Q & A with Paul Weeks
Sparks Photographers Blog wants to share what’s at the heart of its photographers’ work, so we’re bringing you this ongoing series of creative Q and A sessions with each of Sparks fine photogs to profile their story and their side projects.
We decided to start with Paul Weeks, since he recently swung by Sparks HQ with a gorgeous series of grand and darkly beautiful cloudscapes that has kept us returning over and over for second and third looks. We were doubly thrilled when he brought us his ‘scribbles’ – an entirely different set of pieces with an antithetically-focused scope and theme where light rules.
Q. How did these come about, Paul?
The cloud series has been years in the making. I can trace it back to a trip to the Bay of Fundy (east coast), where I photographed a striking monochromatic sky, and in that series of two or three shots I really got a sense of where it could go and decided to make a conscious effort to explore more in the genre. Whenever I see a seascape now, I have to get it – including Ashbridges Bay here in Toronto during a storm one February. It was SO cold there was steam coming off the lake.
Q. What has been the reaction to the series so far?
It’s inspired people to check out what I’m doing to greater extent beyond the commercial application of my work. Sometimes Art and commercial work are mutually exclusive to the detriment of one or the other, but I’m sensitive to that and try to promote a deeper understanding of what’s going on behind the scenes.
Q. What’s next?
I’m brainstorming on so many ideas! Right now I’m focusing on still life, and adding motion or perceived motion into it. Doing personal work gives you the chance to try something that might fail, but it makes you stronger. Worst that can happen is you learn.
