Winter Diaries | Shayd Johnson
In conversation with Elise Legault
Photo credit: Shayd Johnson

Shayd Johnson has travelled by way of air, land and sea documenting and photographing the wholly diverse landscapes that make up his native British Columbia. As an editorial and commercial photographer, he has flown to the top of the Monashee Mountains, watched the storm by the ocean in Ucluelet and participated in sacred First Nations ceremonies in Northern Vancouver Island. In doing so, Shayd has accumulated an impressive bank of images - and several thousand followers on Instagram as well.
He took time to chat with us this past December to give us some insight on what drives him as both a photographer and an environmentalist. He tells us about how he discovered the outdoors and how a winter spent in an isolated cabin shaped his outlook on his craft and his life.
Malgré son horaire chargé, il a pris le temps de discuter avec nous de ce qui le motive en tant que photographe et environnementaliste. Il nous raconte comment il a découvert le plein air et comment un hiver passé dans une cabane isolée a façonné la vision de son métier et de sa vie.
How did you get into photography?
I started photography when I was quite young and naive. I was in the party stage of my life. I was managing a nightclub and taking any photography gig I could get, basically whoring myself out. I did that for years without really understanding the power I had as a photographer. I didn’t grasp that there was more meaning behind images than just taking photos for people. And it really wasn’t until I started going outdoors that I got it. My pictures can go places and have a long lasting effect.