Local Photographers Interview With Danielle Tocker
Portrait of Danielle Tocker.
Whilst examining the history of photography in the Regina area, we spoke with local photographer Danielle Tocker to gain insight into the contemporary understandings of photography as an evolved art form. Danielle specializes in portrait documentary, interiors and commercial/editorial work. She’s worked for many local families and prominent clients such as Canada Post, CBC, Globe and Mail, Maclean's Magazine, The Toronto Star, Regina Public Library, Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Safeway/Sobeys, CAA Magazine, Globe Theatre Regina, and the Regina Folk Festival. Read more to learn about her experiences with capturing Regina’s community.
“Start with doing things that you love, also, always do things that you love! ”
What is your story?
Well, my name is Danielle Tocker and I’m from Regina on Treaty 4 and I’ve grown up here and lived here my whole life. Outside of my work, which is being a professional photographer, I love gardening and I love cooking for people like for my family and friends and baking and riding my bike and sewing and really I’m just a little old lady- I should be retired! I love listening to music and spending time with the people that I love and that’s the bare bones of it really.
When did your interest in photography begin?
I can’t really pinpoint a date but when I was thinking about it I used to get the disposable cameras in elementary school and bring them to school and photograph my friends and the playground. I also had a little polaroid camera, a blue one. And I really liked photographing just weird mundane things, I’ve got a shoe box full. Like photos of the clouds or my shoes or my friends, just simple things that brought me joy. And then from there my parents with their credit card points bought me an SLR camera, a film camera, and I guess then I was taking it a bit more seriously and learning about aperture and shutter speed and exposure. I’d photograph live bands, I love going to shows and photographing people and it just kind of spiraled from there. It’s kind of cool to still have that connection to my past. And I’d love to get back into doing more of it too its just so much fun and the energy of being in a different spot from where the crowd is. It’s just fun and you can’t plan it, it’s pretty great.
What is your favourite work in your portfolio?
While I did want to say interiors because that is what I’m really enjoying photographing right now - it’s kind of like a new thing for me in the last couple years - I think my favourite are the photos of the children. I love working with them so much and I really try to get myself on their level and listen to them and make them feel special and they’re always excited to show me their favourite things if I’m shooting at their home. But yeah, I think I just like to meet them where they’re at and I think that helps them trust me a little bit more and get more fun, real images and like often times after a shoot the kids will be giving me a hug and saying ‘when will you come back?’ and you know like ‘can I show you this one more thing?’ and it’s sweet. It makes me feel so good that they trust me and feel special. Yeah, I think with that it makes them trust me a bit more and we can get just real images and not just them looking at the camera and saying ‘cheese’. I think the kids, they’re just magical like you can’t tell them what to do. I always say “they run the show, I'm just gonna chase them around for a bit”. I think that has to be my favourite. Yeah it’s so cool, I actually was dropping off some plants from the garden to a family friend recently and her grandson was over and afterwards when I left I guess he asked, “Is Danielle a kid or an adult?’. I was like, I’m still trying to figure that out myself!
What’s the most memorable moment from your career?
I asked my partner what he thought it would be and he got it right away but it was - I got to photograph a stamp or like part of a stamp. I got to collaborate on a postage stamp for Canada Post with a graphic designer from Vancouver which was like a total ‘pinch me’ moment because I love snail mail - I love sending letters and postcards, so it was for a stamp with Harry Daniels on it. He was a Metis activist/politician who played a pretty important role. He was such an interesting person. I got to meet his spouse and she unloaded a bunch of his precious belongings, he was such a stylish person. He always wore a cowboy hat and I think they called him ‘Harry the hat’ or something but yeah I got a bunch of his turquoise jewelry, I had gotten his Metis sash that had a portrait of him and so I was asked to photograph all these different things in multiple different ways so that the graphic designer could use those components in the postage stamp. So we ended up choosing to go with, or she ended up choosing the sash. So, I photographed it like 20-30 different ways for her and then yeah so on the stamp the sash in the background, around the brochure portion, and the actual stamp is the photo that I took! I was like ‘Oh my god’ I was freaking out about it. My partner was like ‘It's a dream you didn’t know you had’ like I never would've thought that would be something that I would be able to collaborate on and the fact that I did was such an honour and it was so cool to learn about Harry and collaborate the design on that project. So, that was my highlight.
