Ep 119 - Wayne Simpson: Creating Powerful Portraits Through Story, Emotion & Connection

On this episode of The PHYS Podcast, I sit down with Wayne Simpson, an Ojibwe photographer from Aamjiwnaang First Nation, based in Elora, Ontario.Wayne is known for his dramatic portrait photography and atmospheric landscape work. His portraits have a cinematic, almost mythic quality—images that immediately make you wonder about the person in front of the camera and the story behind their face.But those photographs don't begin with lighting or camera settings.They begin with connection.Wayne actively seeks out many of the people he photographs, takes the time to build relationships with them, and uses photography to explore character, emotion and the stories we carry.We talk about Wayne's journey from working as a graphic designer in Calgary to becoming a full-time professional photographer, how he developed his distinctive visual style, and what he's learned about creating photographs that actually make people feel something.We also explore his Ojibwe identity, creativity, portraiture, landscape photography, visual storytelling, working with people, and the importance of finding your own voice as a photographer.As an educator, Wayne leads portrait and landscape photography workshops across Canada, from Banff National Park to Prince Edward Island, and contributes to the OFFBEAT photography community.His award-winning photography has appeared in Canadian Geographic, Outdoor Photography Canada, Outdoor Photography Magazine, Canadian Rockies Annual, Legion Magazine, Nature Photographers Network, Dark Beauty, and numerous books around the world.In This Episode:​Wayne's journey from graphic design to professional photography• Developing a recognizable photographic style• Dramatic and cinematic portrait photography• Finding and approaching interesting portrait subjects• Building trust before taking someone's photograph• Creating portraits with emotion, mystery and story• Wayne's Ojibwe identity and creative journey• Landscape photography and photographing wild places• Light, mood and atmosphere in photography• The difference between making a photograph and simply taking one• Teaching portrait and landscape photography across Canada• Creativity, human connection and finding your photographic voiceAt its core, this conversation gets into something I believe deeply:The camera is only the tool. The photograph comes from the connection.Visit Wayne:⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Web⁠⁠⁠Buy Wayne's Book: ResilientShort Documentary On WayneVisit The Show:⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠Web⁠⁠