SQRE by Kevin Hosford

ISSUE 1. 1

THROUGH THE LENS:

Evan Tetreault

Evan Tetreault is a fashion/portrait photographer based in Boston, MA. Selected client list includes Puma, Nordstrom, Hypebeast, New York Times Magazine, Karmaloop, Everlane, &amp; Boylston Trading Co. Evan has worked with people such as Richard Branson, A$AP Rocky, Questlove, Nick Wooster, &amp; Alysha Nett. 2

The modern photographer must rely on digital formats in order stay relevant. Film has become overshadowed by digital in recent years, but by no means does this signify that film is becoming obsolete; especially with

enthusiasts like Evan Tetreault investing in the medium. Evan typically chooses to shoot film in preference to digital if given a choice. “I really think film is about making an image, and not taking an image… 4

Its more hands on. Digital’s kind of a cop out, so I think.” One platform with which he has no complaints is the internet, more specifically Tumblr. His page on the popular blog has garnered him a significant following,

scapes, friends and anything else he found aesthetically pleasing in his mind’s eye. He refined his talents over the years and found his niche. Evan developed his style through using cool white tones in contrast with warm skin tones and blacks, and shooting candid shots as opposed to staged settings.

“I try to expand my reach by engaging both my clients and my fan base” Upon arriving in Boston for school at Emerson College, he found an unnerving perspective within his field, which is why he soon after changed his major to marketing. “Going to school with a sole concentration in photography can be a waste of time. To truly progress as an artist, you should break out of your comfort zone and study fields entirely unrelated to the actual production of the work you’re passionate about pursuing.

which helped propel his career into the world of fashion and onward to work with the likes of Alysha Nett, Nickelson Wooster and A$AP Rocky among others. “My main inspiration comes from…

holding onto memories and kind of, creating this photo diary.” This notion ignited the fire in this self-starter. Hailing from Boston, Massachusetts by way of Hartford, Connecticut, Evan began shooting early with land5

Then you’ll begin to see the world with a whole new lens of knowledge and inspiration.” For this body of work, Evan used a Mamiya 7II medium format 6x7cm camera. You can view the rest of his work in his portfolio here, and keep up with his blog.

Instagram Highlight: Justin Chung Living and working out of New York City, Justin Chung is a distinguished fashion and portrait photographer. Justin’s images contain that classic presence, which is impossible to fake, where light, subject and surrounding all blend seamlessly. For Justin, photography is something he lives and breathes. “Photography has become my entire life. Even when I don’t have 7

my camera, I’m constantly planning new shoots and composing shots in my head.” However, photography didn’t become a focus for Justin until he was about to start his Masters in health and science. Justin bought a camera to document his future embarkment, and by happenstance, he fell so in love with being behind the lens that he switched gears to pursue

ased out of Princeton, New Jersey, Chris Schoonover is a talented photographer who is always striving to push his sight and passion to the limits. Following Chris’ work from just the past year, one can see that his images are prolific, ever evolving, diverse, and highly attuned to his individual style. It is surprising to find out that Chris has only taken one photography class, back when he was in college, and it wasn’t until he got an iPhone 5 that his photography prowess developed rapidly. One of Chris’ greatest desires is to create photographs that others can connect with, and keeping his motives in tune is an important aspect to his creativity. “I don’t always intentionally make photographs to convey a certain feeling, but if I’m being honest and working for the love of it, the images will do just that. I like to capture a mood in my photos. If I can make people feel anything with a piece that I’ve created, I’ve made a good image. That is really important to me.” There is an attention to the interaction between subject and setting that Chris excels at capturing. Whether it be an abstract portrait, in which form, colour, and composition exude, or a classic shot that portrays a person juxtaposed with their everyday environment, Chris’ images are dynamic, and his process is tenacious. “When I see a scene or image I want to capture, there is nothing else that matters at that point. I get tunnel vision and this overwhelming urge to drop what I’m doing and own that image. I will risk getting lost from a group or interrupt a conversation to capture

that image. It’s not very nice of me, but I get so distracted; I can’t help it. Read on below to learn more about Chris’ thoughts and process surrounding his photography. All of Chris’ memorable imagery below was processed using VSCO Cam. To check out more of his work, be sure to visit Chris’ personal VSCO Grid. 9

