Comparison is The Thief of Joy

Featuring Sarah Blais Words by Nastasia Khmelnitski

Website Instagram

Sarah Blais is a Paris and Berlin-based photographer, who has recently received The British Journal of Photography’s Female in Focus award. Sarah’s work is included in exhibitions around the world, while she continues to create fashion editorials. One of her latest projects is a participation in the edition of On Further Developments, Anticamera, which presents the work of 17 artists focusing on the main theme - space and time.

Fashion comes as a tool to realize the idea and focus on discovering the personality and the relationships built in the frame. Styled outfits never numb the person's character rather allow it to emerge in a genuine, seamless manner. Casting, set design, architectural lines, and shapes are elements that craft a whole and display the visual experience to the viewer.      

We discuss with Sarah her love of the atmosphere in Berlin, her experience of living and creating in several European capitals, her work in London as an art Director, the received award, and finally the decision to switch to analog shooting. Sarah shares with us the advice her friend, Hannah Sider, offered her; and suggests some go-to tips for emerging artists.

‘Berlin holds a really special place in my heart. The energy there is simple, with a sense and state of just being.’

Hi Sarah, we’re so happy to have you in our mag! How did the year start for you?

Thanks for having me. Started with really good friends, some interesting chats and dancing so, can’t complain. Also, found some quiet time before work to organise for the new year. 

You had an opportunity to live in different continents and countries, from Toronto to Londo, Berlin, and Paris. Which one did you enjoy the most? Which one holds more opportunities for an artist to collaborate and create? 

It’s hard to compare, as each chapter was a very different part of my life. But... Berlin holds a really special place in my heart. The energy there is simple, with a sense and state of just being. London is massive. It has a lot of competitive energy, which is productive, and in a way, forces you to grow/collaborate. With Berlin, you have the ability to breathe more, and (if you’re proactive) there is still space to work. Paris is quite new to me. It’s very concentrated. There are incredible people, museums, architecture, music, restaurants, book shops, food, conversations... happening all at once one street after another. I like that you can get lost in all the details of the city. 

In terms of opportunities, I suppose London has a larger quantity of people working on various projects, so in theory, you could just keep collaborating and networking, creating, etc. For me, the space in Berlin removed some of that urgency London has, and allowed for a deeper thought process on what I am creating, and why. 

‘One of my best friends and fellow photographer (Hannah Sider) gave me the advice to pick something and listen only to myself. What do I really want?’

You worked as an art director for several years in London. How did you get into the profession, and how was it like for you to decide to relocate?   

I studied Fashion Communications, which is a focused Bachelor of Design - we had courses on art direction, photography, illustration, art history, design history, etc., etc. 

When I moved to London, I was too nervous to contact photographers for assisting positions. I sent my portfolio to an advertising agency applying for an internship, half expecting to get it. I think the art director I met saw someone who lacked focus, but also who had passion. I didn’t get the internship, but he contacted me 6 months later to give me a chance! We ended up working together for 3 years after that. There was so much I learned from working there, and at a certain point, felt it might be time to pursue what I loved most. 

One of my best friends and fellow photographer (Hannah Sider) gave me the advice to pick something and listen only to myself. What do I really want? I was never going to be able to put all of my energy into both. So I moved to Berlin and focused on photography.

‘The model's age and ethnicity aren’t important to me. It’s the feeling you get from the images and quality of character the casting presents. Instead of trying to fit a mould, I like to let the elements that are available interact.’

What was the craziest idea you had, which you successfully implemented in the shoot or real life? 

This past summer, I decided to switch over to analog (only) for editorial projects. Rather than easing into it, I cast 5 models for a shoot, funding everything myself on a location an hour outside of Paris. I remember going home in the car and feeling completely beaten. Unlike my digital photography, I had nothing to look at. I had spent so much time finding the house, thinking through angles and interactions, pairings, indoor shots, outdoor, etc. And it all just happened so quickly. It wasn’t a crazy idea, just very, very uncomfortable. When I got the film back, I remember the satisfaction running through me. There were definitely some questionable shots, but it’s one of my favourite shoots to this day. 

Your work is very diverse, while it has a recognizable style. The models in your shoots vary in ages, genders, skin color, and ethnicity. How do you approach each shoot and choose the right model to fit the aesthetic you want to create? 

I look at each shoot as an opportunity to explore a different sliver of life. Certain magazines allow for exploration into more experimental ideas, or some can be really classical, and this presents a different challenge. But I’d say I have a fairly organic approach either way. More specifically, I always start with a group of images that manifest a feeling and then draw from it. The model's age and ethnicity aren’t important to me. It’s the feeling you get from the images and quality of character the casting presents. Instead of trying to fit a mould, I like to let the elements that are available interact. Sometimes the opposite of what you thought you wanted works even better. 

How do you like to spend your day-offs?  

I love being outside when I can be. Seaside, mountains, forests. Very Canadian. I recently read this quote; “20 years ago, the internet was an escape from the real world. Today the real world is an escape from the internet.” I couldn’t agree more. I also love checking out exhibitions, spending time in old book shops, cycling through the city. 

Last year, you received the Female in Focus Award from the British Journal of Photography. What was most important for you in developing the idea and the theme for this project? What did you learn in the process? 

It was my first time shooting couture, and looking at the collection the stylist (Monika Tatalovic) and I both just said, how could you put something (in terms of set) with these pieces. There was already so much detail and shape in each look. So the casting was very important to us, using girls that felt ethereal but exhibited strength. When Rouguy’s leg went up, and her expression was so blank, it held a really unique tension that I always look for when I’m shooting. I submitted the image to Female in Focus for that reason. Sometimes it’s best to have less to work with. Focus on what is in front of you and draw from it.

What is the most challenging shoot you worked on, and how did you make it happen eventually? 

I would say this was probably my Phipps x The Last Magazine that I mentioned before. The lead up was quite challenging. I worked with Kitten Productions on it. They saved me. S/O to Djam! 

What would be some of the tips for the emerging photographer struggling to find his first commissioned project?  

I would say not to define yourself, try everything. Spend time shooting things that interest you. Offer to help photographers you admire to learn. Don’t just look at photography for inspiration. Write down ideas, meet everyone you can. Participate in the community. Go to the labs in your city. Ask opinions. Don’t let opinions define you. Work on small bite-size projects start to finish. Don’t create to fit in, listen to your subjects. Start asking friends if they want things shot for free. Offer to shoot something for someone, come up with an idea, consider a budget. It will all grow with persistence, and not in a linear way.

What contributes to the feeling of happiness, or what makes you happy? 

Elon Musk said in an interview with Joe Rogan that happiness is reality minus expectations. Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Comparison is the thief of joy”. I like the simplicity of those explanations.

What’s next? 

I’m currently developing some ideas I will work on over the spring and summer centred around play. I read this quote in an article recently about Isamu Noguchi ‘the forms given should be sufficiently abstract, so they don’t prescribe, but liberate the imagination.’ Digging deeper into this realm.