INTERVIEW NO. 5 (CHAD SIDDALL)

Chad Siddall | 20 years old | Woodstock, Ontario

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How did you start off in photography?

Well when I was in roughly grade 9, I was doing a lot of skateboarding as well as reading skateboarding magazines. I couldn't get over all of the amazing photographs that skateboarding photographers such as Scott Pommier and Ed Templeton, were taking at the time, which inspired me to save up enough money to buy my first film camera: a Canon A-1.




Tell us a little bit about the city/town/neighborhood you live in.

In actual fact I live in the country in a tiny village named Golspie. It is basically an intersection with maybe 20 people living in it. Which is why I usually say I am from Woodstock since it is only 5 minutes away. Woodstock is a City of about 35 - 40,000 people. It's a really quaint city filled with tall tree's, old buildings and good people.




Digital or film? Why?


FIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLMMMMMMMM, definitely. To me, it portrays exactly want I want the photo to show, and I'm not saying you can't get digital cameras to do that but there is just something about film that makes taking photo's that much more magical and worthwhile.




Are there any themes that you like to explore through your photography, and if so, what?


Not Necessarily, I usually bring my camera everywhere I go so normally if
something catches my eye, I am with someone that is willing to get in front of the
camera or I'll just take landscape photos.




Are there any photographers you know in real life who've affected you?


Just a couple, my friends Thom Pilgrim (http://fawkus.tumblr.com/) who takes some really awesome photos and my friend Kyle Rose (http://www.flickr.com/kylerrose) who I have taken a plethora amount of photos of. He's taught me a lot about the positioning of my models but not only has he been a help through my photography, he's taught me a lot about life.




Describe yourself in five words.


I care way too much.




Who is/are your inspiration(s) in photography?


Scott Pommier was my first inspiration in photography, he once wrote an article on how to become a professional photographer, in a skateboarding magazine and it definitely helped me choose my career path. Nature is a huge inspiration as well. There is this amazing british movie called Driving Lesson's which stars Rupert Grint from Harry Potter and the woman that plays his mother. At one point in the movie they're driving to a campsite and the old lady has her head out of the window with a feeling of euphoria looking at all of the nature around her and she blurts out, "Everything is just so fucking GREEN!" with the biggest smile on her face and that just about sums up how I feel about it haha.




Which is your favorite photo that you've taken? Is there a story behind it?

There is this photo of Kyle and is dog, Licorice at the water's edge in Burgess Park, Woodstock, ON. There's a crumbling bridge in background on the otherside of the river surrounded by skewed tree's and in the foreground there are 2 other tall tree's framing the photo. Licorice is taking a step towards Kyle, with his arm outstretched. He was simply standing there calling her over and she came right up to him. I think it's a beautiful photo of the relationship between a dog and her owner. There are a lot of photos that I have taken that mean a lot to me.




What is your favourite book?


The Lorax, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and To Kill a Mockingbird, can't choose. Actually, my favourite book is probably: Politically Correct Bed-Time Stories...It is by far the funniest book I've read.




If you had a day to spend with anyone alive, dead, or fictional, who would it be?

SaLvAdOr DaLi probably...that'd be cuh-razy...or the Renaissance Man himself and if you don't know who I'm talking about, Leonardo Divinci, gotta love Art History.




What's your current music?


Sufjan Stevens, Elliott Smith, The Shins, Of Montreal, Caribou, Joanna Newsom, Belle and Sebastian, Arcade Fire, Chad Vangaalen, Torngat, Spoon... and this list goes on and on.




What advice would you give to someone starting out in photography?


Please don't go macro happy... sure it's cool an all but unless that's the type of photography you're interested in, it's super boring to look at. Also pick up a film camera, they are great camera's to have and can produce some of the most beautiful photo's that a digital couldn't.




What is your favourite colour, and does it show up a lot in your photography?


I actually have been debating this with myself...forever. I used to think it was green but there are blues that I like a considerable amount more so I'm going to have to say blue but it's a close one... both colours show up in a lot of my work.




What would you like to ask our next interviewee?

Have you ever or would you ever shoot nudes? Why or why not.?




Thanks very much for letting me interview you, Chad!

To view more of Chad's work, click here!