Tell us about your background and your inspiration.
I first got my start in photography back in college when I took a black and white film photography course, and this I would say caused a chain reaction like a snowball effect rolling down a hill. Since then, I have pursued photography commercially after graduating from a photography program in college, after a few years working in the commercial aspect of photography. I got a random invite by my brother to join him in California on his visit to Yosemite National Park, and I had my camera with me and no experience or interest in landscape photography at the time. I decided to extend my trip by a few days and go camping in Yosemite National Park, and that trip really put me on this path to landscape photography and seeking natural places.
I couldn't believe seeing such a place with my own eyes. I would call this trip snowball effect 2.0, that put me on a different path in photography, one that I started to pursue since then seeking out national parks in Canada that are close to home.
It does feel that I am only scratching the surface, in terms of my landscape photography goals, I wish to photograph all the national parks in Canada. It is really a lifetime goal. My style of landscape photography has evolved throughout the years and will continue to evolve, and I am always looking forward to the next landscape photograph I take.
Congrats on your exhibit! Give us the scoop.
This exhibit at the airport of Montreal, is titled "Moments in Landscape". All my photographs have a common theme of showcasing a moment or happening in the landscape, be it light, weather, or the different elements that nature provides that make a photograph interesting. I am simply a witness to what nature provides. All the photographs are from different national parks in Canada, a showcase of the beautiful nature of Canada.
They are all very personal to me, as I always photograph what appeals to me without an afterthought on how people that might not know me perceive it, and will they buy the photographs.
Landscape photography is a popular niche of photography, and people do appreciate it and are well-aware of it. It is an interesting concept - art in the airport that is both visual to enjoy and available to purchase. Luckily for me, the response has been great and people appreciate it by showing support when purchasing a photograph. It is such a personal endeavor since I put a lot of myself into this and to see people appreciate it and support it, it is great.
What is your print medium of choice?
I print all my landscape photographs on MetalPrints from Bay Photo. I love how they enhance the landscape photographs. It is such a quality product and when people see it they know it is a quality product, which helps me in my business - to offer my clients an end product that I know they will enjoy and be satisfied with. I like how easy they are to display with the Float Mount system, that makes it more modern to display and great for exhibitions with its ease. It also provides value for clients, because when hung there are no distractions of a frame, just the photograph itself, quite minimal and maintenance friendly for clean up. I made it my own medium of choice to showcase all my limited edition landscape photographs.
MetalPrints are great. I love them because they are durable yet lightweight, which makes selling them really easy.
Also being in the airport, all the photographs are shipped to the clients directly via Bay Photo drop shipping to anywhere in Canada or internationally, which helps me with the success of this project.
What is next for your business?
I will keep on pursuing my goal of photographing all the national parks in Canada and documenting it on my landscape photography YouTube channel, which is another aspect of my workflow. I would like to extend the timeline of the airport location, since it was a pop-up for a 2 month period, perhaps to become a permanent installation in the airport, since it proves that people are interested in purchasing unique landscape photographs.
It is hard to predict what the future holds, but one thing I know for sure is landscape photography is all I want to do, and I am in it all the way.
Down the line, once I acquire enough photographs, I would like to put together a landscape photography book showcasing the photographs from the national parks in Canada (that's years away from being ready).
Any advice or parting words for our community?
Landscape photography is by no means an easy career choice, it takes time to properly develop and I am yet still learning everyday and evolving. From when I started, I can see the difference in my journey. Things start to become more clear when it comes to the path I want to take and how to make a living in it.
I would say if you are starting out, photograph everything that appeals to you, make mistakes, and correct them. Be fully committed, and things will become more clear to you as you discover your own journey.
Always photograph what appeals to you and you only, if you make it really personal without a thought on who will appreciate it, it is fun to photograph what you like and be creative.
Don't photograph what's popular. I get excited when I am out hiking and I notice something that appeals to me, a potential photograph and I take out my camera and take the photograph, and when I print it and display it and someone appreciates it enough to buy it. It feels great.
It is the whole journey of a photograph from visualizing it, to photographing it, to displaying it and someone connecting to a photograph that you photographed because of something that piqued your interest and then appreciating it by purchasing one to enjoy. It is addictive, that feeling.
Watch Fadi's Unboxing of a Textured MetalPrint!
Special Thanks to Fadi Hage
Fadi is a documentarian of landscape and nature, as all his landscape photographs best showcase moments in nature and how all the elements (light, water, clouds, weather, and the landscape itself) provide unique moments to photograph. Fadi started as a professional landscape photographer in 2015, also having produced documentary and educational videos for his YouTube channel since 2016.