#yycLCL February 2020
I’ve been practicing photography for about five years now. I started when I was the editor for BeatRoute Magazine. I picked up a point-and-shoot camera and started taking it to shows I was covering as an easy way of getting a plus one to bring my partner along.
Somewhere along the line, I dove headlong into the experience of shooting live music: being mere feet away from my favourite artists, interacting with them, the audience, the stage, and the moment.
It evolved naturally from there, moving from shooting bands on stage to off-stage, doing promo and press shoots, learning about portraits, and working collaboratively within my community to take cool photos.
I’m very privileged to be able to work and live within the Calgary music and arts community, an incredibly supportive, open-minded, and tight-knit group of people that works towards realizing their own artistic visions and helping move Calgary forward as an artistic city. I love that it feels like we’re all in this together and how open people are when approached with new ideas—everyone is willing to collaborate pretty easily, in my experience.
For my personal projects, including a series of male nudes I debuted last November at a sold-out, one-night-only show called Unmanned, I prefer working within my friend group and larger community. It’s easy to work with like-minded folk, there’s an easy comfort and sense of trust between us, and my friends are generally down for any weird idea I come up with (and they often have weirder ideas to contribute themselves).
I produced a sold-out zine a couple of years ago in dedication to my friends (All My Friends Look Real Good) and have several upcoming projects this year for which I’ll lean on my community once again.
Taking photos for me is a way of creating meaningful connections within and without my community. Whether I’m working with my friends on a fun, one-off personal project, or putting the finishing touches on my upcoming book about lovers on the street in Mexico City, photography is a medium to create connections for me.
Sebastian Buzzalino is a Calgary-based photographer. Follow him on Instagram and see his portfolio at unfoldingcreativephoto.com.
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