A few years ago, action sport photographer Paul Bride had an idea: he wanted to branch out from the outdoor adventure industry and into the contemporary, fine arts side of the trade, taking an up-close-and-personal look at four of the world's most hostile and powerful natural forces through the lens of his camera.
So, he spent almost two years trekking around the world, visiting four locations to capture some of the world's most hostile and powerful natural forces at work.
This theme took him to Teahupoo, Tahiti, home to the heaviest waves on the planet; Ilulissat, Greenland, which has the largest icebergs in the Northern Hemisphere; Sossusvlei, Namibia, which boasts the largest sand dunes and oldest desert on record, with no sustainable water source for 55 million years; and Kilauea, Hawaii, where the planet's most active volcano erupts.
The subsequent collection, dubbed The Elements, was unveiled to the public in September at Bride's own gallery, which is located in downtown Squamish. The collection was definitely a departure from Bride's typical outdoor adventure work, but was warmly received by the public nonetheless, with almost 130 people showing up for the opening.
"We had a really good turnout and I was able to sell a lot of work," Bride said during an interview at his gallery last week. "I've been getting really good feedback."
Now, the positive feedback is coming from the international photography community.
Last summer, Bride decided to submit The Elements to Silvershotz: The International Journal of Contemporary Photography , a glossy coffee table journal featuring inspiring folios from around the world. The primary goal of the publication is to help emerging and newly established photographers promote their work within the international community. In October, he found out that his application had been successful.
"When I was accepted to that, that was a big deal for me."
The 2010 collection features photographers from Australia, the US, Sweden, UK, Greece, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Croatia, Turkey, Norway, Malaysia and Canada. Bride is actually one of just five Canadians included in the collection: other Canadians include Joan Frick, André Gallant, Ugo Magni and Hannah Minzloff.
"This one takes a look at international galleries and museums, and is sort of more along the lines of up-and-coming artists. Some of them have been in the business for a long time and I've been in the photo business for a long time, but the gallery business, I haven't been in for a long time," he pointed out.
"I wasn't really sure if I was going to be accepted, and I guess they had over 2,000 applicants."
Those submissions were judged by a jury panel of six industry professionals: Clive Waring-Flood, Editor of Silvershotz ; Ellie Young, founder of Gold Street Studios; Michael Hallett, professional image maker and photographic historian; Marin McNamara, director and owner of Gallery 338; Sandy Edwards, founder of ARTHERE; and Stephen Perloff, founder and editor of The Photo Review .
The best part, as Bride pointed out, is that the selection process was completely anonymous, which means that all of the selected photographers were chosen on the merit of their work alone, not their reputation.
Clearly, there isn't space in the 76-page publication to feature all 20 pieces of Bride's collection, but the jury selected four pieces to showcase in the folio.
"I was surprised by the four that they chose. This was always one of my favourites," Bride said, gesturing to the shot of icebergs in Greenland, illuminated by a pale yellow haze overhead.
"I guess from an art perspective, if someone was looking to be either a buyer or to rep, I can see why these would be appealing!"
For Bride, the most exciting aspect of being selected for Silvershotz is the international exposure that he hopes will come along with it: 2,000 free copies of the folio are sent directly to leading galleries, museums and collectors around the world.
"So if you're a larger gallery around the world, you're getting a copy of this!"
Another 10,000 copies are distributed throughout 1,400 bookstores in 16 countries.
"I think it's pretty much moving to the next level and trying to get international recognition," he said. "It's hard in Squamish; I mean, we're a small town and it's difficult to break into the Vancouver scene. This is going to get me recognition across Canada and also through the States and throughout some of the other larger industries."
He's already started to see people contact him from the two-page spread in the journal, and hopes that his inclusion in Silvershotz will give his career the boost he needs to get The Elements into new galleries in Vancouver, Eastern Canada and further abroad.
Bride plans to continue to promote The Elements, but he's also planning to start another collection in February, one that focuses on storms across North America, like the powerful electrical storms that take place in the prairies: "big massive vistas and black skies."
"I've got a few ideas," he reflected. "I'm going to start on the West Coast and I think I'm going to finish on the East Coast, and then head to the Southern States."
To see more of Bride's work, visit www.paulbride.com.
