Exposure: T.Burd Wonders

There's a lady in Vancouver who goes by the name of Tamea Burd and her photography is something special! Seriously, I was skimming through the Vancouver and BR Flickr Pools and I randomly came upon her glorious photo work - so of course I had to feature her.

I was fascinated by the extreme variety of photos; she definitely doesn't stick to photographing the same subjects over and over again. In her collection of work, a viewer can come upon photos of beautiful children with their facial expressions faceted against the outline of everyday life. Photos of fruits, door knobs, random shadows and other such magical things can be found in her collection of work. I hope you enjoy her work as much I did!

In your own perspective, what is photography?
For me, photography is a sense of being incredibly connected to a moment, while also being incredibly distant and separated. It's like watching other people dance while you stand in the shadows near the wall. But you love the song so much and the dancers look so beautiful, you don't mind being not being a part of what you see. And I've always thought of it as a way to stop time. In that still moment when you take a picture, you and your lens see with utter permanence and clarity like no other time in your life.

What role do your camera and the art itself have in your life?
As far back as I can remember, I have seen everything around me as though it were a photograph. I carry a camera with me most of the time but even when I don't, my eyes are still taking pictures. If my memory were a tangible thing, it would be a photo album. I fell in love with the art of photography when I was about eleven years old. I found a tattered old coffee table book of famous 'Life Magazine' photos. I looked and looked through that book until it fell apart.
The images that struck the deepest chords, were those of real people, in real moments. The soldier kissing the nurse in Times Square on VJ day. Bobby Kennedy dying as he is held by the waiter on the kitchen floor of the L.A. Ambassador Hotel. The Dorothea Lange photo of the migrant mother and her hungry children. The mother had just sold the tires on her car to buy food. She looks so strong and so worried while her children are huddled around her. As many times as I have looked at that picture over the years, I can never decide if the children are clinging to their mother for comfort, or if they are the ones comforting her. That photo in particular just tore my heart out. It still does.
So the role photography has in my life is not something I can sum up in words to make any sort of linear sense. All I can say is it is what I love.

Your work is so vast and random; you don't stick to one thing. What sorts of subjects get you excited the most (people, nature, animals, flowers, architecture)?
I prefer to take pictures of people. I find people are far more compelling to look at than anything else. But I love to shoot anything with beautiful light, clean lines and strong colours. Moments or subjects that evoke any sort of feeling. (OK, and I love to take pictures of my ridiculously adorable, curious and hyper orange kitten. But those aren't so much for art's sake!)

Lately I am really fascinated by capturing motion. Birds just as they start to fly. People in mid-laugh. leaves falling and etc. It's a new obsession, so I've got a lot of work to do before I master it. Motion shots are very much dependant on sheer luck, which is a huge part of why they're so wonderful.

What does your equipment consist of and what camera do you recommend as the overall good camera to purchase?
I have a very good digital 'point and shoot' that I carry around with me at all times. I also have an excellent digital SLR that I use professionally. Both are made by Sony, although I use Zeiss lenses as well as Sony lenses on the SLR. I shopped around for quite a while before deciding on Sony, but it got such stellar reviews, it seemed like a strong choice. And I'm very happy with both cameras.

As for what makes an overall good camera to purchase, it entirely depends on what it's needed for and personal taste. I recommend being sure what kind of photos you want to take and then researching thoroughly what best suits your exact needs before you buy.

What part of Vancouver is your favorite to capture through lens?
Vancouver seems to be disappearing as fast as it grows, which makes me sad. My favourite things to capture in this city are those that have some sense of history and heritage - things that last or at least have lasted up until now. If I had to choose a favourite area, I would have to say it is probably the Mt. Pleasant neighbourhood.

For how long have you been involved in this mad, passionate love affair that is photography?
I got my first camera for a birthday when I was in the seventh grade - it was a little Kodak 110. I've been under a powerful photographic compulsion ever since.

