Staff Spotlight: Sebastien Duckett

At the heart of our camps for kids and teens are passionate and knowledgeable instructors, counsellors, and other summer staff who share their love of photography with our campers each year. Sebastien has spent the last six years at GTA Photography Classes, making him our longest working summer staff! This year, Sebastien fills the role of Head Counsellor, Counsellor in Training Instructor, and Head Photographer!

When asked to describe himself in a nutshell, Seb responded that he couldn’t because nuts are not permitted at camp. Read on to hear more about Sebastien’s photography and what he loves about GTA Photography Camps.

When and how did you fall in love with photography?

I first fell in love with photography when I was fourteen years old and traveled to France with my parents. My dad had recently purchased a DSLR camera and I was thrilled to shoot with it! After the trip, my mom signed me up for the first two levels of camp at GTA Photography Classes.

How would you define your photography style?

I have always tried to avoid defining my photography style because it’s always evolving. As a young photographer, I am always looking to improve and learn from my peers in the industry. This is also one of the reasons I love photography so much: I am always shooting different people and places with constantly changing goals and perspectives!

Which piece of gear (lens, tripod etc.) is your favourite?

As much as I adore to shoot on my Nikon D610, my favourite piece of gear is undoubtedly my Sigma 50mm f1.4 lens. I bought this lens after so many colleagues of mine were raving to me about how sharp and crisp the images are with it. After trying it a few times in the store, I bought it and I have never looked back! Shooting on a lens that can give you such a shallow depth of field while maintaining its sharpness is hard to come by.

What’s your next photography purchase?

I love the outdoors and getting to appreciate the beauty of nature. It’s one of the reasons I love to shoot landscapes so much. Something that I have been curious about lately is how I can incorporate filters into my shooting to enhance my photos. I’m still in the research phase, but I plan on buying a filter system that would allow me to bring my landscape photos to the next level.

What advice would you give to amateur photographers?

Think long-term! A lot of young photographers that I meet like to think about short-term gear purchases and small fixes to their shooting. But photography is something will develop with you throughout your whole life. That’s why I always tell people to invest in classes and to purchase quality lenses instead of upgrading their cameras. The camera industry is constantly improving but quality lenses will last you a lifetime.

What do you love about working at GTA Photography Camps?

I love working with such esteemed colleagues and kind staff. The quality of photography that my peers put out in their professional lives is absolutely stunning; it’s what keeps me coming back to work here every year! It’s also so nice to work somewhere where the staff treat each other with such respect and trust!

Just so we can find out a bit more about the person behind the lens, could you tell us…

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? 

A couple years ago I moved to Montreal to study at McGill University. I never thought that I could call anywhere but Toronto home, but I have developed such a love for Montreal. The food, the people and the music are some of the many reasons that I would love to call Montreal home one day!

What’s your favourite hobby outside of photography?

Outside of photography one of my strongest passions is for classical music. I’ve been singing in choirs and as a soloist since I was eight years old and it is truly one of my life’s greatest pleasures! I currently study Vocal Performance and Opera at McGill University and I am having an incredible time!