by Grady Mitchell | Roll through the portfolio of photographer Alana Paterson and you’ll encounter scenes of West Coast splendour, adventures in Italy, Mexico, Thailand and long trips across the US and BC. You’ll visit serene forests, misty waterfalls, drained backyard pools, skate parks and city streets. Her rich body of work stems from a largely itinerant lifestyle, a well-tuned and ever-roving eye, and a dedication to film.

If the stories in her photos seem convincing, it’s because they really happened. The line between her commercial and personal work is seamless in a way very few photographers ever manage. When models appear they’re never posed or stiff; instead they’re real people going about doing real things. These honest, intimate moments are key, Alana says, to the success of her client work.

Rather than orchestrate situations, she lets them unfold naturally. If the concept is to shoot camping, they camp. Fishing, they get wet. Dirtbikes, dirty. The warmth and grain of film, her preferred medium, adds to that sense of realism. That simple philosophy lends an authenticity that’s impossible to emulate in a rigidly constructed, over-produced shoot. Her easy, uncontrived style has won over loyal clients like Brixton, Lifetime Collective, and Poler.

Alana began shooting as a teenager when her sister gave her a Pentax SLR (“Just keep the aperture on eight” were her instructions). At first Alana shot her friends skateboarding, and although she rarely shoots skateboarding anymore, it proved fundamental in her development as a photographer. Skateboarding is an inherently creative activity, one that attracts artists. “I think it comes from the type of mind that’s attracted to an unstructured activity,” Alana says. Much like she shoots, it requires adaptability and the flexibility to interpret open-ended situations.

Her career began with concrete, but now it’s moving in a greener direction. An avid gardener and farmhand, much of her work these days focuses on nature (She regularly shoots for Scout’s very own Victory Gardens column). Her soft, contemplative imagery suits the tranquil landscapes she so often crosses. To check out more of Alana’s work, visit her website and her blog.

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