Stamp of Harry Daniels, created for Canada Post.
What strategies do you use during your creative process to get the best results?
Strategies, they’re all a bit the same but different like for an interior shoot there’s so much planning that goes into the shoot before it actually happens and then when it’s happening we already have our shot list, we know where the suns’ gonna be, we know which room we’re shooting first, that sort of thing. So, I guess the strategy is preparedness so that it's less stressful but also for other work just being able to pivot on your feet. I like to plan as much as possible but also leaving room for the magic to happen. Like this past weekend we were shooting a wedding and we were walking around and this landscaper was like, ‘Hey, do you guys have spots for wedding photos?’ and I was like ‘Yeah we have some we’re just gonna wander around blah blah blah’ and he was like ‘Do you want to come into the backyard it’s like landscaped and has all these different buildings’ and it was so nice! If i had said no we would have missed out on that. Otherwise creative strategies… Just planning the day for shoots like if I'm going to be doing an at home session with kids I’ll usually want to do those in the afternoon where there's lots of light coming in the windows. Or, if I'm shooting portraits of people in the evening I'll try to shoot around golden hour so there's less heat and direct sun on peoples’ faces. But also, sometimes that's the only time people can take pictures so it's like, ‘how can we make a good picture with this harsh light’. But yeah, just being flexible I guess is the strategy.
Photo taken for Hue Design Collective.
What major takeaway would you like people to get from your work?
That was another tough one because it's like yeah I put my work on my website for people to see and if they connect to it in any way maybe they'll reach out to me but most of the time I have hundreds of different bosses like each person who hires me I'm doing the work for them. For stuff that's more personal, like what I'd share on Instagram or otherwise, I think maybe I just want people to appreciate the small things a bit more. I think especially with family photographers and also with interior photos people just want bright photos and they just want them to look perfect and you know with interiors I want there to be a feeling. It's up to the interior designer ultimately but we often like to leave some shadows and you know like a rag hanging over the kitchen or bathroom sink to make it look lived in so it's a bit of an invitation. And with family photos, yeah just people to not expect that life is a perfect family looking and smiling at the camera like kids are goofy, rain happens, things break, houses are messy, the walls aren't the colour that you want. It's just better to enjoy the little things and appreciate that what you have right now is all you need. Like when I worked with Brendene of Hue Design Collective, she's an incredible designer and just so unique, Regina’s really lucky to have her but I think she wants that too, she doesn’t want all white walls - it looks more lived in and real I think.
Your candid portraiture beautifully captures the realistic atmosphere of the personal events you photograph. How does this portrayal differ from posed/staged portraits?
Yeah I think often most people are like ‘Oh my god I don't want to have my picture taken, I hate having my picture taken’ I think a lot of people are uncomfortable in front of the camera and so there are times where I’ll start off with ‘okay just hold your hands and look at me’ it's also a good opportunity for me to make sure my settings are what I want and to just get that starchy one out of the way. I like to keep people moving throughout my sessions so oftentimes I’ll invite them to walk. Mostly we’re just walking or doing something wild but yeah I think leaving room to anticipate moments and sometimes they're gonna talk to each other and say ‘This is awkward’. I have to leave room for those things to happen. I’ve never asked people to fake laugh for a photo. People do that because honestly... I’ve photographed so many wedding parties where the bridal party will be like, ‘Everyone look at each other and laugh’ and I'm just like, no I did not ask for this! I don't want that because I also have to look at these photos for a really long time after and I'm like, people are not being their authentic selves in these photos. Yeah I hate it so yeah I’ll be talking and asking questions the whole session and I'm kind of an awkward person myself and I’ll just be humming or singing to myself and sometimes that just makes people laugh. I think people are just comfortable around me which is nice. Just like keeping people moving and leaving room to anticipate things that are going to happen. I don't want to be like ‘Okay, we're gonna do this and this and then you guys are gonna do this” That’s not fun for me and that's not how I like to work. I'm very lucky with the people that I get to work with, usually there's opportunities to meet them before we have to actually shoot and I'm pretty lucky with the people that I get. I remember when I first started people would ask ‘Who's your ideal customer?’ and ‘What's your demographic?’ and I used to be so in my head about stuff like that but now I'm like, I don't care who that is! I want to be someone's ideal photographer. I want them to love my work and like me and just have usual responses.
