My name is Joe Salmon and I’m based in Vancouver, Canada.
How are you feeling today:
I’m feeling great! I’m writing this from the back of an Uber in NYC - I just got off my flight about half an hour ago and this is my first time here so I’m really pumped.
Does your name hold a meaning or do you go by anything else?:
Nope! This is just my real name.
Profession?:
I’m a photographer.
How did you discover your passion/career? When did you make that discovery?:
I discovered it by accident because I got bored during one of my semester breaks when I was in university. I put something up on my Instagram story asking who I could shoot in Vancouver before classes started again and a few people actually hit me up—which is so funny because I didn’t own a camera nor had I ever shot anyone before. I bought the cheapest film compact that Kerrisdale Cameras had the next day and just never put it down! That was almost three years ago.
Sometimes accidents don’t happen. Things are simply orchestrated to be that way and now we are seeing things unfold! - November
How did that shape you as a person and an artist?:
It changed everything! I ended up liking it so much that I dropped out of college four months later to figure out how to make it my career and everything’s kind of just been a blur since then. I’ve learned most of what I know about myself and what I know about the world around me by taking pictures of people, and I don’t really know what I’d be doing if I wasn’t doing this. I don’t think I’d be very happy though.
JOES FLASH IMPACT:
The first thing that really made me realize “Holy sh*t, I actually might have a shot at this” was meeting Luka Sabbat in Paris in 2022! It made me realize that nothing was really as far away as it seemed and that’s something that’s stuck with me a lot. Recently though I shot a party in Tokyo for Lucid Monday, and that was really dope to be able to do what I love somewhere totally foreign. Definitely a blessing that makes me feel like I’m on the right track. I don’t really know what’s next for me, but I’m always trying to learn something I don’t know and meet someone I’ve never met so I’m sure something will turn out.
He did indeed had a shot for that - November
How does it feel being the person that you are, artist wise?:
It’s not boring but it’s not always fun. I’m grateful to be me but I wouldn’t wish my life on anyone - because then I wouldn’t get to live it!
BEING AN ARTIST IN VANCOUVER:
It’s sick! I feel very blessed to have a really strong community of people I deeply care about here and a lot of people that really believe in me. However, there isn’t much of a creative economy here and I think to actually make a good living freelancing full time shooting what I really want to shoot I’d have to leave.
Does your environment affect the way you choose to do your work and reach out to new opportunities? Good or bad or both?:
Totally! I feel like Vancouver for me is like the lobby in a video game - you can mess around with the controls all you want but you don’t really drop in until you get off the jet somewhere else. I feel like a lot of my work here is trying to make the most of what I have and get as close to my taste as I can - and it’s the same everywhere I am but maybe I’d be able to get closer or even be further away.
SPIRITUALITY
Do you believe that your career and work align with a higher self? A higher purpose? Do you feel that there is something that carved your path to where you are right now?:
Absolutely! I’ve always felt that if I could find a way to let other people see the world the way I do then I’ll probably be alright. I’ve been into a lot of different mediums throughout my life - I was a super musical kid growing up and made my money in high school by selling beats online. I actually have a song with Midwxst that never came out - it’s one of his first songs ever! I’ve always been into visual arts though and majored in art history before I dropped out. It just took me a little longer to realize that I actually like making stuff more than studying it. :-)
Is this the right path?:
It has to be.
What would you like to share about your artistic path in this earth for anyone who is doubting/isn’t listening to their intuition:
Choose life! I do what I do because it gives me a reason to get out of bed in the morning. It’s important to listen to your body and your mind, but that goes both ways. If something isn’t hitting right for you, then maybe that’s an opportunity to try and move in a new direction and get closer to finding ‘your thing.’ I’ve tried a bunch of different things and been a bunch of different people - I just got lucky finding this version of me.
IMPORTANCE OF HIS MEDIUM:
A picture is worth a thousand words. ;)
On my own little micro level though, my thing has always been ‘building community through pictures.’ I want to bring people together, and I don’t mean in a ‘networking event for up-and-coming creatives’ kind of way. I want everyone who I’ve shot to be friends - taking all these pictures lets all these people who come from different backgrounds and who have different ideas exist in the same space. I had two of my friends match on Hinge once because one of them had a photo I took on their profile, and that’s SO sick to me. It’s also why I don’t tell people I’m a fashion photographer, or an event photographer, or a portrait photographer, or a concert photographer. I just take pictures of people - sometimes I just get hired to do it in a specific way.
What’s been the most important lesson or thing you’ve been doing for yourself to keep growing whether it’d be personal or spiritual:
To-do listing and learning to hold myself accountable to the things I know I need to do have been huge. Mostly though I just try to be actively engaged with what’s going on in my life and try to experience as many new things as I can. I try and make myself uncomfortable as much as I can because it helps me stay in touch with myself too.
Where do you see yourself in the future?:
Travelling the world doing what I love. I really want to go on tour.
I’d love a little apartment in NYC and enough HBA shirts to go a month straight without wearing the same one twice. I would love to work for a label for a little bit too. I think I’d be a pretty good A&R or commissioner.
You made it this far, you can definitely go for more! You got this - November
Is there a younger part of yourself or someone you hold close that you’re making proud of? :
Younger me would be stoked on my life now for sure. It’s not where I want it to be yet, but I try not to let that take away from how grateful I am to be where I am now.
