Iris Winston , Canwest News Service
From the Arctic to the beaches of Jamaica, from Death Valley to a mine two kilometres underground in Sudbury, Ont., award-winning photographer Paul Couvrette has travelled great distances to capture a wide variety of images.
Over the course of a 30-year career, his assignments have been as varied as portraits of the rich and famous, industrial and architectural photographs, cosmetic advertisements for Vogue and cover shots for Time, Architectural Digest and Maclean's.
The Ottawa-based lensman has enjoyed being surrounded by wealth and glamour and endured moments of near disaster.
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Award-winning photographer Paul Couvrette.
www.couvrette-photography.on.ca / Couvrette/Ottawa / (613) 238-5104
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One recent assignment was to photograph $250,000-staircases in billionaires' mansions along the eastern seaboard of the U.S.
"The staircases were truly stunning," he says of one 20-bedroom mansion owned and occupied solely by the head of the Revlon cosmetics company.
On an assignment in Death Valley, one of Couvrette's cameras was destroyed when he dropped it down the side of a mountain. "But I had a backup with me, of course. Any professional brings two or three of anything on assignments. That has saved my neck on a number of occasions."
The next morning, he woke in his hotel room to see a scorpion sitting on his camera case. He caught it in a drinking glass, rather than capturing its image with his camera. Later, he expressed relief to the hotel proprietor that it was such a small scorpion, only to hear her say "they're the kind that can kill you."
Other adventures have involved working at -50 C to capture images of soapstone carvers at work in the Arctic and going down a mineshaft in Sudbury to photograph the miners.
"The elevator is a metal box. You're nose to nose with 30 miners and you see rocks flashing by as you drop. I almost lost my breakfast on that one."
Not surprisingly, he says taking photographs at resorts in Jamaica and Barbados in February was definitely "more fun."
The self-described "finicky perfectionist" began his career shortly after graduating from Carleton University's journalism program in 1974.
"It took several hours for me to write an article. A portrait took me a few minutes," says Couvrette. "As I was paid the same for both, it just made more sense to take photos. And every time I took a photo of someone, they said 'this is the best photo of me I have ever had.'"
With no capital and a $1,000 limit on his credit card, Couvrette, then 22, started his business. Initially a freelance photojournalist working from home, he had an early break when he was asked to photograph the wedding of singer Paul Anka's sister. "The business just grew from there."
Today, Couvrette operates a 4,000-square-foot studio in the building he owns in the centre of the Canada's capital, employs three other photographers and a receptionist, works with an agent in New York and is in demand across North America.
"When I bought the building 15 years ago, I knew it was swim or sink," says Couvrette. "If I built it, would they come? It was a big gamble, but it paid off."
The best part, he adds, is the people he has met through his career. "Photography is only partly about taking pictures. It's very much about meeting the people."
Photographer Lorraine Brand agrees.
"Photography has given me the opportunity to meet a variety of people that I would never have met otherwise," she says. "When I do photography, I am looking to capture the emotion of the people and make a connection with them."
Brand, who owns the One Look Imaging studio in Ottawa, embraced photography as part of a mid-life career change. She notes that some of the best photos on a trip can be the most surprising ones taken on a trip, whether the destination is some exotic location overseas or within Canada.
She remembers one such opportunity during Toronto's Santa Claus Parade.
"We had staked out a perfect position. Just before the parade began we were asked to move as they needed our spot for the confetti-blowing machine. The parade started and brightly colored clowns appeared.
"Turning to watch them walk past, I was disappointed - thinking I had missed them. (Then) one clown from the group turned back to wave with confetti streaming over their heads. I got my shot. You need to expect the unexpected."
Photography tips
Amateur photographers heading out on their summer travels might welcome some tips to improve the quality of their holiday mementos.
When choosing your equipment and taking pictures, Paul Couvrette says:
. Choose cameras made by major manufacturers who produce cameras for the pro market; professional demands keep these companies on the leading edge of new technology
. Don't buy a camera based only on pixel size. Just as important is how the camera processes this data, and the quality of the lenses
. Buy a camera with an optical zoom. Avoid digital zoom
. Don't put too much trust in technology
. Back up images. Get prints made
. Protect your camera from the elements. In extreme cold, keep your camera warm in a bag or under your coat except when you are actually taking a photograph. Be aware that batteries die twice as quickly in cold weather. Be extremely cautious about taking your camera near water. "One splash will vaporize a digital camera"
. Always take back-up equipment when travelling
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When planning your shots, Lorraine Brand says:
. Use a small point-and-shoot camera for preliminary shots and scouting locations
. Look for the foreground, middle ground and background as you compose your image. Visualize before you shoot
. Be varied in your approach to your subjects: photograph architectural detail both close up and from a distance
. Pay attention to the quality of the daylight. Sunrise and sunset can provide warm light with long shadows, but the light at high noon (a time to avoid taking photographs) is harsh
. Learn to evaluate exposure, rather than relying on the camera's automatic settings
. Catch texture, which adds tactile detail, in an angled light
. Use a polarizing filter to darken a blue sky or reduce water reflections and sand glare
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