and I drifted away from trying to replicate other photographer’s styles. I am still finding my own, however, I believe every time I use my camera I am slowly making my photos more and more my own. I will continue to search for inspiration for creativity through Ethan’s work, along with Samuel and Aarons, while I continue my creative journey in finding myself through my lens. Feel free to explore the rest of my website to see how my photography has changed compared to the images attached in this blog.
