Today we’d like to introduce you to Devan Head

Hi Devan, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?

I love to document and record moments, and pictures act as my voice to tell those stories. That’s really all this is about to me. However, let’s start at the beginning.
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I grew up in a small town in Northern British Columbia, Canada. We had infinite freedom to explore and enjoy our surroundings. It was the “come home when the streetlights turn on” type of childhood, and I could not be more grateful for the love of the outdoors, adventure and community that instilled in me. Thanks to my late father and late grandfather, I was extremely fortunate to grow up learning about our Métis-Cree culture, its teachings, and falling in love with all of it along the way.
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Shortly after turning 18, I moved to Vancouver to pursue a music career. Very long story short, I had a lot of fun with it, I met countless friends, made memories I’ll never forget, and accomplished some things I’d always dreamt of. However, I always felt a little out of place. I noticed that during photo and videoshoots, I greatly enjoyed what was happening behind the camera. I started taking photos on my trusty iPhone 4, then in 2014, I was gifted my first digital camera and over the next four years, a hobby grew into a deep love for telling stories.
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Since 2018, I have had the pleasure of photographing some incredible people and places. It’s a beautiful thing when I step back and look at all of the various landscapes I’ve experienced as well as friends and memories I’ve made with a camera in hand.
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Our time on this earth is fleeting, it’s limited. The stories we tell, the moments we document, those are what will keep us alive after we move on. That’s my purpose. That’s what I’m here for.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

I’m sure everybody knows that life is never really a smooth road, regardless of what you’re doing. I suppose that’s what makes it all worth it though. We’re all plagued with different struggles from mental health to physical health to grief, heartbreak, and heaviness of all kinds, I’m not unique in that.

I’m grateful for the struggles and heaviness that I have experienced. It’s given me a perspective on life and my career that I otherwise likely wouldn’t have had. It’s also motivated me and fuelled a lot of my own stories I tell.

The biggest constant struggle is probably the thought “am I really meant to do this?”. With so many people working with cameras now, it often feels extremely challenging to break from the crowd and separate myself in terms of business.

I am proud of myself that I have carved out a bit of my own niche and am able to do this as a career. That’s pretty cool.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?

I make a variety of work. When it comes to client work, most of it is with artists and creative folks. I love it, because they’re so much fun to shoot and always up for interesting ideas. I also do a lot of work within the Indigenous community and helping with various projects there as well. Those are easily my two favourite areas of work as far as commissioned stuff goes.

For myself personally, I spend a lot of time making landscape photos. I find genuine peace while in the mountains, forest, anywhere in nature really. It’s my way of resetting, and being present within the moments and myself.

If I had to say I was known for something, I guess it would be the work I just mentioned. I think, or I like to think, that when people think of my images they think of the way I showcase the beauty of life. The way everything has a story – from our home, to the people we share it with. I believe that sets me apart in a way.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?

As a kid, I loved sports. I played a handful of sports, and spent the majority of my time outdoors. We lived in a small town, and fortunately had tons of freedom to just be kids. I loved music, reading, and video games as well. Surprisingly enough, I don’t remember doing anything with a camera until I was much older. I guess I just hadn’t really discovered it yet.

Pricing:

• Due to the unique nature of each shoot, I base my rates on each project’s individual needs.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.shotbydevan.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shotbydevan
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shotbydevan
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoE_eNOiU7Bg3ZDhyhJpvPQ

Image Credits
black and white portrait – pictured: Taylor Menzies
live performance portrait – pictured: RaytheNihilist
inside car portrait – pictured: Will TOA