Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Renée Doiron. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Renée, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I am primarily a concert photographer (who sometimes likes to take my camera on as many trips as I can afford).

I was always creative/artsy as a child and thought I wanted to be an architect when I grew up. I drew, I painted. I was a musician.

In order to be accepted into architecture programs I first needed two years of university and a portfolio. My high school guidance counselors recommended that I take engineering as I was good in math and some of my classes could be credited towards a degree in architecture. I started engineering and never made it to the school of architecture, however that itch to make the world a more beautiful place remained.

I picked up an old analog Canon Rebel in my 20s and started taking pictures and taking classes. Color theory, darkroom photography, composition, etc.. I couldn’t get enough. Once digital photography came along and I realized that I could create in a fraction of the time it took me to draw or paint I was hooked.

I joined some online photography forums back when these things were new ideas. I made some friends through these groups. We would participate in weekly challenges and discuss our individual styles and what we were most passionate about shooting. One friend in particular, who I have yet to meet in person, taught me a lot about light and editing. I credit her with teaching me the basics and being responsible for much of the success I later had. In particular, she taught me about skin tone, how to get it right, something that a lot of new photographers struggle with. She also taught me to stop trying to edit my photos to look perfect. Life is not perfect and imperfections can be interesting and beautiful.

I jumped in head first to using Adobe Lightroom to edit photos and then Photoshop when I got a bit braver and knew that I wanted to be a bit more transformative with my work.

In the mean time, I was taking portraits of friends and their kids, of my family, and anything else that caught my eye. I joined a local photography club and was surprised when a number of my shots won awards.

I was, however, still searching for my niche. One friend was heading into lifestyle photography and another focused almost solely on portraiture.

I attended a local music festival and found out that they had a photography team and were accepting volunteers. I put my hand up and joined them for a few years, got to know the real photographers who were shooting for media outlets and who were allowed to shoot the artists, not just the crowds and grounds.

One day I got my break as someone couldn’t make an arena show and wondered if I wanted to take his spot. It was everything I had hoped for. The combination of the buzz of the crowd, being escorted to the front of the stage, being that close to the artists, the feeling when the music starts and you have three songs at most to get the shots you need had me hooked and I haven’t looked back. I have shot hundreds of artists, some on small stages, and some of the biggest names in music including Snoop Dogg, Billie Eilish, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Sting to name a few.

In terms of learning what I do, my style has always been clean and well composed, almost mathematical. I have learned what colors I prefer, how to use stage lighting to full effect, and how to move in the pit. Time off during the pandemic gave me lots of opportunity to re-edit old photos and hone my skills through editing challenges (people post a raw picture and a group edits them) and youtube tutorials. I used to ask for feedback from fellow photographers, but as I get older I know what I know and I know what I like. I have developed my style to the point that when I go back and look at photos I edited two or three years ago, I wouldn’t change a thing and that tells me that although I still have room for improvement and growth, I am happy with where I am style wise.

I think that I probably could have sped up my learning process, but at the ripe age of 53 I can say that I wouldn’t do things differently. I think that your style truly takes years to develop and should not be rushed in order to attract more followers on social media or imitate another artist.

The most essential skills I had were my people skills. Although that sounds strange coming from a visual artist, being open and friendly, and the resulting relationships that I made helped me to be a better photographer and get the breaks I needed to be successful. Knowing how to communicate with promoters, being on a first name basis with the security crew, building a photographer network and passing on learnings has been the superpower that has propelled me.

I can’t say that I faced true obstacles other than perhaps a lack of knowing myself, what I like and the self confidence to make it happen.

Renée, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Oh shoot, I kind of already answered some of this :)

I can add that photography is actual my passion project as I did end up being an engineering in the end and I have a fulfilling career in the public service leading a team of very talented people and making a difference in the lives of Canadians. Concert photography is what I do on evenings and weekends to let off steam and recharge my social and creative batteries.

In addition to shooting some pretty famous people, I have worked directly with artists on tour and have held a vernissage of my work in my city. I have also started a page dedicated to highlighting the work of female concert photographers from around the world called @bokehbitches . I have always had time in my life to mentor and support other women, especially in male-dominated fields such as engineering and concert photography.

I occasionally shoot portraits (and even a few weddings, but not for me – too stressful) but I mainly shoot for pleasure not for profit. Recently I have started shooting under water while scuba diving, which is another level of an adrenaline rush!

In terms of problems I solve for my clients, I rely on my disarming skills to make them feel at ease even though I am pointing a big black hunk of metal at them and they have their best outfits on. I make them laugh and be themselves, and I give them a little touch up during editing not to mask their natural traits, but to make them feel good about themselves when they see the photos.

As for what sets me apart from others, I think that my editing style is different from that of my fellow photographers in the pit. When there are eight of you side by side in front of a stage all capturing the exact same artist, inevitably the photos tend to look the same. I like to take my time, after the festival is over or the show is done, and really manipulate the photos. I adjust tones, shadows, highlights and crop in Lightroom and then I take the photos in to Photoshop and sometimes do some crazy things that make my photos look different than everyone else’s. My before/after shots on Instagram are particularly interesting to people based on the feedback I receive.

I am most proud of being an over 50 year old concert photographer who her kids and their friends think is so cool. :) Most of the photographers I rub shoulders with are much younger and although I get teased from time to time, I do command some level of respect for the years of experience I have and my leadership abilities in the pit and in the boardroom. I hope to still be shooting for many years to come as I haven’t found much that beats the adrenaline rush I get when the lights drop and the music starts.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Before I had fully developed my style, I received advice from an experienced photographer and attended a workshop given by another from whom I had to unlearn a number of compositional lessons. They taught tips and tricks and rules based on their preferred styles and at the time I thought that they knew best. Of course they would, they are pros and I was just getting started. When I look back at the photos I produced back them, they are not fantastic to say the least and did not represent who I am as an artist. I have learned to trust my gut and be confident. It’s important to be open to feedback, but know yourself above all else. I think that unless you are the 1% of the truly gifted artists who just get it right off the bat, this journey takes time and patience and can’t be learned after watching a few Tik Tok videos and thinking you’re the shit.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I hate to sound like an old person, but social media, in particular Instagram, has gone from a place where creatives could display their artwork, view and comment on the artwork of others, and generally be inspired to create more, to a place where instant gratification is the name of the game and mindless content is king. I miss the days when my posts actually made it to the feeds of those who wanted to see them because I don’t post a reel a day and have a social media strategy to promote my work. Bah humbug!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @raw.ren, @bokehbitches

Image Credits

Sean Sisk for the portrait of me