Photo Profile : Maxime Fortin

I’m native from Quebec, the French part of Canada. For more two years now, I’ve been constantly traveling to countries outside of my own to discover various cultures—bearing witness to what is unique as well as universal among all humankind.

Majorly portraits, my photographs reflect images of what I believe to be eccentric, familiar, hopeful, painful, joyous and most of all beautiful. I’m trying to capture photographs that are neither poetic nor imaginative but are true depictions of the realities of life.

My Subject

Kids have always been my favorite object because their innocence is present whichever part of the world I see them. They like to play and smile with no pretensions. That’s why the big portion of my pictures that have been taken during my experience as volunteer for children who are Burmese refugees in Thailand in 2009.

I have also traveled and taken portraits and scenic photos from countries such as Laos, Cambodia, Hong Kong and the Philippines. And after nearly one year and a half of living in Asia, I am happy to have seen and experienced cultures that are so distinct and rich.

My Tools

Earlier, I was working in the video format (with XL1 Canon), but I wanted to be more spontaneous that’s why I shifted to photography. I preferred the ease of capturing photos rather than the complexity of making videos.

So in 2007, I bought my Canon rebel XT, with a polyvalent lens 18-200mm of Tamron. I quickly understood that portraits will be the principal part of my work and so I equipped myself with a 50mm 1.8. Since then, it has become my favorite tool.

 

My Influences

I’ve always been really impressed by photojournalists and travel photographers, like Steve McCurry and Mitchell Kanashkevich. I like how they are able to capture such historical happenings yet still make them artistic. Similarly, I would like to inspire people to explore the entire world’s beauty through travel.

But if they can’t, I would at least want to provide them with something that they can look and marvel at, even without them going anywhere. I believe our world is beautiful as it is so I make sure that I keep the editing at a minimum to preserve what is real in the photograph.

Up and Coming

I’m working now on a new project, a series of portraits of young adult Filipinos depicting their interpretation of what is Filipino. It will be done in a studio in Manila—something I have not tried before. I want to give myself a new challenge and raise the bar for my brand of photography. They will be available online before the end of the year.

Links:

Website: www.Belfoto.ca
Blog: www.belfoto.tumblr.com
Twitter: belfoto_ca