Richard Beland
Richard BelandGrowing up, Richard Beland was a huge music fan, even obsessive, he admits. "I listened to the Detroit rock radio stations and really got into classic rock. Led Zeppelin was my favourite. I spent a fair amount of time looking at music magazines too. Creem and Rolling Stone were popular magazines at the time, and I admired the work of photographers Bob Gruen and Annie Leibovitz. I thought, 'What a great life that must be to be able to photograph all these amazing musicians,'" says Beland. After receiving a mechanical engineering degree, Beland moved to Toronto and worked for a sand-blasting company.
"All along, I knew I didn’t enjoy this type of work." A call from a good friend encouraged Beland to return to school to study photography. "He knew I loved taking photos. I took his advice and enrolled." An extended strike led Beland to come up with an alternate form of education. "I grabbed a flight to Europe, bought a van, and travelled around in it for six months. I brought 100 rolls of film, and set out to figure out photography on my own." Beland drove over 40,000 km around Europe and the United Kingdom. "I’m sure I photographed every castle in Scotland," says Beland, with a laugh.
A bad accident in Yugoslavia ended the trip. "The van was a write-off. I took it as a sign that I should come back home, re-enroll in the photography program and pursue a formal education." He completed the three-year program, but he continued to return to Europe. "One of my classmates made a connection for me, and I worked for an agency in London. I photographed many shows, including U2 in Germany and Guns N' Roses in the north of England." Two weeks after graduating, Beland moved to Toronto. "I spent the first five years shooting as many shows as I could. I’ve done this for 31 years now and I still focus on building sincere working relationships."
In 1993, Beland got a gig shooting a festival in Belgium; The Tragically Hip were on the bill. "I came back from that weekend with images of Metallica and Neil Young, but that introduction to the Hip proved very important." Beland graduated from clubs to hockey arenas and then stadiums. "I pull work from three areas in the entertainment industry: performance photos, portraits, and industry-type photos." He has photographed more than 150 shows of The Tragically Hip, including the 2002 Olympics and nine shows on their final tour. "The last tour had a profound impact and tears filled my eyes every night."
Over the course of his career, Beland has photographed Slash, Iggy Pop, INXS, the Beastie Boys, AC/DC and many more. "I built a great relationship with Nickelback and have worked with them countless times. My work is featured on several of their albums." Beland still enjoys the rush of photographing live shows. "I’ve photographed thousands shows, but when those house lights go out, to this day, the hair stands up."
Related Stories
DeGroot's Nurseries
It was 1952, and with limited opportunities in Holland, John, and Atty DeGroot and their six kids boarded a ship for Canada. Within a few years of arriving, John landed his first real job at Dow doing janitorial work. For my dad, working at Dow was not terribly rewarding. Too often he was a
NOVUS Glass Repair & Replacement
In 2015, Shelby Armstrong decided to start Ace Auto Glass (now NOVUS Glass Repair & Replacement), his own auto glass replacement shop, at 1-777 Campbell Street. "I was 24 years old and for the first three years, I worked alone in...
Paradox Images
Born and raised in Sarnia, Matt Dochstader went to Mohawk College, in Hamilton, to study broadcasting. After graduating, he landed a job with a visual effects company in Toronto. "I did a lot of commercial work for national brands like Dove, Home Hardware, KIA, and Telus. Visual effects is the last"
David Burrows started The Show in order to highlight local stories and promote people and events in the city of Sarnia. The first episode aired in November 2011. I've lived my whole life here; I never left. I love this community and wanted to share all the positive things happening here, say
Related Stories
Kulpreet Singh is thrilled with the success of his new restaurant, Tandoori Joe, but when it comes to taking credit for its success, he defers to his wife, Satmeet Kapoor. "Basically the idea behind the restaurant came from my wife," Kulpreet says. "Satmeet loves cooking and we always thought
Stonepicker Brewing Company Inc.
From bacon to beer. That pretty much sums up the career path Joe Donkers has taken. A pig farmer for nearly three decades, Joe did a 180 about five years ago when he made the decision to start brewing his own beer at home. That ultimately led to him and his wife Mary starting Stonepicker Brewing Co.
Dr Vanessa Curran Family Dental Care
Dr. Jessica Bourassa and Dr. Vanessa Curran have a lot of titles. Mothers, wives, dentists and twin best friends. They are Sarnia girls, who after graduating from St. Patrick's High School in Sarnia, attended the University of Wes...
Ironworks Health and Wellness Centre
Jordy Bettridge knows a good thing when he sees it. So after joining Ironworks Health and Wellness in Sarnia as a co-op high school student, Jordy knew he was home. This is where he belonged. "I had a passion for fitness itself and being at the gym and working out meant I got to know the owner at"
Own a local business in Sarnia-Lambton?
Your customers, your link, your revenue. We do the rest.
Become a #local Partner and we pay you 100% of every gift card members spend with you. It costs you nothing to join.
Free. Takes about three minutes.
