Tyler Adair
Tell us a little about yourself! Where are you from/where do you live? What do you like to do besides photography?
I guess I’m considered a local now, but originally I’m from Ontario, more so just outside of Toronto, it’s been a great 8 years of not looking back. But I will say I do miss going to Jays games. But for now I call Peachland home.
@theoklife, what is the meaning behind the handle?
So the meaning behind “theoklife” was more so a play on words at the time, that has just stuck over the years. A lot ask, and think it’s to do with the Okanagan life. But really it’s to do with, “it’s ok”, the work I do “it’s ok”, I like to play it off as everything is just “ok”.
When did you first get into photography?
I think it was 2014, sometime around then when I got into photography.
When did you start shooting film?
I started shooting in December 2019, I’ll never forget the day hanging with some friends around Seattle, we got into the topic of film, one of my great friends handed me his Pentax P30 and said, “it’s yours”. That moment started everything.
Which camera are you currently using the most? What’s your go-to film stock?
My go to for shooting film right now is my Hasselblad 500C/M. I do have my Pentax P30 still, and a Canon Elan 7. But I thoroughly enjoy the process of shooting with my Hasselblad, everything is analogue and I love it. My go to film stock would be for my other 35mm cameras, I really like shooting Kodak Vision 3 250D and or 500T when I can. As for the Hasselblad, Kodak Ektachrome E100.
What’s your dream camera?
I want to say my Hasselblad 500 C/M is my dream camera, but deep down inside, I really really want a Hasselblad Xpan.
What kind/style of photography are you currently shooting? What style of photography do you find yourself drawn to (either viewing or shooting)? Is there something you would like to start shooting?
I guess with what I shoot the most, I really enjoy candid moments. I don’t like non organic moments with shooting. If I’m at the track or wherever it may be, I really enjoy watching for those moments before they happen. You’re always observing your surroundings, you tend to look at everything in a different way. In a way these days, I find myself a lot more drawn to storytelling, so I’d really like to explore that path.
Which interest came first: cars or photography? How have they gradually mixed together, or have they always been associated together for you?
Cars definitely came first, they have always been an interest since I was a kid. Spent a fair amount of time around them as a kid, which basically planted the seed for where things are today. Once photography came around in the later years, it was only a matter of time until both worlds came together.
Cars definitely came first, they have always been an interest since I was a kid. Spent a fair amount of time around them as a kid, which basically planted the seed for where things are today. Once photography came around in the later years, it was only a matter of time until both worlds came together.
Is photography your full time job, or is it more of a ‘hobby’? If it isn’t your job, would you like to have a career in some area of photography in the future or keep it as it is?
I'd say photography for myself is more of a hobby, yes it makes me money from time to time, but it was just supposed to be a creative outlet for myself. I’ve been fortunate enough that photography has taken me down some pretty amazing paths so far on this journey, but I’m pretty happy with keeping it as a hobby for now.
" This man right here, a very good friend of mine, Osso (IG @itmeosso) I have to thank for pushing me over the edge into film. He’s the one that handed me his Pentax P30 and said, “it’s yours”. He’s the one that started a new journey in photography for myself, cheers dude, I’ll still continue to thank you for that camera and extra little push in the right direction."
Is there a film stock you haven’t gotten the chance to try but really want to?
I’d really like to shoot some Kodak Vision 3 50D, I think that would be a lot of fun.
One camera, one film, one location for an entire year. What are they?
Oh wow, this isn’t an easy one. First, let’s go with my dream camera, the Hasselblad Xpan. Film I’d pick would be Kodak Vision 3 500T, but if I can bend the rules slightly, I’d add a b52 warming filter for shooting during the day, and let the tungsten white balance work it’s magic in the evenings/night. As for location wise, exploring Japan with that camera and film combo would be pretty incredible.
We see that you shoot both digital and film, what makes you pick one over the other?
I’d say for what I mainly do with photography, I’d take digital as my first pick. When shooting motorsports, you need a fast turn around on your work, if it’s to a team, a driver, or the event itself, typically you want to start getting content out to them as soon as possible. But coming from that fast paced chaotic environment, if I were to pick film over digital, I enjoy film for the process behind it. I enjoy being forced to slow down in a way, take a step back, really think about setting up a composition, spending that extra time observing, and then going through with the shot. Also there is just something to say about shooting a film camera, it just hits differently in the end.
"First track day with my Hasselblad 500C/M, shot on Ektar 100. There’s something peaceful about shooting medium format in a fast paced environment. I guess years of shooting drifting teaches you to read what's about to happen on a track, you learn to read the cars, how the drivers will set-up, you learn to think ahead of what’s going to happen so you know what you’re wanting to shoot when it happens. Shooting digital for years and being used to shooting without image stabilization, and strongly disliking high speed burst shooting. It’s a fun process to put everything together when shooting the Hassy. It’s somewhat like stopping to smell the roses, same but different I guess."
35mm or 120, if you had to choose one, and why?
120 all day long. Reason being, I really enjoy the resolution you get from the negatives, whether it be with high resolution scans, or film enlargements. Seeing your work blown up on such a scale is just really nice to see. Also again, the process of shooting 120 is something of its own. You’re paying more, for less film in terms of shots, so I find that heavily impacts my thought process when shooting medium format.
What is the nicest car you have photographed to date? Do you have a photo of it?
(this shot was before film was a thing in my life) The nicest car I’ve shot was a BMW E30 M3 Sport Evolution. It’s a unicorn in the wild. It was number 56 of 600 ever built, and 1 of 16 in the United States at the time of 2019. Long story short, I was at a cars and coffee in Redmond just outside of Seattle, one thing led to another, and later that day I found myself shooting this car at the owner's property overlooking the Seattle skyline.
Is there anyone that has really influenced your work? Either another artist or someone outside of the photography world?
The friends that I have made over the years from various motorsport events would be the biggest influence on my work. We all strive to do bigger and better things, we all feed off of each other's accomplishments and energy, I find within that core group it’s healthy energy to help each other grow.
What’s a word of advice you would give someone who wants to get into photographing cars?
Just have fun, at the end of the day always be enjoying what you’re doing. But seriously, #1 piece of advice would be, get yourself a circular polarizer if you don’t already have one for your lens(es). Always work your angles, pay attention to the details, don’t follow trends for the sake of being noticed, find yourself and create your style.
Goals for this year?
Pick up the film camera more than 5-6 times.
Favourite Quote
Probably one of the best quotes I’ve ever heard, and I came across it at a larger scale track day down in the States. One of the media guys was giving the driver he was shooting for some words of wisdom before the track went hot. “Have fun, don’t suck”. That’s stuck with me ever since.
Probably one of the best quotes I’ve ever heard, and I came across it at a larger scale track day down in the States. One of the media guys was giving the driver he was shooting for some words of wisdom before the track went hot. “Have fun, don’t suck”. That’s stuck with me ever since.
1-2 songs that you currently have on repeat.
Sic Transit Gloria...Glory Fades by Brand New
Tempest by Deftones
Any closing statements or messages you want to send to readers?
Hi my name is Tyler, and I’m here to tell you about your cars extended warranty.
You can find more of Tyler's work here:
