I can’t help but be romantic when I talk about photography, and how could I not? It has literally changed my life — giving me a sense of purpose, instilling a confidence in myself I’ve never known, and the opportunity to meet so many incredibly talented people.
How I got into photography feels almost serendipitous (I told you, I can’t help it). It came to me at the perfect time in my life and when I probably needed it the most.
I was in my mid 20s and working a 9-5 job I was no longer passionate about. I was going through the motions for a few months which cast a huge cloud of doubt about what I wanted out of my life. Was this it? You work five days a week, constantly counting down to 5pm, sleep in on weekends, and dread Mondays. The thought of this constantly gave me anxiety.
I think it was the autumn of 2014 when Derek hosted a photography workshop which focused on shooting couples. A few friends and I brought whatever cameras we had at the time and came through to support. We went to Webster Falls in Hamilton and I remember how majestic the couple looked against a backdrop of lush forestry and beaming natural light. I couldn’t help but be present in that moment to just soak everything in. Derek went through some techniques on posing, camera settings, framing…all that boring stuff. But left that day with something more important though. All of a sudden, the anxiety I was going through turned into urgency. I wanted to get good really, really bad.
I spent the next two and a half years trying to get better. I watched YouTube tutorials, DM’ed A LOT of people to shoot and shadowed other photographers who were light years ahead of me. I moved downtown to make myself more accessible for shoots and networking with others in the industry. I’d come home from my day job and jump right into a shoot or an editing session. It was a GRIND. It still is. The one thing that keeps me going is an addiction to the process. I never let a win get to my head and I always took failures as learning lessons.
With that being said, my process continues…and I’m excited to start this next chapter with the Mariner Agency, taking my love for the craft to capture those special moments.
– Andre
