I need to tell you more about Braden. Or rather, Braden needs to tell us all more about himself.

In a nutshell, he’s a very talented photographer, he has terrific taste in music and he’s one of the sweetest people you’ll ever meet. I wanted to show you guys some of his amazing photography. This dude is like 22 or something. Seriously he’s got an awesome road ahead of him:

I’m totally inspired by Braden and so I wanted to bug him with a few questions that I could share with y’all. He was super kind enough to respond:

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I take photos because… i take photos very simply because photography is my passion and my dream. i am an extremely visual person and so the way i tell stories and really express myself is through my photography. art is life and it is equally true the other way round, life is art. my dream is to make my living through my passion and expression.. my art.

A photographer who inspires me is…oh wow there are so many amazing photographers who inspire me. well my mum really started my love of photography as she was always shooting as i was growing up and we have albums and albums of pictures she’s taken. so yeah my mum was the reason i gave photog a try but then i guess the most inspiring to me after i learned to love photography would be Steve McCurry. His story telling through his images is next to none and the images always draw such strong emotion and attention to the image.

I find inspiration in…everyday life and emotion, thoughts and ideas. i think any artist can tell you that major mood swings are a constant in our lives haha it sucks sometimes but some of our best work comes in the emotional lows.

The best piece of photography related advice i’ve been given so far is…well being a music photographer at live events and doing a lot of personal work in street photography the best advice i have been given/give its easy to say sorry after the fact. do what you have to in order to get the shot and then say sorry after.. it wouldn’t be lying saying i’ve snuck/broken into my fair share of places and events and pushed and shoved my way to get to a shooting location.. just don’t tell anyone that haha. push the limits.

If i wasn’t taking photographs i’d probably be…some boring business man in a suit working a 9-5 desk job with a drinking problem and hating my life haha no probably not.. i’d probably be doing something else artistic.

My usual breakfast is…OATMEAL CRISP! best cereal ever hands down. and if thats not in the house probably just porridge or rice krispies… for the most part i’m still to tired to make something good.

My favourite camera and lens to shoot with is…well it really depends on what i’m shooting but if you see a camera around my neck on a typical day it would be my 5dmkII with a 50mm f/1.8.. although i’m gonna buy a finepix x100 which would be my typical carry around camera. if i’m at a concert you will probably see my 5dmkII with a 24-70 f/2.8 and my 40d with a 10-22 f/3.5.. but if im willing to spend some money on film and developing you will see me with my mamiya rz67 pro II with a 120 back and a 90mm f/3.5.. oh and of course i swear by battery grips on all my dslr’s.

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The light! The composition! Could I stop choosing my favourite photos already? Holy moly, I love the way Kate sees things. Kate MacPherson is a wedding and commercial photographer based in Wellington, NZ. There’s a saying that I found on her site recently by Elliot Erwitt: “All the technique in the world doesn’t compensate for the inability to notice”. Isn’t that true? ‘Notice’ is what Kate does beautifully and it shows in every single one of her images. She’s the kind of photographer you want at your wedding because you just know that she’ll notice things you never did. Imagine reliving your special day as captured through the eyes of Kate! Yikes, excite!

Do I need to mention she was runner up for the NZIPP Wedding Album of the Year 2011?

Find her on Facebook (she’s almost at 1000 likes!) and enjoy her thoughtful answers:

I like taking photos of: Anything backlit in the sun (current obsession). And people.

I take photographs because: It allows me to communicate in a way I can’t do with words. Plus I love that feeling when time stands still and you get really focussed on what you are photographing.

It also allows me to dabble a little in the presentation and design of the photos, which I really love.

My favourite camera to use is: Canon MKII but only because that is the camera I shoot with. I borrowed a friends FujiX100 recently and really would love that for travelling. But I am not really into photography gear, only as much as I need to be. I’m far more interested in what is in front of my lens, not what specs it is.

My favourite lenses are: Canon 50mm f1.2

A photographer who inspires me is: Henri Cartier Bresson. And Elliott Erwitt. For their composition and eye for the moment.

My usual breakfast is: It’s usually always different. I am no creature of habit and routine makes me shiver so I can have leftovers if there are any left from the night before. Or a fruit smoothie. Or toast, Or crackers. Occasionally nothing. But always coffee. Black, no sugar.

A song I’m listening to at the moment is: ‘Love Comes to me’ Bonnie Prince Billy

And Leonard Cohen I never tire of….his words are beautiful.

My tip for aspiring photographers: Work H.A.R.D. And look at tons of photos and find what it is about the ones that speak to you that you like. And then you’ll know what drives you in your own photography and I think it means you start to develop your own style…by experimenting. A ton. Don’t copy but be inspired. Not just by photographers in your own field but by photographers in general. Or design. Or whatever it is that speaks to your inner self. I am constantly changing my idea about what I like about my pictures and adapting. Mostly no one wouldn’t notice but then over time a style gets refined I think.

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Meet Sarah of SarahRhodes Photography. She’s the wife of a gorgeous husband and wife lifestyle photography team based in Seattle (jealous!). Their images speak for themselves – these guys are for real incredible and I was super stoked that Sarah took the time to answer my questions.

