Often photographers need a break to be noticed, and that appears to be just what has happened for Ross Hannant.
"The shoot I was invited to is for a campaign called 'Color the Industry'," said the former Yorkton resident now living in Britain. "The purpose of the shoot is to showcase models from all different regions of the world. The shoot was done in two parts, studio and location of which I did all the location shots.
"Location shooting is a lot of fun and a big challenge in that you need to control the light. I take portable studio equipment with me to do these location shoots. For this specific shoot (Color the Industry) I had three cameras, four lenses, two strobes, light modifiers, backdrops, lighting stands and various other bits of gear.
"Also with location shooting you need a location, as simple as that sounds, however that is the biggest challenge to a location shoot, you need the exact right environment to suit the model and the shoot. During the Color the Industry shoot we had six different locations that spanned the city from the Olympic Stadium Park in Stratford to the South Bank which is next to the London Eye on the Thames River. The location shoots were done with seven different models over the course of two days.
"All together there were over one thousand photos taken of which thirty made the final cut."
Hannant has been in Britain for 2.5 years.
"Living in the UK has been something I have wanted to do for a long time," he said. "I met the person who would become my wife online, with her being from the UK it was a real good fit; as well as being excited to getting married I was also excited to move to London."
The move also created the opportunity for Hannant to pick up his camera more seriously.
"Another thing I have always been interested in is photography and have always had thoughts of being a professional photographer," he said. "A big inspiration to this desire was Mitch Hippsley, I had always admired his work with thoughts of being able to do the same thing.
"Once I knew I was going to be in London, which has a huge population of professional photographers and also is one of the most photographed cities in the world; I could not resist and knew it was the right time to pursue my photography.
"Just before I left Canada I bought a digital camera kit and started taking pictures. I started with taking landscape images to learn the gear and also to learn post production skills.
"I then began taking pictures of people and quickly came to the realization that the foundation of any image is proper lighting. If anyone wants to be a photographer, then one must become a master of light. Although to take a picture is easy, to become a top professional photographer is a lot of hard work, a lot of study and a lot of practice.
"Over time I gained confidence and began to pursue photo opportunities. I did a lot of free work for people as in model portfolios and weddings. My first payday was a landscape image I sold for 20 British Pounds, I was ecstatic, really excited! Then I did a few weddings, sold a few more landscape prints and that is when I started to look at fashion photography." Hannant said with fashion photography he found a challenge he truly enjoyed facing.
"Fashion, in my opinion, is the single most difficult subject to shoot," he said. "You are dealing with people who are very articulate and scrutinize your work to the finest detail. I love that, I love the challenge and I love the rush you get when an agency manager loves your work! How I pursued the fashion industry was creating a profile on the Model Mayhem website and reaching out to models wanting to build portfolios."
The website led to a contact which opened the door to the bigger shoot.
"I met a guy named Matt Ivey who is a working professional model," said Hannant. "I did a shoot with him and his agency loved the pics and I was invited to an agency shoot. At that shoot I met the agency owner, this was the time to rise to the occasion, so I made sure the agency owner knew my intentions and how hard I was willing to work to become the best photographer she has ever worked with. With that we did a shoot with the owner of the agency, she loved the pics! We had a series of meetings and now I am photographing the portfolios for her models she brings into the agency.
"The agency this all happened with is Sinclair Management, owned by an amazing woman named Angel Sinclair. Angel has surrounded herself with a network of people who are high energy, polished and professional. It is exciting to be in with a group of such great people. It is my goal now to continue to work with Sinclair Management with the intent of a long career in the fashion industry of London."
The Color the Industry shoot is one Hannant said is certainly big in his young career.
"To date, this shoot was the most fun, the most intense, the most demanding and the most rewarding shoot I have done," he said. "The thirty shots I have chosen to be the final product are a great collection of images. A lot of them will be used to promote the Color the Industry campaign throughout London and other parts of the UK. The images will appear in fashion magazines, billboards and websites.
"Of the thirty there is one that really stands out, it is an image of a young guy named Imi, he is a focused, driven model, his ambition is relentless and he will be the first to tell you how famous he is going to be! It was an absolute blast working with him. It was real cool because we were set up in a major tourist zone, near the London Eye, and a big crowd of people gathered as we set up the gear and started shooting, it was an exciting atmosphere."
The exact fate of the shoot shots is still to be determined.
"As of April 11, all my images have been submitted to the agency, now we will see how it unfolds over the next couple of months," said Hannant. "Things could happen fast or it could take months to get the exposure we are all looking for.
"In terms of my own personal career, it is really taking off. I now have seven shoots booked over the next six weeks as well all the new portfolio shoots. Once I know exactly where the Color the Industry shots will end up and who will see them I will then know how big of a boost this will be to me. Color the Industry is a long term campaign for Sinclair Management, there is no rush, it is better to take the time to know the images are used to make the biggest impact."
Since it is a long term campaign Hannant said he is trying to keep its importance to his career in perspective.
"In all of my excitement there are very practical things to always keep as your foundation," he said. "The biggest thing I would say I took away from this experience is to always be humble, to always have respect for the people you work with. Nothing is gained without a lot of hard work and determination.
"As ironic as it may sound, there is no room for pride in being a photographer in the fashion industry."
Hannant said a shoot really comes down to be a team effort.
"One thing I was so impressed with was how great all the people who were a part of this shoot, everyone was willing to do what it takes to make it all work," he said. "Everyone was very gracious and hospitable, polished and professional. There are always the thoughts in your mind that in the big picture, (pardon the pun), there are more important things than fashion, with that you never want to take anything for granted. To do what you love to do and earn a living doing it, is huge! I am very grateful for the opportunity."
