Tinted Love
On an early fall morning, in 2007, footsteps crackled between concrete and brick. The pavement was cold and damp. A hazy ominous grey lit across the skyline like a worn out blanket. Donned in a hoodie, scarf and tam a body sauntered suspiciously down a Calgary avenue. A reward is being sought. "The perfect opportunity may be waiting just around the next corner," he thinks. But this isn't a soul in search of its next meal or next drink. This person knows those things aren't important.
Back in the mid 1990's, the shadowed silhouette of a young man sat alone and restless, as a red light creaked and swayed over his head in a dark as black closet-sized room. The fresh smell of chemicals floated up from his wet hands and faded into the shadows. In front of his eyes, the past started to mystically reappear. And hauntingly, ghostly images slowly began to twist and blend.
In sound, this may be the darker side of life, the black and white side. But in Calgary, a city that's known for its bright and clean streets and buildings, its vibrant parks and glowing rivers, there lies a darker world within those lit places, and that's just the way he likes it. Because after spending as much time as he has, capturing the underbelly and alternative side of Calgary and society's reality, Chris Leblanc, Photographer, has quickly gained attention and respect for having just that, an eye and appreciation for Urban Culture.
Why photography?
(laughing) I was never really that good at painting. I love all forms of the arts, but for me, developing film in my darkroom is a feeling that can't be beat by digital, its kind of like that whole vinyl vs. Cds debate.
How did you get started?
I guess being a part of the underground and "Indy" scene for such a huge part of my life, I guess I wanted to document not just the people and the places around me, but the emotion and undertones that I saw and how they reflected on society.
Where has it taken you?
Well, because it's my true passion, I'm not measuring success on a commercial base right now, I like to travel and learn and build my collection. Since I love music so much, I've been to Coachella and Burning Man and have taken tons of photos of bands and such. I'm pretty lucky.
Where do you want it to take you?
Well, I do want to reach a commercial level at some point, but I don't plan on altering any of my concepts to fit into mainstream. I want to keep it edgy yet classy. I am working on a huge collection right now called "skeletons in the closet", it really encapsulates my work into one show. I have a couple of offers from galleries and my project's almost ready, so right now that's my goal.
Any horror stories, you know, something juicy for our readers?
Ha-Ha. Well if I thought about it, I'm sure I would, but let's just say that my philosophy is, when I work with models, it's a professional contract.
Come on, you have half naked girls running around your studio.
It's kind of like, when you work in a pizza shop, you never eat pizza.
Ok, I'll leave it alone, how about your favorite photographer?
Without question, Helmut Newton, I've learned a lot from him, especially that when you have a medium, stick to it because you will always grow.
Written by Shaun Field
