Interview with Liam Sharp

Learning from his father and assisting other pros, Liam Sharp had a hands-on education in photography that no fine arts program could hope to rival. 'In our house,' he says, 'you just sort of do it.' Now a regular contributor to Report on Business magazine, his work has appeared in the pages of virtually every major Canadian publication and many of Britain's most widely read magazines. A holder of both British and Canadian passports, he splits his time and work between Toronto and London when not globe-trotting on assignment.

		PHOTOGRAPHER Liam Sharp Light portraits when working as a photojournalist can be intense, Sharp says. 'You have to bring as much polish as possible, but merge it with reportage. To do that, you have to be quick.' That means preparing all of his lighting before a shoot. To see more photos from Sharp's shoot in Attawapiskat, check out the December 2010 issue of Canadian Geographic or visit his website to see more work.
View photo gallery Tips from photographer Leave a comment

Q You photograph subjects from all walks of life. How does photographing a Bay Street businessman differ from photographing people in a community like Attawapiskat?

AI don't really consider First Nations to be at society's margins. Their circumstance really isn't their fault considering residential schools and everything else. But yes, it is very different than photographing someone who has everything life has to offer.

Q Over the centuries the relationship that First Nations have had with the Canadian government has created serious trust issues. How did you overcome this mistrust when photographing the people of Attawapiskat in their homes?

APeople were actually very open with me from the beginning. I first went to Attawapiskat with Cindy Blackstock, an advocate for First Nations children. It was part of a project on reconciliation called Caring Across Boundaries that was shown at First Canadian Place, the Bank of Montreal building in downtown Toronto. We went to three reserves across Canada, one in the east, one in Ontario and one out west.

QDid those experiences help you during this assignment?

A I think they did. There was an amount of trust there from my previous visit to Attawapiskat. People knew my intentions.

QHow does this barrier relate to the mistrust photographers might experience elsewhere, for example, as a white photographer working in Africa?

A There's less of a barrier here. For one thing, it's your own country, so you're more connected to it. In Africa it's much more of a transaction. You go to a village, you talk to a chief and you work out an arrangement. Sometimes you pay a set amount for each image that you take out

QWorking with commercial photography clients, you help them to visually articulate their objectives. Do you take the same approach to a magazine assignment?

AYes, absolutely. I do it no matter who I'm working for. I was concerned about some of the images from Attawapiskat. I think of Canadian Geographic as more of a family publication, and some of this is pretty harsh.

QDoes the fact that you're both a British and Canadian citizen impact your photography in any way?

AYou can be pretty removed from things up here in Canada. As a Canadian, you're not able to work in New York, in the States. Working out of London allows me to reach a wider audience.

QYour list of clients is impressive. Is there anyone who you aspire to work with?

AI've worked with every major magazine in Canada. For me, I like working with the Times of London. It's one that I knew when I was a young, and I love the quality of the publication. I'm about to go to Egypt on assignment for them and they'll carry a five-page spread of my work.

Q When photographing for your own personal interest, do you limit yourself to photographing people or do you take an interest in other styles?

A I'm mainly a people photographer. I'm passionate about photographing people.

Interview by Tyrone Burke