Ep 119 - Wayne Simpson: Creating Powerful Portraits Through Story, Emotion & Connection

<p>On this episode of The PHYS Podcast, I sit down with Wayne Simpson, an Ojibwe photographer from Aamjiwnaang First Nation, based in Elora, Ontario.</p><p>Wayne is known for his dramatic portrait photography and atmospheric landscape work. His portraits have a cinematic, almost mythic quality—images that immediately make you wonder about the person in front of the camera and the story behind their face.</p><p>But those photographs don&#39;t begin with lighting or camera settings.</p><p>They begin with connection.</p><p>Wayne actively seeks out many of the people he photographs, takes the time to build relationships with them, and uses photography to explore character, emotion and the stories we carry.</p><p>We talk about Wayne&#39;s journey from working as a graphic designer in Calgary to becoming a full-time professional photographer, how he developed his distinctive visual style, and what he&#39;s learned about creating photographs that actually make people feel something.</p><p>We also explore his Ojibwe identity, creativity, portraiture, landscape photography, visual storytelling, working with people, and the importance of finding your own voice as a photographer.</p><p>As an educator, Wayne leads portrait and landscape photography workshops across Canada, from Banff National Park to Prince Edward Island, and contributes to the OFFBEAT photography community.</p><p>His award-winning photography has appeared in Canadian Geographic, Outdoor Photography Canada, Outdoor Photography Magazine, Canadian Rockies Annual, Legion Magazine, Nature Photographers Network, Dark Beauty, and numerous books around the world.</p><p><br></p><p>In This Episode:</p><ul><li>​Wayne&#39;s journey from graphic design to professional photography</li><li>Developing a recognizable photographic style• Dramatic and cinematic portrait photography</li><li>Finding and approaching interesting portrait subjects</li><li>Building trust before taking someone&#39;s photograph</li><li>Creating portraits with emotion, mystery and story</li><li>Wayne&#39;s Ojibwe identity and creative journey</li><li>Landscape photography and photographing wild places</li><li>Light, mood and atmosphere in photography</li><li>The difference between making a photograph and simply taking one</li><li>Teaching portrait and landscape photography across Canada</li><li>Creativity, human connection and finding your photographic voice</li><p><br></p></ul><p>At its core, this conversation gets into something I believe dee