Alyson Hardwick

Self-taught photographer Alyson Hardwick uses her camera to take intimate snapshots of people. Now based in Toronto, ON, Hardwick grew up in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, NL, as well as Nova Scotia and England, and has family roots in Rigolet, Nunatsiavut, NL. She first fell in love with photography in her teen years, when she began to take portraits of her friends for their social media accounts. Before long, it blossomed into a career and while she continues to take photos of her loved ones, she now frequently collaborates with musicians, artists and models, while also shooting weddings. 

“I like doing candid work, but I also love arranging portraits,” she says, “Especially since moving to Toronto, I've been able to meet a lot of new people just by approaching them and asking to take their portrait. Usually it’s someone I follow on Instagram like an illustrator or a musician. We get to know each other for like an hour for coffee, and then by the time we take photos that feels really natural and comfortable. Getting to know people and creating genuine portraits is a really big thing for me.” [1]

Hardwick’s work is shot entirely in natural light, typically outdoors, alternately shooting in muted colours and crisp jewel tones. While she captures a range of images where her models gaze directly into the lens, more frequently she captures candid portraits where her models appear to have been caught off guard in the middle of another thought, lending to the dreamlike quality of her work.

This Profile was made possible through support from RBC Emerging Artists.