My family is one of the biggest reasons that I chose to move to Newfoundland. If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t have the same emotional pull to document and live in this province. When I moved here I wanted to learn more about the place that my family is from, and see for myself what life is like in another part of Canada. I’m always curious about the lives of others in all parts of the world. It’s one of the reasons that I love street photography so much, if done right it can transport you into the lives of other people. It’s a mirror that shows the inward feelings of the artist, and a window into lives of the people that they document. To the best of my knowledge Newfoundland hasn’t been photographed by street photographers very much, the only person that might fit the title is someone like Sam Abell. I want my images to show people what life was like in this particular town, at this specific moment in history. But I certainly don’t consider myself a journalist, I’m an artist. My work is a weird, seemingly contrary mix because I’m photographing other people and the things that they create. But the final product is more of an expression about myself and how I felt at the given time than an objective document about the things in front of me.
Although I’m not a true born and raised Newfoundlander, I don’t feel like I’m completely “from away” because my parents were born here, and I visited here a lot when I was a kid, which is why I think my photographs aren’t entirely from an outsider’s perspective. I have so much family here and getting to know them is getting to know Newfoundlanders, that knowledge is what helps me illustrate my photographs. All of the things that you learn in life will shine through when you make a photograph. The things that you create are an extension of yourself, and I want people to see and feel the love that I have for this great province.