How has living in Princeton, New Jersey, influenced the way you photograph? Princeton has been a great home base, because it’s close to two major cities and the coast, which are my favourite places to photograph. I used to think I needed to make my way to an amazing place in nature or a monument to get a great photo, but recently, I’ve been interested in photographing in everyday places. New Jersey has a strange mix of architecture, which gives me a variety of settings to shoot.

Tell us about your photo process. Are your shoots planned ahead of time or more spontaneous? Also, what are your favourite environments to shoot in? I don’t believe I have a set process. I’ve always loved to come up with concepts for my shoots. I’ll wake up in the morning with an idea in my head, call up a few friends, and try to make it happen. It’s funny though, the shots never turn out exactly how I have imagined, but they’re pretty darn close and sometimes even better than I had envisioned. I can try to plan a shoot down to the fine details, but something will always be slightly different than I’ve imagined. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. I think sometimes the way things are naturally is better than what I could have set up. So, I don’t get too specific with setups, but I like to have a basic plan. On the other hand, I love being spontaneous. A lot of the way I shoot is intuitive. I’ve been going up to New York City a few times a week, and I’ll walk until I see something that I like. It could be a beautiful patch of light or an interestingly dressed stranger... I’ll shoot the heck out of it. Some of my favorite shots I’ve taken are things I’ve happened across.

What are the strengths of shooting primarily with an iPhone? How does this affect your imagery? The ease of shooting with the iPhone was what originally got me into taking photos. Some people may find this strange, but I’m not really a huge fan of the technical part of photography. I enjoy art directing and composing an image without any technical complications. If I have the option to go fully automatic on a camera, I will shoot that way until I run into a lighting problem. When I’m working with a camera with manual settings, I get a little bit of anxiety. A lot of the moments I’ve been

capturing are only able to be caught for a fraction of a second; so, I need to be quick about snapping a shot. That’s why I love shooting with my phone. It’s always with me, light, and easy to choose focus and set exposure. If the iPhone was better in low and bright light and took larger image files, it would be my only camera. For me, photography is all about the final image. I’ve been asked a lot about what camera I use or what software I use for editing. All of these things are important and fantastic tools that make a huge difference, but I always remind myself that they are tools. The subject and composure of the image is most important to me.

Who and what are the things that inspire you? What is the most important aspect of photography to you? I’m constantly looking at other people’s work and the concepts/techniques they are using. As we all know, everyone is a copier. You just have to be a better copier than the other guy. I love looking at fine art photography books and going to galleries. I recently rediscovered Philip-Lorca diCorcia’s work at a Chelsea gallery, and it made so much more sense to me this time around. It changed the way that I look at light, even without a camera. Now.

Based out of Chicago, Illinois, trashhand is a photographer with a special talent for capturing the city in which he dwells. In June 2011, trashhand began posting his iPhone images to Instagram, and soon was immersed in the community, finding an audience for his iPhoneography. By December of 2011, trashhand had already bought his first DSLR camera, and his passion and skill set grew rapidly. With many of the images published on his Instagram & Tumblr showcasing Chicago, his reverence & passion for documenting the city’s essence is apparent. “Chicago has meant everything to me in the way that it shaped my images. Every time I take a photo of Chicago, I feel like I’m collaborating with it. My photos of the city

don’t just belong to me, but to it as well. Most of the time, I feel like Chicago just gave me the shot just so I could edit and share it.” When it comes to defining his style of imagery and distinguishing subject matter to photograph, trashhand likes to keep an open mind. “Why try and decide on the type of content that you want to capture? If you do that, you lose all opportunities to catch the other moments around you. Photography isn’t and shouldn’t be about limiting yourself to one style, but to be open to all styles. Photography is about capturing a moment; nothing else. You can’t plan that.”