An interview with photoED Magazine
Yvens B. is a Montreal-based commercial photographer specializing in portraiture and sports and fitness photography. With a background as a CPA in the technology industry and a passion for long-distance running and weightlifting, he’s a passionate entrepreneur who fell into photography after assisting a friend with music video production. He says, “I fell in love with the craft of light and cameras. In 2015, in an effort to become better at photography, I bought a couple of lights…. Countless head shots and photo shoots later, with over 36K+ social media followers, here I am!”
photoED: Online, you teach thousands of people about the technical aspects of portrait photography. Tell us about the social media community you have created. How did you get started there, and what keeps you sharing?
YVENS:
I believe it is important to share what we know. I always like to refer to a Will Smith quote about books. He points out that reading is important because "There are gazillions of people that have lived before all of us. There's no new problem you could have….”
While I am testing new ideas and encountering challenges in my everyday work, I believe that sharing how I overcame those challenges is beneficial to the community and me. While I haven’t written a book yet, approaching a problem publicly allows you to acid test your equipment, technique, and approach in an accelerated manner. This acid test pushes forward my creativity and depth of knowledge while helping others. Everyone wins.
photoED: What do you love most about creating stories for yourself or your clients through photography?
YVENS:
There is something magical that happens when you receive an assignment from a client. While I love telling stories that come from my own mind, whenever I revisit some client work, I can’t help but feel proud of the fact that I was chosen to tell those stories through my vision. That vision matters.
To further demonstrate the impact of the visual creator on your client’s work, I like to refer to books that get turned into movies. You can give the same book to two directors and get widely different results. Although the story was given to you by your client, how you frame it, light it, and give it life is mostly up to you. You are now an intricate part of that story.
Even in your own personal projects, that marriage of ideas—from the subject, to the makeup artist, to your lens of choice, in my case, the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 G2—gives birth to a creation that has a mix of different DNAs attached to it. Regardless of how many collaborators added their essence into a project, the pride of creation remains, and that is what I feel I can use as a trampoline for my next project.
photoED: Whose work has influenced yours?
YVENS:
My portrait work has been influenced by many giants who share the path of sharing what they know. Not all are photographers. In no particular order, if I have to name names and how they changed the way I approach portraiture:
Joey L., a fellow Canadian, showed me that personal projects are the key to growth and getting more out of every aspect of photography.
Tim Tadder for his stellar approach to high-production sports photography.
Recently, I started loving the work of Justin Bettman, who has an immaculate choice of colours.
I have to add another fellow Canadian director, Denis Villeneuve, who taught me lessons through his films that shattered the way I think about creating and remaining a hardworking dreamer.
One of the last remaining great directors, David Fincher, taught me that demanding more out of your production is not a selfish act but shows respect to your final product.
Finally, I love looking at paintings and seeing how artists who had more time on their hands crafted images that lasted through hundreds of years. To this day, we are fighting to preserve their art. Their work gives lessons that all of us can take to our own work.
photoED: What makes a good photograph?
YVENS:
I believe a good photograph is like avoiding a plane crash at an airport. It’s a series of decisions that lead to a great final result. For portraits, I think I can grossly summarize it into three categories.
If we start from the outer layers to the core, the technical elements have to be sound. A well-lit scene will capture attention, which is key in this day and age. Then, a great camera combined with a great set of lenses really helps smooth the way, as your equipment should not drag you down. For example, these portraits were all taken with the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 G2 and the Sony a7R V in the studio since they gave me the speed I needed to capture these quick moments. From the smooth zoom and ultra-fast autofocus, to the wide constant aperture, using the 28-75mm f/2.8 G2 removes a worry I don’t have to carry, allowing me to dedicate myself to the next important layer: the subject.
With the previous two elements in place, having a great subject who you can direct to achieve your end goals—whether it is a client or a hired subject—will give you the best tool to shape the most important pillar. I emphasize that the photographer is the director, as you are responsible for the end result. By taking this approach, you create good pressure to avoid excuses and plan the three elements so every shoot goes smoothly.
photoED: How has working in photography influenced you personally?
YVENS:
My background as a CPA helped me understand a few things about business, but working as a commercial and portrait photographer has ingrained those lessons into my day-to-day life. The principle of relationships first helped me understand business growth.
The entrepreneurial nature of photography has deepened my need to self-start. I call it my R&D department. Whether it is working on new personal projects or developing a more hybrid style of serving my clients by incorporating motion into my offerings, being a full-time creator and photographer is similar to being filmed every day. You can see where you failed and what you need to work on.
