Chastin Martel
There are many things in this world you can take a photograph of and sometimes, the outcome is beautiful!
One example of a beautiful photograph for me is sunsets. Seeing the sky glow in orange and yellow just makes life worth living for some reason. I’ve only ever seen the best sunsets in spring and summer. They’re always different. I enjoy the ones where the whole sky is lit up with the warm colours.
I never realized the significance photography has on me until the second half of 2018. I got into it while I was a Grade 10 student at Lakeside Outreach School in Slave Lake. It was very intriguing but it definitely sparked an interest for me. The school got access to a $5,000 camera. I got to use it when some of the class went outside to take some photos with it. Something in holding that camera flipped a switch for me. I was amazed!
Shortly after that, my curiosity lingered and there I was, taking photographs of my dog in a nearby field with my uncle’s camera the following week. At the time, I thought I was photographer of the year, but no. Turns out taking a photo of my dog doesn’t compare that well to world famous photographers. I was determined, though.
My photography journey has been a joyful experience so far. I took it more seriously in the pandemic, where I would take random portraits of my sister and cousins. I basically forced them to take photos. They can’t complain, they all turned out good.
In the summer of 2020, I had this job, Junior Forest Rangers, I took many photos of the Rocky Mountains and even some videos. At that time, I had the Canon Powershot SX540 HS. It was a digital camera that had really good zoom. It was later in the fall of 2020, I was able to purchase an expensive camera. The Canon EOS 90D complete with a 18mm-55mm kit lens. Not the best lens, but I was still glad I had a hefty camera in my hands at last.
Shortly after, I purchased a 55mm to 250 mm lens. I used that to photograph more portraits of people. It was a good lens but not good enough for me. Which led to me to purchasing my most expensive lens yet. A Canon 85mm 1.4 IS USM lens. I purchased it for $2,100. That was worth more than the camera body itself. This lens shoots sharp images. Although the focal length is tricky to deal with at times, I still think it’s the best lens for almost anything.
Shortly after purchasing that 85 mm lens, I realized my photography journey would flourish. Mainly because this is a portrait lens. After purchasing this lens, I realized I enjoy taking photos of people including myself. I do photography on the side and you can check out my work on two Facebook pages – CMartel Photography and Photos by Chastin.
Of course, I lost access to the first page, but the talent I have with taking photos is still there, just on the other page.
More recently, I became a reporter with the Slave Lake Lakeside Leader. This job requires to take lots of photos and I enjoy it. Who doesn’t like taking photos and getting paid for it? I’ll take that over manual labour any day!
I haven’t had too many clients for photos these days. If you’re looking for a good photographer for yourself or someone you know, shoot me a message on my Facebook page. It’s as simple as taking a photograph!