We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Devan Head. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Devan below.

Hi Devan, thanks for joining us today. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

I’ve been extremely fortunate with my parents. They’ve always whole-heartedly supported every dream and creative ambition I’ve had, no matter how big or small they may have been. I recognize that’s not the case for many people, and I’m eternally grateful for how beneficial their support has been for my mental health over the years. When I was 18, they helped me move to Vancouver to go to school for music. When I dropped out, they supported my reasoning, when I played shows, they came out and were in the crowd. When I switched lanes and became a photographer, they fully encouraged it. In 2017, my father even gave me his old film camera, that ignited my love for film photography. Now that my dad is no longer with us, I’ve doubled down on certain avenues of my work in order to honour him and the support he always gave me.

If it wasn’t for my parents, I can confidently say I wouldn’t be doing what I love every day.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

My name is Devan Head, and I’m a photographer/videographer based in so-called Vancouver, Canada.

I got into photography in 2014 as a hobby, and have since completely fallen in love with telling stories with a camera. Whether I’m documenting the human experience, attempting to encourage care for our planet through environmentalism-based landscape photography, or anything in between, I’m just grateful for the ability to use photographs to do so.

I grew up being fairly connected to my Mètis roots, and as I grew older I started to embrace them more. In early 2021 we lost my grandfather (Cree; Opaskwayak Nation) and since then I made a promise to myself that I would do my absolute best to honour not only him, but to hold Indigenous Peoples all across Turtle Island and our culture, at the forefront of my work and life. About 10 months later, we lost my father as well. When that happened, the intensity of that promise escalated within me. I’m extremely proud to work with people from all walks of life, and to use my work to make a positive impact during my lifetime.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Although rather small, in the big picture, building my audience has been a wonderful experience. I’ve been on social media for longer than I’ve been a photographer, and when I first made my photography page in 2016, I already had a small following on my other socials which helped me start this one out. After that, I continued to build and grow within communities I have been a part of and working alongside, such as the local music scene, various Indigenous groups, etc. I think a huge factor in building the audience I have, has been authenticity. Outside of the creative parts, being honest, open, and myself has helped me connect with people. On top of everything I like my work to stand for, I’ve been very open about mental health, sobriety, and the general ups and downs of life which I think helps people feel connected. At the end of the day, I don’t want to just be another profile on an app. I want people to remember that behind these profiles, posts, stories, there’s a human being who has an entire life of their own. I want to encourage the awareness of that, and encourage others to treat people on the internet with kindness and love.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding part of doing what I do is making a positive difference in people’s lives and on the world. When people tell me they’re happy with how photographs of them look, or when I hear that my landscape photographs have connected with somebody, that brings me happiness and fulfillment. At the end of the day, I want to use images, whether still or moving, to spark emotion in the viewer. There are a lot of stories that can be told, and images can be a very powerful way to tell those stories. I feel honoured that I have the opportunity to do so, and to use my love for our planet to help spark the same love in others.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.shotbydevan.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shotbydevan
• Facebook: https://www.faceboook.com/shotbydevan
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/shotbydevan
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/shotbydevan

Image Credits
personal photo by Zach Lancaster additional photos by Devan Head