What are you excited to photograph next - any specific areas?
The whole world is a photo opportunity. Anyone, anywhere and everywhere could be a subject to be excited about. There definitely are special places though. Places I've wanted to take pictures of for a long time... I'm planning a trip to New York some time next year, which is my personal version of photographic heaven. And a few years ago I went on a trip through Nevada and Arizona, drove Route 66 to the Grand Canyon, it was gorgeous and amazing.

I took hundreds of shots, people, old cars, dust storms, the desert, the highway... I never got to see a single photo. My camera was stolen out of my bag at the airport on the way home. I did not realize it until I was on the plane. I was more devastated about the loss of the photos than the loss of the camera. In that moment, I made a promise to myself to do that trip again, just to regain all the pictures I lost.
So Arizona is also very high on my list of places I'm excited to photograph in the future. As is Europe, especially Italy - such beautiful people, beautiful architecture, beautiful everything...

How do you think women's photography is different from men's? Is there a difference? Or is each photographer characterized by a general standard?
I don't think there's a general rule that applies to one gender or another. I think each photographer captures images that appeal to them on a personal level. As for a general standard, that's also based on personal taste, at least in part. A technically good shot is inarguable, but sometimes impulsive imperfections are even better.

Any favorite photographers in both Vancouver and world?
Dorothea Lange is my favourite and my inspiration. She was incredible in so many ways. one of the first true documentary photographers. Her work actually helped change people's lives. It was largely due to her photographs that the general public became aware of the need to give aid to poverty stricken people in rural areas during the 1930's. Her images of the American dust-bowl era and the Great Depression are powerful and beautiful and so empathic.

For sheer brilliance and imagery and style, I also really love the work of Richard Avedon, Gordon Parks Sr. and Margaret Bourke-White.

Locally, my favourite photographers are Angela Fama, Robert Leon and Lincoln Clarkes. They're all amazing.

Being a photographer who also makes money from the art, would you say it's a hard industry to be in?
Well, yes and no. Doing what you love for a living is fantastic, no matter what that trade may be. When that trade is professional photography, it is extremely competitive. But as with most things in life, if your work is exceptionally good and you have the drive to get yourself out there; you will be successful.
I think it is wonderful that the availability of digital cameras has brought about what seems to be a photographic renaissance these days. I'm wholeheartedly supportive of anyone who wants to take photos. But I do think the influx of amateur photographers posting "I'll shoot your entire wedding for $200.00" on places like Craigslist, badly devalues the skill and time and talent of people who are committed and passionate enough to make photography their sole means of support. That, in my opinion definitely contributes to the difficult aspects of being in the photography industry.
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How do you find clients, or do they find you (from your website)?
The website is a great tool for generating clients. Networking, marketing yourself, advertising, and word-of mouth are even better. I get a lot of work through referrals, which is probably the best way, at least for me. Although having the good fortune to be in the right place at the right time is also fantastic when it happens.

Do you think that just like in any other industry fame and success as a photographer is the product of networking and knowing the right people or actual talent?
Knowing the right people will only get you so far in life. It definitely helps and there is nothing wrong with that. But if you produce any sort of work that depends on the appreciation of an audience; there's no substitute for talent.

You can kiss a million well placed asses, you can spend thousands of dollars on your image and your social life. If your art or your album or your film or your book really sucks, people won't want it no matter what. How many copies did Paris Hilton's album sell? How many people saw Mariah Carey's movie 'Glitter'? Or bought wassisname from the Smashing Pumpkin's book of poetry?

Because even though we do live in a culture where so many people prefer trash over art, there is still room for authentic skill to be rewarded. I truly believe that no matter how inundated we are by useless, tacky crap; most people still long for things that are beautiful and genuine and good.

And if you want success (fame is arbitrary) as a photographer, it all depends on how you define that for yourself. I'm driven by the need for it too, but for me it means being happy with my life, doing what I love, being proud of myself, being proud of my work and trusting I'm on the path I was meant for.