I also have a little sister who’s 9 who is maybe my favourite person on the planet. I hope that by the time she’s my age, I’m in a position to help her jump-start her career if she chooses to do something creative.
Was there a dream you made come true? Or is one still in progress do you think? Do you feel the paths aligning yet?:
Absolutely. I’m closer than ever to quitting my job and doing this full-time, which is really exciting and a little scary. I’ve also gotten to meet a lot of people that I hugely look up to (some childhood heroes for sure) and grown in ways I couldn’t have imagined. I think the path’s been aligned since I picked up a camera though - I’m shooting different stuff now but the feeling is still the same.
Is there a song that feels like it describes your life? Which one is it? Does it elevate you?:
Anglerfish by Joeyy. I’m super obsessed with Joeyy - his music is super comforting for me. Thanks is a great song too.
Your favourite work so far? Why is that your favourite?:
The Niq photo you put down below (spoiler alert) is up there. That photo set totally changed my life.
I’m also super fond of the Merlyn Wood set from LA in March.
It’s tough. I don’t really have a favourite but those two projects really did a lot for me and that’s something I’m super grateful for.
Which work has the most aura in your opinion:
Probably the pictures of 2hollis I just posted - that’s the aura master.
I agree - November
Any least favourite work? Perhaps the one where you could’ve done the most? (Don’t critique yourself too hard now):
I try to learn something every time I’m shooting. Definitely shot a couple parties where my flash was turned up too high or my depth of field was too shallow. I don’t think I have a least favourite because I love them all but I for sure make myself feel like an idiot sometimes.
Your work consists of bold, angle- amplifying and sharp images that I can spot in somebody else's post and say “hey… this was probably shot by Joe!” (Was definitely) you’re so part of the Vancouver scene which is highly held in my mind and also very accomplished in a busy city we’re in. How do you feel looking at your work and being surrounded by so many people ?:
It’s so sick! It feels like I’m shooting something new every other day now and it’s an awesome feeling. I take pride in trying to be in every corner of the city, and I think I’ve done an ok job of that so far for being one guy. I’m grateful that people want to shoot with me - it’s super humbling that other people want to support what I’m doing and are assigning some sort of value to what I create.
My favourite work is yours is this one with Niq
Is it easy to capture certain people/energies? How was shooting this like?:
To be honest, I don’t really know how to answer this! I try to just be in the moment and pay attention to who I’m shooting and the rest of my team.
Shooting this was super fun - it was Niq and 9 and I late one night in Richmond. It was a brutal shoot though because it was SUPER cold.
This was beautifully shot and I appreciate the soft glow on this photo. It’s also very much like what Niq would appear in your dream conscious. Do you have a specific way of editing when it comes to certain shoots like this? Or is there a usual routine you go for?:
Thank you!
Not really. I don’t actually edit like this super often - I just wanted to try something new with this one because I had taken a month or so off before shooting this and felt like it was time to see what else was possible. I did this effect with a funky combo of masking, dehaze, and tone curves.
I love pushing my contrast and clarity though but just to the edge of where it starts to stop feeling real. I aim for everything to look grounded but still a little surreal, so it’s something you can recognize but maybe in a way you haven’t seen it before.
I appreciate seeing big people (celebrities like Ken Carson) on your gram, how do you go around getting these pics? What’s your trick?:
I think I have to gate keep this a little bit because what I do isn’t difficult. You just have to be cool with being a rat for it and get lucky. For every photo I have like that, I have a few fumbles too where I either didn’t get it or the photo just isn’t it.
I get it, keep doing you - November
What’s something that you want to try out in the future?:
I really want to get better in the studio and learn to shoot more technically, and I want to use bigger and more elaborate lighting setups. Just working on a larger scale in general. I also want to use AI more but in creative ways - all of Che’s visuals have been a huge inspiration for me recently. Good music too.
What or who do you want to work with?:
Too many to list. Off the top of my head: Bjork, Bladee, Supreme, Julia Fox, and 032c. Also Nettspend - I know we would do something absurd.
Anything new you’re working on? Tease us something, anything!:
Hmmmm. I’m shooting a bunch of parties in November, so I’m really excited about that. Lots of brand stuff too - it feels like there’s always 6 different projects on the go! I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to jinx anything.
What’s your relationship like with the media? Does the overflow of artists get in the way of you being seen?:
No, not really. I don’t really worry about ‘being seen’ so much as making stuff that’s distinctive enough that when you do see it you know it’s mine. I’m pretty anti-algorithm, and for what I do I don’t see the point in spending time pushing ‘content’ like BTS stuff or reels when I could just take more photos. I also think most of my work’s spread comes from me meeting people face to face and word of mouth - but that’s just because that’s kind of how I operate. Everyone’s different though - that stuff really works for some people.
Where would you be without the media?:
Probably happier! I feel like being so chronically online has given me a bit of a parasocial relationship with myself - it’s weird being Joe Salmon and then being in charge of a little thing on my phone that’s also Joe Salmon but isn’t me.
Where would you be without creativity?:
Absolutely fucking nowhere!
Art is the catalyst for life and connections don’t you think?:
Hey, that’s a leading question! I agree though. It’s exactly why I do what I do.
And we love it! - November
N24 JOE SALMON
HYSTERIA
2024 PULSE