We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Erich Saide. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Erich below.
Erich , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
There are many photoshoots that mean a lot to me, they are a physical realization of my hard work and long learned skills. But it is a personal project born out of a state of generalized despair that holds the highest place in my heart. That is Humans of Support, my pandemic project – I didn’t bake my own bread, but I took pictures!
Like many others at the time, the global pandemic had me feeling very uncertain. My scheduled work, along with most other plans, got postponed or cancelled, leaving me with no clear path. Social media became flooded with fear and negativity as COVID-19 swept around the world.
At the same time, I saw another side. I watched communities coming together like never before, groups being formed online by heart-centred individuals uniting to help those in need by doing things like picking up and delivering goods. Just good people doing what comes naturally to them.
That inspired me to bring more positive content to social media. I believe that art can heal, and so, I use my photography to help others whenever I can. I decided then to create storytelling imagery around our frontline workers – healthcare professionals, those providing our essential services, and all other good Samaritans risking infection to take care of us. This inspired other photographers, and we built a team in Vancouver which captured these amazing humans.
One of my most memorable moments was receiving an email from a Canada Post employee asking if we could highlight some of the workers at the main Vancouver Depot at the Airport, as this would boost morale and make them feel appreciated. We loved that and jumped straight at the opportunity.
Because of our initiative, Global National News did an interview with me on Humans Of Support, and we had people reaching out from across Canada and North America to join in the project. The best part was that it brought heart-centered creatives together, giving us purpose through those times and sharing more stories of hope and happiness throughout the globe.
This is how Humans of Support was born! It was beautiful to see it grow and connect people with their community. These are the stories of the unsung heroes, the people we need whose jobs suddenly entailed a new test of bravery, and with the pictures, everyone had the opportunity to see how much they contributed to making the world a better place.
You can check out some of the stories through the website (https://www.humansofsupport.org/) and Instagram @humansofsupport.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Hi, I’m Erich! I love the outdoors, with a soft spot for hiking and cold plunging. I believe happiness is a way to live life, pizza is the best food, rom-coms are the best movies and ghosts – they exist, no kidding. I’m a photographer and videographer based in Vancouver, British Columbia, and I have a deep passion for creating visual content that looks engaging while capturing emotion. Working with photography (and now video) fires up my brain, and creativity! Some of my favourite clients include the Outdoor Lifestyle & Wellness Industry, Advertising agencies, Celebrities, PR Agencies and TV and Movie Productions.
I was a carpenter for 15 years before literally crashing into photography, and my skills in the trades still help me today on building sets and camera rigs, and gave me the capacity to solve problems on the fly – because there are always unexpected circumstances when on set (believe me, they’ll appear when you least expect them to).
I believe in helping others and lifting people along the way, and that includes my assistants, photographer friends, and colleagues. I’ve never seen other professionals as competition; I trust everyone is where they are for a reason. If a photographer is talented, has been shooting for only five years, and gets a job I was hoping to get, I see that as an opportunity for me to look at what I need to do differently to grow and step up my game.
That being said, I’m always open to helping other creatives with any questions they may have, be it on the business or creative side, whenever my knowledge can benefit theirs. If you need guidance, I’m here for you!
I love working with inspiring humans and bringing their vision to life, be it for their business or personal goals. My greatest sense of fulfillment arises when I’m on set, witnessing the sheer delight of my clients as we capture their essence and, later, when we present them with the final images, exceeding their expectations.
One of my strongest traits is my lighting skills, which I developed through 20+ years of experience in photography, which included shooting weddings until 2018. Weddings are the ultimate learning experience on how to make every situation work, no matter how the lighting is behaving at the time of the shoot. They are a constant lesson on problem-solving and adapting.
For a long time my heart has been calling me to get more into hiking and backpacking. Some of my proudest moments in 2023 were completing a few pretty big backcountry trips with a (very!) heavy backpack. There was a lot of learning on what to and not to bring in each of these hikes (I packed my smaller camera after the first one. It was substantially lighter). This makes me absurdly proud because I’m achieving some goals that I didn’t think possible before. It has also given me the confidence to go after the outdoor brands I want to work with, as I believe you need to live the lifestyle and be part of the community you want to work with.
We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.
I can honestly say I never in my life had the thought of becoming a photographer, I had been a finishing Carpenter and Cabinet installer since I was 18 and I was very good at what I did. But I always felt there was something else meant for me. Over the years, I always had a camera, which I would take camping or along for parties and events like that, to capture life using a simple camera in automatic mode.