How does storytelling through photography differ from other methods?
I think they’re really similar, in contrast I would say that the classic thing to say is your freezing a moment in time or you're stopping a moment in its tracks as it is and from the way I shoot its like I’m photographing this moment and this is honestly what’s happening right now and there it is. I think there is opportunity for interpretation or an invitation to imagine what’s happening in a photo like ‘What are those people laughing at?’ or ‘ What do people think about?’ or ‘What are they thinking about when they are washing dishes at the sink and looking out the window?’ I think they're honestly very similar to other storytelling methods and I use those other methods to help me with my photography and to inspire me, like watching a movie and seeing how things are framed.
How does the city of Regina impact your work?
Greatly! Most of my clients are in Regina and I do like to photograph for my lifestyle documentary stuff of people in places and spaces that are special to them. So it does lead me to different spots around the city, I do location scope often for my shoots. Like this last weekend's wedding when we got invited into the beautiful secret backyard garden. I love just driving around to appointments and finding cool buildings and pinning them on my map as a place I should use for something one day. There are times where people say ‘I like this photo from your portfolio, can we do photos there?’. To find locations I’ll ask people things like ‘Where do you guys like to hang out?’ or ‘What’s your favourite restaurant? What neighborhood do you live in?’ and from there its just exploring different areas and finding things that would be relevant to that person. For example, I was shooting a couple at a basketball court and it was super fun and when we were pulling out of the area I saw this beautiful apartment building with vines growing up it that I had never noticed before. You just have to keep your eyes open and be looking for things, like slowing down and not being in a rush all the time and observing the cool things that are around you.
What’s your favourite part about Regina’s photography community?
I don't know if I'm too involved with it honestly, but Carey Shaw was a photographer and friend when I still had a different job. I applied to be her assistant and for years I saw her work at Prairie dog and her and Allie Lauren. Just with having their support and encouragement - they've been doing it for so long they really paved the pathway for a lot of the photography scene, like I never would have thought that I could do this as my job. In more recent times those photographers Ali Lauren, Carey Shaw and Jamie Woytiuk - they really showed up for me in a personal and professional way when I was diagnosed with cancer 3 years ago to this day. They just came through and took on the workload and were just so good and supportive and helpful. They kept checking in on me and they are amazing friends and community members and the photography community is really lucky to have all 3 of them. They're all doing really good work in the community and they're also just good people so it was nice to grow those relationships and help me start my business. I was diagnosed during the pandemic which sucked, but really beautiful things also happened during that time. My community showed up for me like people I didn't know very well, clients, friends and family - they had food dropped off and cards and it was just so nice. I felt that it would really be helpful to share a bit about my experience on Instagram and just knowing that people were cheering me on and thinking about me felt really nice. My clients - I do hate that word - so many of them have become dear friends and yeah it was a really unfortunate, ugly thing to happen to me but it also just made my heart happy.
What advice would you give to aspiring photographers in Regina?
Start with doing things that you love, also, always do things that you love! Don't do anything that you don't like because it’s not fun. And like not to get overwhelmed with gear and presets and comparisons and just do your own thing and have fun. Make mistakes. Try new things and don't think about what everyone else is doing. Do stuff that makes you happy and excites you, because honestly I've done what other people are doing and it's not fun! It can get old real quick when you're filling your time with stuff that doesn't excite you.
All photographs depicted were taken by Danielle Tocker.
To support her business, Visit the link to her website below:
