Considering its size, the number of photographers in Squamish is surprising.
From wedding to lifestyle, baby, landscape, real estate, sport, and portrait, there are many different types of photographers living and working here.
We spoke with three of them. Although they have different styles, they do have one thing in common: they all think Squamish is a great place to shoot.
Source: BRIAN AIKENS
BRIAN AIKENS:DANCE AND NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER
Brian Aikens is a self-described āoutdoors guy.ā
Like many in Squamish, he spends much of his time hiking. He likes the feeling of being in the forest and capturing the beauty he sees with his camera.
āThe place just lends itself to [photography]. Whether youāre a landscape photographer, or whether youāre into environmental shots ā¦ or if youāre into nature shots or some combination of all the above, it lends itself to all of that,ā he says.
Aikens is an amateur photographer. By day, he runs a business that creates wireless lighting controls.
Photography is something he has been interested in since high school, but, for most of his adult life, he put it aside to focus on his business and spend time with his family.
During that time he followed the work of other photographers, trying to figure out the techniques and the equipment he would need to re-create similar shots himself.
āIām very visually-oriented, so I just see scenes all the time, and I am always wanting to stop and take a picture,ā he says. āSo it was a frustrating time, as I would see these shots, and I would take some pretty nice ones, but they werenāt extraordinary, (and) I knew they could be.ā
Now that his children are grown, heās able to put the time and money into his photography.
One of Aikensā niches is combining dance and landscape photography. The two are similar, he says: both are about form, shape, lines, light, and beauty.
After watching his daughter study dance, he was inspired, and recently he has been shooting dancers posing outdoors.
āI think itās a beautiful art form. Itās artistic, and itās very physical. The blending of those two is an extraordinary thing,ā he says. āI just think the two belong together.ā
As for whatās next, heās planning to spend more time working on portraits.
See more of his work on Instagram.
ĢżĢżĢżĢżĢżĢżĢżĢżĢżĢżĢżĢżĢż
Ģż
Ģż
ĢżPAULA OWEN: LIFESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHER
Thereās never a dull day doing photography in Squamish, says Paula Owen.
As a lifestyle photographer, she spends a lot of time taking photos of families outdoors.
āYouāve got the mountains, youāve got the rivers and the oceans. I never get bored of being a photographer here,ā she says.
A professional photographer since 2012, she moved back to Squamish in 2014 after spending a few years working abroad. With so many scenic places to shoot, she doesnāt have trouble finding a good backdrop for her sessions.
Most of her shoots are for babies and families. Newborn photography, in particular, she says is ārefreshingā and rewarding.
āThereās something about posing a baby in a very styled version ā itās the thing that I love the most,ā she says. āI get to be very creative every time I get to work with babies.ā
Owens got her start in the fine arts painting portraits. After she had children, she found she didnāt have hours to spend on each painting: thatās when she took up photography.
But, at the time, she didnāt expect it would become her career.
āItās such a gratifying experience to make art and people pay for it,ā she says. āFinally, I found something that keeps my interest all the time because itās ever-changing, and every single person is different.ā
In the future, she would like to do composite photography, that is, creating an image by combining multiple photographs together.
You can find her work at
DANNY SWAINSON:ADVENTURE AND SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHER
Danny Swainson was enraptured by the Northern Lights and bought a camera to capture them.
When heās shooting, he looks for the subtleties of how the sun touches the land and strives to find the best way to capture it.
āI fell in love with chasing light and composing moments,ā he says. āIn the north, thereās plenty of beautiful light when the sun is low on the horizon, and you get dark, contrasting shadows, and the sun bathing everything in a golden glow.ā
This Squamish newcomer started teaching himself photography three years ago while working in Inuvik, Northwest Territories, as a fisheries biologist. He started following photographers on social media, and, through trial and error ā and with help from his partner Emily Santi, also a professional photographer in Squamish ā he found himself approaching professional skill level.
By day, Swainson works as a researcher in Squamish, but he shoots landscapes, wildlife, and sports photography on the side. He said he enjoys using his camera to document the world around him.
āItās an exciting artistic output, allows you to share a moment in time with as many viewers as you can,ā he says. ā(I like) trying to bring the joy that these landscapes and these adventures bring me to other people.ā
And as each photographer stressed, thereās no shortage of places to shoot in Squamish.
āThereās gorgeous landscapes, and its brand-new to me, itās all exciting,ā he says. āEverywhere you look, thereās a different mountain vista, and thatās a lot of photographersā dreams.ā
In the future, he plans to do more portrait photography.
See more of his work at Photography on Facebook.