When I was around 27 years old, I was in a car accident, which left me unable to work for three months. While off work, I noticed a beginner photography course at a local school, so I enrolled in it. That was the start of learning how to use Shutter Aperture and ISO (keep in mind these were the film days still). After the course, I thought to myself “oh, this is kind of neat”, so I signed up for the Intermediate photography Course, and from there, I ended up going through three years of continuing Ed at Langara College in Vancouver, while still working as a Finishing Carpenter. Things changed about a year and a half into the program, when I was learning advanced studio lighting. That’s when it took hold of me, and I thought this could be a side hustle. Even though I’d never completed any of my assignments (later in life I learned I have an ADHD brain, that explained why this was), my instructors would often tell me I was good and should stick with it, and so I started shooting weddings and other small things for friends and family while still in school. When I had completed the three years of night courses, it was October of 2001, and I’d had enough of the construction industry.
I took two weeks off to figure out what I wanted to do and realized I couldn’t afford to support myself with photography alone yet. So, on a Monday, I called up two other cabinet companies, and I lined up work for the following Wednesday. This would be a part-time job, two to three days a week to subsidize my income, and I’d photograph the rest of the time.
That same Monday, when I was driving home in Vancouver, I was stopped at a red light, and my vehicle was rear-ended by a rig. This wrote my vehicle off and injured my back and neck, but thankfully I wasn’t hospitalized and was able to walk away. On the positive side, the insurance company paid me disability, which carried me over the winter.
In the spring, the insurance company cut me off from disability pay, although my back was still recovering. That stopped me from going back to the construction industry, and shoved me to start this journey as a full-time photographer. There have been many ups and downs, and starving artist times, but I am very grateful for those two car accidents that launched me on this path that I never thought I would be on. You could say I’m a photographer by accident, now 23 years full-time!
Although I used to believe that my career just fell into place, the truth is that I have always had a large network of friends. Networking and being a people person has always been my forte, which has helped me gain new clients over time. Irrespective of the location, I always try to make new friends and connect with people because you never know who may lead you to a potential job.
I value genuine communication and making authentic connections with others. This approach has benefited me in the past by leading to people being willing to assist me in my career endeavors. Additionally, social media has been a significant platform for me to gain exposure for my business. However, I am currently focusing on improving my marketing strategies to better reach those outside my network who may not be familiar with me.
As for milestones, I’ve never attached them to finances. For me, it is about the connections or the level of opportunities and clients I had (it goes without saying there’s a financial aspect to it, but that wasn’t my focus). Here’s a few that felt really great to me: being flown to Mexico to shoot the BC Lions Cheerleader calendar in 2008; shooting the publicity images for Bachelor and Bachelorette Canada back in 2014; photographing Steve Nash in 2014; Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, in 2014; given the opportunity to quote on photographing M.C. Hammer in 2016 and, although I didn’t get the job, it felt amazing to be considered for that; winning a Communication & Arts Photography Award in 2017; shooting the President of Warner Brothers and the cast of Supergirl for their 100th Episode publicity photos in 2019; photographing my teenage crush Pamela Anderson in 2019; being on Tether Tools Pro Team and going to NY for the first time in 2019 to speak on their booth at the PhotoPlus Expo; working with Profoto in 2022 and 2023 doing presentations with their new products for the local Vancouver market; shooting the publicity images for The Great Canadian Pottery Throw Down, featuring Seth Rogen, in 2023.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Throughout my 23 year career, I had lots of pivots along the way, but 2019 was the most eye-opening for me.
That was going to be my year. I’d found the woman of my dreams, my business was taking off, and I was going to be happier than ever. Boy, was I wrong! Unfortunately, my new relationship went south – hard! This turn of events left me at my lowest, feeling worthless, and disrupted my focus on my business and finances.
The good news is that this mental beatdown became my biggest catalyst for personal growth, leading me onto a path of learning and self-discovery. I learned to take responsibility for my life and actions, as well as how to set healthy boundaries in my personal and professional life – boundaries I’d never even considered before!
Through that experience, I also discovered that I have an ADHD brain. ADHD is my superpower and my kryptonite. As a creative, I excel at what I do, but on the business side of things, it presents many challenges.
Learning about the characteristics of a neurodivergent brain allowed me to look back on my entire life and career, understanding both the negative and positive effects it’s had on me. Many things I internally beat myself up over were explained as typical ADHD traits. I struggled with focusing, completing simple tasks, remembering names, etc. This realization was a weight off my shoulders, triggering a profound shift in my mindset.
With this understanding, I found it easier to delegate tasks that my brain wasn’t built for and to ensure that the team around me supported my “think outside of the box” process. I sought advice from other neurodiverse entrepreneurs and created many systems in my business to help me stay on track.
While this new knowledge clarified things, it also taught me to ask for help when I needed it. Tasks I struggled with were better suited for my team instead of me attempting to handle everything alone.
Reflecting on 2019, I’m genuinely grateful for the wins that emerged from adversity. Each tough experience became a stepping stone, shaping the next chapter of my life. My purpose now extends beyond creative work – it’s about helping others navigate their journeys through shared experiences.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.erichsaide.com
- Instagram: @erichsaide
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erich.saide
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erichsaidephotography/
- Twitter: @erichsaide
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmQ9kcevwkI2s6X6cylQ6qg