For the past two weeks in class, we have gone over the concept of Landscape and how it has expanded to this day. With that in mind, I wanted to discover a new landscape photographer I hadn’t heard of. Cath Simard came across my screen and right away I was captivated by the coloring and contrast in her photos, I knew she had to be my photographer for the week.
About The Photographer:
Cath Simard is a Canadian-born photographer, digital artist, and educator. She has grown up with an immense passion for the outdoors and wilderness, which inspire today her capture of the world today. Her work has been featured all over social media, and publications like Sony Alpha Universe, DP Review, Art of Visuals, Open Skies Magazine, and Patagon Journal. Her photographs got her a position as a SONY ambassador, and she was honored to do it because SONY is the only photography equipment she uses. She leads multi-day workshops and expeditions in places like Patagonia, The Andes, Iceland, and the Canadian Rockies while continuing to share her work throughout the community. Sadly, she only release 10-12 artworks per year, due to each being the result of hundreds of kilometers hiked, days exploring the wilderness, and hours spent creating them behind the computer.
One of the locations she photographs… The Canadian Rockies:
I have never gotten to see the Canadian Rockies, but the illusion and depth of field the photos behold make me feel as if I am in the photo while I am looking at them. I can’t imagine how hard it was to photograph at night and then enhancing the luminance of the stars or the headlight is gorgeous. My eyes were caught by her work because of the choice of lighting because it takes a lot of skill to achieve the quality she creates.
Her Process:
To create the artwork she does take long trips and extensive hours. I got to learn a little about her process from an interview she did with Capture Landscapes. She starts by researching the place she is photographing through google image, google earth, Instagram, and 500 px. Then she starts to imagine what kind of mood and image she wants to create. She uses apps like photo pills to check out the best time to capture what she wants like the moon phase, the milky way position, the aurora forecast, sunrise, and sunset time. She tries to check out the location during the day so she can accurately decide the best place to create the compositions, she states she is a very picky shooter. However, that comes to no surprise because for how picky and precise she is, she captures the breathtaking photos that have made her famous.
Overall Thoughts:
Her work is absolutely stunning. There is little I can think of to say because her work makes me speechless. My eyes are captivated by the hints of light showcased in the darkness. With the cold look to some of the photos as well, not only does it transport you to the location, but a fantasy version of it. Cath Simard plays with the line between reality and fiction very well, and I want to explore how I could play with that idea in my own work. I am also inspired by her story because she dropped her career (farm work) to risk it all as a freelance travel photographer because she knew that it was the only way she would be happy. I find comfort in knowing that taking that big leap into photography, with all the risks that follow, does workout. With hard work, technique, and passion, I could photograph, and hopefully be as successful as Cath Simard one day.
