ZANE VANDERHORST-SEWELL STARTING OUT AS A PHOTOGRAPHER IN WINNIPEG

Zane Vanderhorst-Sewell
Mar 7, 2018
4 min read

Maybe you like taking pictures, or your thinking about starting a career in photography? Creating Images is my passion in this Blog post I share how I began my journey into Photography in Winnipeg, Manitoba and some of my favourite Photographer inspirations.

Taking an image, freezing a moment, reveals how rich reality really is..

That Ansell Adams quote really had an impact on me, even before I picked up my first camera. Something about how when you capture a moment, it makes you value each and every moment in time a little bit more.

I spent most of my childhood growing up in Winnipeg except for the few years my parents decided we would take a family sabbatical in Mexico. Here is where I found that the contrast in culture really had a significant influence on me as an artist. Mexico is also where I first picked up a camera and began my journey into photography.

As much as I don’t want to say my story is kind of your typical photographer’s story, I must admit, I always had an eye for capturing images. Coming from artistic parents, I have always had creative influences around me, and, as my mother is a photo enthusiast, there was always a camera handy. I began to take photos of things in my world and as I continued to take snapshots with my own phone camera, my interest soon developed into a hobby. The positive response to my photos, that I received from my family and peers encouraged me to follow this natural talent and nurture it. At this point in my life I was really only dabbling into street photography and landscapes, but my main focus became skateboarding photography once I started to take my camera with me out to boarding events. This is where my interest became a passion and still is.

I love the ability of a single shot to capture the excitement of one moment and how a photographer can enhance, and even create mood and excitement through composition and manipulation of light and surroundings. To be able to stop action right at that pinnacle moment….. to capture and hold the detail, the truth of that moment ….. Make it my truth…. this is what has driven my passion.

So after a couple years of having no idea what I wanted to study, I took an evening course at Prairie View School of Photography and then decided to enroll at Red River College in their Professional Photography Program. There has been a lot of information to absorb in the last 8 months, but I have to say I cannot get enough of it.

Starting out in the photography community can be very intimidating and overwhelming, especially with how competitive photography is getting. Now that everyone and their dog has a ready camera on their mobile phones, which are, by the way, improving by the second, it can feel kind of scary. Like …. how can there possibly be a place for me to be successful in this industry. But I have come to realize you just need to get out there and make a place for yourself! Even though I understand what my professors mean when they inform us that we need to specialize in a type of photography in order to become successful, I know as an artist that it would kill my passion if all I did was focus on one type of photography. I know myself well enough to know I get bored just shooting things that I am used to and comfortable with. I like being out of my element and exploring new things, especially when it comes to photography. Glamour portraits, Boudoir, Fashion, Sports and Environmental Portraits are just a few of the types of photos I love shooting and I feel, at this point, I cannot limit myself. I would love to combine photography genres, like be a fashion or product photographer while on incredible journeys into nature. I definitely recommend checking out @pangea on Instagram. Johannes Hohm has been a big inspiration of mine for awhile. Another big inspiration for me has been @aacostaa on Instagram. This guy is a skateboard photographer who shows some incredible behind the scenes photos of some of the most talented people in the skateboarding community. His unique style of high contrast images will always be an inspiration for my own work!

Through this journey I am embarking on I have had the opportunity to collaborate with many different models and it feels like this city has a very open and positive vibe between models and photographers. I enjoy working with other people on projects as it allows me to learn and grow through seeing other perspectives.

Dream at Aspire Studios

Winnipeg, with its cold and white winter climate, can be a challenging place to shoot. It definitely challenges one to get creative when looking for opportunities, and lately I have been discovering that my city has more hidden gems than I ever could have imagined. For example, yesterday I found a place in the city park where birds will land and eat seeds out of your hand and I was able to take some great photos of this. Between discovering new places for shoots and meeting new people to collaborate with I am getting more excited each day as I continue my journey. I am excited to see what the future holds for me as I further explore and develop my skills and talent in this industry in Winnipeg and beyond.

I hope you enjoyed my story. Thanks for reading. You can find me on Instagram in the links below, I have also included links to Anthony and Johannes, and some images of mine.