I take feedback very seriously and work hard to improve—1% better every day is the goal.
photoED: What has been your favourite or most personally impactful project or adventure?
YVENS:
While I never had a breakthrough project, I think my coverage of the Speed Project taught me numerous lessons that I will feed on for a very long time.
The Speed Project is a non-sanctioned 500 km (over 310 miles) running race from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. In collaboration with a good friend of mine who attempted the solo version of that race, I documented the athlete’s progress and the event over the course of a few months.
My love for photography, sports, and especially long-distance running made this a dream project. With that said, the race didn’t end up where we wanted it to, as my friend got injured in the process. But from this trip, I managed to convert it into an even bigger project where, to sum it up, I didn’t sleep for 48 hours, crossed LA to Vegas over three times in four days, but never had more fun documenting an event. To this day, I look back at these portraits and can’t help but smile and relive those experiences.
photoED: Tell us about your hardest or most challenging day as a commercial photographer. What keeps you going on a hard day?
YVENS:
While I cannot name names or point to any specific project to protect the integrity of my clients, the most challenging days are usually the ones where there is a communication breakdown. These often happen due to a lack of preparation and because some goals or roles were not clearly communicated. They occur more frequently when there are multiple layers between the client and the photographer.
When these situations arise, I usually have two goals: “be the hero your client needs” and “fill the leadership void.”
While the first goal is self-explanatory, the second helps achieve the first. In a nutshell, the leadership void is a principle that I learned from Jocko Willink, a Navy SEAL. He mentions that, in some structures, people will often back away as a problem arises.
To be the hero, for example, you have to take on a new role as producer, coordinator, or anyone else on set who has the skillset to fix a problem. Sometimes, it’s just taking 10 minutes to sit everyone down, listing a few fixes, and choosing the best option. Sometimes, it’s calling a few people who have more experience and asking them for advice. Regardless of what happens, remembering those lessons, putting my ego aside, and taking a different look at the issue solves most problems. Always remember that you are the director on set.
photoED: What does your dream project entail? Where do you hope photography will take you in the future?
YVENS:
Other than meeting some lofty business goals, I work to set up my work to tell stories that will live beyond me. In that bag of dreams, I want to document once-in-a-lifetime athletic achievements or journeys, adding perhaps a couple of movies to my resume, a book, and perhaps an art gallery exhibition of my work.
I also hope that I can travel a lot more so that I can share my love for everything photography with equally passionate people around the world.
That and working in collaboration with Denis Villeneuve (I’ll also accept David Fincher)!
photoED: What advice do you have for photographers just getting started?
YVENS:
Anyone starting in commercial photography should think about relationship building. Don’t pitch. Don’t sell. Build relationships. These will be solid assets to further your career.
Following that, create the work you want to sell. Shoot often and share the good stuff you’ve created.
GEAR UP
What camera and equipment do you most use? What’s your favourite lens? Tell us about your experience using Tamron lenses.
YVENS:
My current rig is a Sony a7R V with, of course, all Tamron lenses. I still have an older Sony A7R III as a backup. I am usually debating between two particular lenses: the Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8 and the 28-75mm f/2.8 G2. In this rotation, I also use the Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8 G2 for more still portraiture.
Since I do a lot of press conferences and media coverage for the City of Montreal, I need something with a lot of range to capture those special moments with public officials. The 35-150mm f/2-2.8 helps me carry only one camera. But when I have to be really fast on my feet, like when I covered Montreal’s Hyrox competition or the Montreal Pride Parade, something ultra-lightweight and fast like the 28-75mm f/2.8 G2 is a godsend. I have enough range to be wide or look for moments by zooming in at 75mm.
With all the Tamron lenses I own, I have the advantage of a constant aperture of f/2.8, allowing me to work in low light and get as much bokeh as I desire while having incredibly fast autofocus. Whenever I do more planned work, like on commercial sets, the 28-75mm f/2.8 G2 and the 70-180mm f/2.8 G2 are my lenses of choice.
They are precise and work exactly up to my demands.
I can close down to f/10 comfortably and keep the pristine 61MP of the Sony a7R V sharp and full of details.
While I love the convenience of the 35-150mm f/2-2.8, I often go back to the 28-75mm f/2.8 simply because of the beautiful detail and resolution the lens offers while being light.
See more of Yvens work - HERE.
Check out Yvens B.'s favourite Tamron lens - HERE!
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