van street photography collective

We are VanSPC

The Vancouver Street Photography Collective (VanSPC) is a non-profit society bringing together photographers from Vancouver and beyond to create and share diverse street photography approaches and aesthetics. We are founded on the principles of exploration, engagement, and inclusion. For us, street photography is a way to interact with the world, the everyday and the spectacular, and capturing those interactions through photography that is grounded in the streets, and at the same time, evocative of our individual artistic visions. We strive to offer a welcoming space to learn about, practice and display street photography through meet-ups, exhibitions, publications and simply walking the streets to discover new moments of inspiration.

We began as a group of street photographers primarily on Instagram in late 2018 and held our first meetup in 2019. Since then, we’ve held monthly meetups and photowalks, attended gallery exhibits and talks together, and created the Vancouver Street Photography Collective Instagram account (@van_spc) where we feature both local and international street photographers. Our goal is to support the Vancouver street photography community through social media outlets (IG account, facebook page, website) and events such as monthly meetups and photowalks, workshops and exhibitions.

Aisyah_Miranti_5of7 - Miranti Aisyah.jpg

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On My Way Photo Walk, April 13th

VanSPC Member of the Month

Ben Clark

Ben Clark / Born and raised in Vancouver, Ben has been an avid analog enthusiast since 2019. Drawing from his background as a writer and filmmaker, he uses photography as a visual journal to capture memories, stories, and change in the world around him. IG @somewhat_ben

What one piece of advice would you give street photographers just starting out?
I have three pieces of advice, actually:
1. Wherever and whenever possible, walk.
2. Never leave the house without a camera, if you can help it. It's better to have and not need, than need and not have.
3. Always take a different route back than the way you came.
What are your top two places in Vancouver for shooting and why?
For one thing, I like going against the grain of the sleek, pristine, natural, official public image the city tries to maintain. And for that reason, I've always loved the stretch of Main street north of Broadway. I can go on tangents into Mount Pleasant, False Creek, Chinatown, and the DTES to see a broad spectrum of Vancouver's urban fabric— the good, the bad, and the ugly, all with its unique character to capture. I also enjoy wandering around the north ends of Strathcona and Grandview-Woodland, seeing how the neighbourhoods are changing, and taking in the grittiness of the more industrial parts of the city.
Which three street photographers have influenced your work the most?
The three most influential street photographers for me are:
1. My best friend and main photography partner, Griffen. He lives in San Francisco, and for years we've used our mutual love of street photography to remotely share our cities with each other, and stay motivated to keep going out and taking pictures.
2. Greg Girard. His series Under Vancouver has set a tone for capturing this city that I've been chasing for ages, even if the Vancouver of my day is wildly different from the Vancouver of his time.
3. Jason Kummerfeldt, AKA GrainyDays. Even if he isn't strictly a street photographer, but I'm always inspired by his dedication to exploring new places and equipment, and leaving no stone unturned in his process.
Describe your work using up to four keywords.
whimsical, liminal, and sentimental
Tell us about (up to 5) books, music or other art forms that influence your photography.
Besides Blade Runner and Twin Peaks it's hard for me to put my finger on other media that's had a strong influence on my photography, so instead, here's a playlist of songs that would go well with a moody nighttime photowalk: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/71HvuDx97tNgi2PuG6oPGa?si=e118a25b9bf64ff5