If you’re at least a few months on the NFT Space, there’s a high chance you’ve seen Tyler’s work on your timeline. His talent to photography can be paired to his dedication to community building and excitement about our whole web3 environment. Spread across dozens of wallets, his work is proof that talent and effort can take you places you didn’t dare to dream about.

Tyler, first, thanks a lot for talking to us! Your vibrant and colorful shots have been baffling us for years now. How did you begin your photography journey? Did you start with street photography from day one?

My journey started 27 years ago when my late father gave me my first camera at 10 years old. I started shooting nature/landscape because that’s what I was surrounded with growing up in a small city outside of Toronto. I then moved towards street photography when moving to Toronto, I’ve always been an introvert and I think street photography allowed me to seek out connection with the people around me in my photos. Almost like I could be a part of their lives and their beautiful everyday moments by freezing them in time with my lens. It helped with my loneliness.

You have been featured in a few publications so far. Which was your first and which one made you feel prouder?

My first big publication was by Sony, they did an interview with me deep diving into a “What’s in my Bag” and the photos I take with my Sony camera setup. This was a huge honor for me as my Sony camera has never let me down before and is what I capture all my photos with.

Do you have any tips for photographers who also want to be featured?

Create your own style that you love doing more than anything then start creating your own advertisements for brands you like. This is great practice and will help you get noticed and possibly featured.

Besides being a remarkable photographer, you’re a relentless and hard worker. Creating, marketing yourself and community building nonstop. Not to mention studying and making connections. You ever thought being an artist would require that much parallel work?

In the beginning I wasn’t really sure of the amount of work everything would take. I dedicate from the moment I wake up to when I sleep to my craft every day because it’s the only thing that truly makes me happy and what gets me out of bed in the morning. Back in 2011 I remember the grind on Instagram was absolutely insane hours but now it’s kind of like a dance balancing so many platforms, creating, traveling, connecting and editing. But if it’s what you really love doing it won’t bother you very much. I truly love that I get to capture the beauty of the world around me to share and hopefully inspire others with.

What’s your hardest shot to get?

Eye of Sauron. A sun alignment of the CN Tower and sunrise that I had planned for over a year prior using many weather/geo-location apps etc. It all came down to a 3 week period where the sun aligns with the CN Tower from this one park. I would wake up at 4am every day then ride my bike for 1 hour with 50lbs of camera gear and tripod on my back to the location every single morning for 3 weeks. Battling bad clouds blocking the view, the sun being in the wrong position, conditions not being perfect until I finally got an image I could always be proud of. A once in a lifetime photo.

Have you ever been surprised by a street photography shot while editing? Found a gem in the background while you were focusing on a different subject?

Evil Twin. After reviewing this image in Adobe Lightroom I noticed the car’s brake lights reflected directly onto my subjects eyes creating this sci-fi like surreal atmosphere to the image. I was in shock at the insane small chance this could happen naturally. 

You’re not afraid of minting new work regardless of the market. What’s your drive to keep minting? What can you say for those who are holding back right now?

My main drive is the provenance of my photography on the blockchain and simply to inspire others. I’m here to be a part of building and educating for the future of NFTs for artists everywhere for generations to come.

I would say now is the best time to focus on taking the time to create your very best curated collections and get them on the blockchain for provenance. Have them on your own smart contract for proof of ownership, also the dates of minting will be valuable in the future.

When and how did you learn about NFTs?

I learned about NFTs at the start of 2021 through a YouTube video by the photographer Noealz. It intrigued me and instantly reminded me of collecting coins, pokemon cards and stamps as a child. During this time artists were being exploited heavily by either having their photos stolen or asked to do free work constantly. NFTs allow us to have undeniable proof of digital ownership which I believe is the future for digital assets.

When you’re depleted of inspiration, what drives you to keep going?

Simply knowing the things I create possibly have the power to inspire others and make their day better, that thought inspires me above all else.

How do you think NFTs are changing the way we experience art?

NFTS allows it to be much more clear who the creator/collector of the said art pieces is and also allow for us to display them almost anywhere in the new digital landscape we live in.

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Tyler, thank you for talking to us, and I can’t finish this interview without sharing a thought you left us:

“Not being afraid of failure will be your greatest asset in life, you must overcome this. I failed 1000’s of times before I succeeded. Practice patience, perseverance and persistence with your photography. Take as many photos as you can then study them endlessly. Beauty will reveal itself to you in time, photography is a mix of knowing exactly what you are doing, then letting life flow through you and allow yourself to be calm and patient and wait for the moment.”

Thank you Tyler! See you on the Birthright Drop!!