I love their casual tumblr blog but they also keep a more formal style photography blog with recent shoots. Join their fans, check out their portfolio and read what Sarah has to share. These guys reek of superstar cool and their life looks silly beautiful.

I like taking photos of: people. stories. life. freedom. spirit. spontaneity. raw moments. real life.

I take photographs because: there is nothing in the world I would rather do. I feel like when I am shooting I am in my truest element, like there is something innate in me that craves creation in a visual medium. I love life and people & I have a passion to capture!

My favourite camera to use is: I have a gamut of different cameras and I like them all for different reasons, each serve a different purpose. The camera that never leaves my side is my Leica M6…

My favourite lenses are: I love the 35mm lens. On my 5dMKII the 35mm 1.2 lives on that body 90% of the time. To me it is just the perfect lens for how I see things.

A photographer who inspires me is: There are so many incredibly talented photographers out there… right now I have been especially inspired by the beautiful black and white documentary work of Eugene Richards. I’ve always had a deep appreciation for the production value that Tim Walker brings to his projects, and of course there is the always inspiring work of Annie Leibovitz, Sally Mann and the list could go on and on…

My usual breakfast is: Yogert & Fruit, Coffee & Cream

A song I’m listening to at the moment is: Anything by Ellie Goulding is my jam right now!

My tip for aspiring photographers: Work hard. Be willing to put in sweat equity for your dreams. Explore, and do everything you can to find your unique voice in this world, start by asking yourself “what is it I want to say to the world?”. Never be scared to be you. Find that thing that makes you come alive and fight for it.

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Brice Ferré is French. I met him in Vancouver where he lives in a beautiful little apartment with his very-long-term-get-married-already gorgeous girlfriend Melanie. Brice always has a camera with him and manages to capture beauty in anything and anyone. He’s sweet, funny and easy to get along with, which definitely shows in his portrait photos. He seems to have models banging down his doors to be photographed and I don’t blame them. I can’t wait to get back to Vancouver so he can take some snaps of our new little family

Find him on Facebook or on his blog. And if you’re in Vancouver, make the most of him!

I like taking photos of: People because, I love listening to my model’s stories, everybody has interesting things to talk to me about, to teach me. And to me, there is absolutely nothing more beautiful than a face. I recently discovered that I had some kind of weird “model looking down” fetish, I’ll have to look into that, I guess. ;o) I also prefer photographing women over men for now, but that might change in the future. I tried nature photography for a while, but I soon realized that trees didn’t talk back to me and I lost interest…

I take photographs because: I can’t help it, when I wake up in the morning, that’s all I wanna do, I had a very interesting job as a movie editor for about 6 years before and even if I was very good at it, I didn’t have the same passion. I would literally pay to take photos if I had to. I absolutely love it and I am good at it. It took me a while to figure out that I was meant to do that for a living, but I got there eventually.

My favourite camera to use is: Canon 5D Mark II. It’s not too big, not too small and extremely solid. You can take it everywhere, especially with a 50 mil…

My favourite lenses are: Canon 50mm f/1.4 USM and any lens with a very fast aperture (anything below f/1.8 is a dream for me)

A photographer who inspires me is: I would have to go for Chase Jarvis, his creativity is inspiring, his drive to get people together and create art. He was one of the first to share all his secrets about photography via his blog online, and he is now one of the biggest commercial photographer in the world. He is honest, generous and extremely good at what he does. Also, Annie Leibowitz of course is clearly one of the biggest for me. And my buddies Robert Doisneau and Richard Avedon of course.

My usual breakfast is: Coffee and Bagels with butter (lots of it), with Conan O’Brien during the week, or with my better half on the week-ends.

A song I’m listening to at the moment is: William fitzsimmons – “everthing has changed”. And all of his songs really. I am obsessed.

My tip for aspiring photographers: The one advice that a photographer gave me when I started was: “think back light in general and stay away from wide angles when you shoot portraits.” It always stuck with me. But my personal piece of advice would be, shoot what you love, don’t try to emulate what other people do because you think it might work for you. Follow you’re heart and if you shoot what you love it will show immediatly. But mostly, shoot, shoot and when you’re done, shoot some more.

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Get ready to disappear for a few hours to another land. A magical land where everything is dreamlike and beautiful. When I visit Lisa’s website, I lose track of the time. Her photos are incredible and the eyes of the people she photographs pierce through me and challenge me to imagine their story. I love it. And so do 2,000 or so other people.

Lisa is a portrait photographer who lives in America (West Virginia and Ohio, I think. You can contact her here.). Here are her words:

I like taking photos of: people. I love people, I think I’m as much sociologist as I am photographer. Just recently, I’ve started experimenting with long exposure photography as well, but mostly just people.

I take photographs because: most times I just feel compelled to. There is so much beauty in the world.

My favorite camera to use is: either my Nikon d3 or Nikon d700

My favorite lenses are: Well, that’s a hard one. They each serve such a specific purpose, I can’t say that I have a favorite. I love them all!

A photographer who inspires me is: Andrea Joki

My usual breakfast is: a banana, wheat toast with butter, glass of skim milk (every single morning)

A song I’m listening to at the moment is: The Heart Asks Pleasure First –Michael Nyman

A tip for inspiring photographers: do the best you can to get your images “right” in-camera and learn how to really read the light.

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