It truly has been a while. This year I lost my interest in photography for a bit while trying to focus on working as much as possible. To say this year has been easy would be an outright lie. It has taken a toll on me, and it was only until a month ago that I found inspiration to pick my camera back up again on the regular. I can only blame myself for squandering time this past year and not using it to its fullest potential. Though at least I can be happy with myself for deciding to make that change now.
To bring those who don’t already know up to speed, I work for Movie/TV Productions in Toronto and have done so for the past eight or so years. It is a wonderful experience to see how things work behind the scenes and getting to live it every day. Though like most jobs in life; the novelty wears off quick and it becomes just a job once again.
I remember the first time I was working on set and saw a stills photographer and thought ‘I’d love to have the opportunity to be the one to take those photos.’ And for years I just thought about it, and never really asked ‘What do I need to do to obtain that position?’
A month ago I was on my way to work at 4am to a location far outside the city. When I arriving the sun was just rising after parking my car. I got my things together and was about to walk to set when noticing I had my camera bag in my car. Having a few minutes to spare I waited for a car to pull in and…
The first thought that came to mind was that if I cropped the photo at the aspect ratio of modern anamorphic cinematic content (21:9) it would look just like a cinematic still photo from a movie. Minutes later someone drove by, I walked over and waited there.
It wasn’t until cropping the photos that it sparked my old aspirations I had to be a cinematographer. It was a dream of mine the first time I walked onto a movie set. Unfortunately over the years I let myself be told that I couldn’t be a cinematographer by many people. I should have realized they were just bitter old men who saw that I had a spark inside of me and just wanted to drag me down to their level. For years I let those people plant seeds in my head that I would never be good enough. Which is a horrible thought to consistently have on your mind.
Onto a happier topic, I want to take a moment to appreciate some people that bring the best out of me when I work with them. Last year I got to meet a group of guys who took me out on their crew whenever they could. They are generous, and are always positive and supportive. To the Condor/Impulse guys, thank you. You are the only reason why I haven’t left to find work elsewhere. Working with that group made going to work bearable.
The day I took those first two photos was the same day I was reunited with that crew after Impulse finished six months ago. It was that day that inspired me to pick my camera back up and give it another try.
Days later I found myself heading out to a well known quarry conservation site that is occasionally used as a filming location. I took the opportunity to add some more photos to the little project I started.
I’ve always been fond of dark moody scenes lit only by practical lighting. When stopping off for gas it reminded me of something I would see Michael Slovis light and compose for Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul. Thus inspiring the three next photos once I made it home.
