Hello friends, today I wanted to write a bit about my series of photographs on the island of Newfoundland. This was the first project that I made as a photographer where I really learned what my own style was. My style is one that mixes people with nature in candid photographs. The definition of candid is no posing or pre planning an image. I just go out and embrace the sights around me.
It’s not easy living in Newfoundland
It wasn’t easy when I first started working there. I was living with my grandfather and I decided that I really wanted to push myself to photograph more, and to work hard to make a collection of photographs of the place. No one else was really showing Newfoundland the way I saw it. This was the place where my family was from. My parents moved to Nova Scotia before I was born but we always came back to Newfoundland for summer vacations. My memory of Newfoundland may’ve been a bit “rose tinted” because of those early memories. As you live in a place you learn that it’s always different from how you expect it to be. Newfoundlanders never cease to amaze me how they make the best of the worst circumstances. It’s not always easy having to shovel four feet of snow before your shift at 8:00am, but the people that live there grin and bear it.
Newfoundland is about people and nature
I think Newfoundlanders are more communal in nature than most people I meet in Nova Scotia. They can talk about how bad things are in a way that makes everyone involved feel included and part of something special. If you go there you’ll understand that it is special. I’m not talking about tourist resorts or seaside fish and chip shops, but to really go there and interact with the locals you’ll see what I mean. It’s a kind of small town warmth that pervades the people and the landscape. The land feels warm and inviting. On the west coast of Newfoundland the view of nature isn’t overshadowed by man made buildings, it’s a constant fact. I love this about Newfoundland, I love walking up hills. I once listened to a talk by a university professor on animist religion and in it he said that oftentimes God will be the river or the mountain around your tribe. They often believe that the mountain is alive in the same sense that I am alive, and if I climb the mountain it will help me.
My experience and inspiration to photograph Newfoundland
Even though I spent two years on the island I still feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface. Most people don’t realize how big Newfoundland is. I’ve only been in the big city of St. John’s twice, most of my time was spent in Corner Brook. There’s hundreds of small outpost communities. I haven’t even seen the northern part of the island. But this is all the more reason to look forward to going back again.
One of my big inspirations for making a photographic project on Newfoundland was Sam Abell’s images for National Geographic. I think out of all the artists that “come from away” to document Newfoundland, Sam Abell was one of the greatest. He worked hard and made an amazing photo story about the disappearing culture of outpost fishing and sealing. His image of two men in the boat is one of my favorite photographs ever made. It shows a father and son harvesting food from the ocean in a small dory, a tradition that goes back to the beginning of the settlers on the island.
Conclusion
To conclude, I love Newfoundland and if you’ve never been there I highly recommend taking a road trip along the West Coast. Try to see Gros Mourne, it’s one of the most difficult but worthwhile hikes in Atlantic Canada. Talk to the locals, they’re some of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet. And make sure to take as many photos as possible.
-Jeremy