Meet Ethan LaPlante-Dube | Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ethan LaPlante-Dube and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ethan, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Risk for me at the start of my journey was terrifying, and I wasn’t sure what risks were worth it or what was worth taking a risk on. I was constantly tiptoeing around opportunities. I later learned that everything and anything is worth taking a risk on. I have taken many risks in my life that led me to Photography; some paid off, and some did not. Likely the biggest and one of the scariest risks I took was deciding to withdraw from school and focus on becoming my own kind of photographer; This has paid off in so many ways. I have trained under and worked with some fantastic photographers, all on different levels of their career paths and all with sensational perspectives, and I have learned so much. I would say that risk is difficult to grapple with, but absolutely worth it to take the risk and go for what you want.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My journey through art has been tedious as I have explored numerous mediums and could not find the satisfaction I sought from them. I often found myself disappointed in the final product and had to redo things over and over to the point that I lost any joy in it. That is until I set my sights on photography; I was fairly young when I discovered photography, and this new medium, to me, was otherworldly; it spoke as an all-communicable and translatable language. Photography, for me, is a medium that very rarely needs explanation. I find that I want a viewer’s perspective on my work to understand what the viewer truly feels when they look at it. I found my way into photography through various family members who had practiced it before, and I slowly gained confidence and learned my way around it. At first, it was a struggle as I attempted to photograph vast landscapes on my cell phone, which achieved great pictures but did not quite have the quality and crispness that comes from a professional-grade camera. When I finally got a camera, it was utterly foreign to me, I studied in as many ways as possible to sharpen my ability, and I eventually did to get to the point I am at today. Having worked at a corporate portrait studio for some time and practicing my craft independently, I have gained a large amount of knowledge. I have learned not to get down on myself, it is the worst thing I can do as an artist. I find that having even a tiny bit of confidence can change your whole perspective on your work. I pride myself on letting my work tell my story while also being able to fully explain how each piece makes me feel.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Since I am newer to the area I would have to say we would probably just explore anywhere we can, finding fun new hotspots for me to enjoy on the day to day. Likely we would end up stretching our legs and going for a hike nearby.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are many people and factors that have driven me to where I am today. I must recognize my older sister Madeleine as one of my creative career’s most significant propelling factors. She is a creative I consistently and constantly look up to, and she was the one who handed me my first camera and spent the time to nurture that creativity in her little sibling—watching her grow and change and being able to see her perspective has helped me gauge what I want to portray in my work. She allowed me to step into a space to create and pushed me to take as many chances as possible.

Instagram: @ethanlaplantedube