Hanley, an aspiring photographer from Ridgefield, has operated a booth at the downtown Vancouver market for the past three years, selling prints of his photographs in a variety of sizes. It’s a setting that he believes sets him apart from other local photographers that rely on the Internet to showcase their work.
“People aren’t going out of their way to find photos,” he explained. “So I decided to bring my photos to the people instead of people going out of their way.”
Hanley first discovered his love for photography at the age of eleven, after his mother gave him a camera for Christmas.
“It was her old broken Canon Rebel,” he recalled. “We paid to get the shutter fixed and I started shooting from there.”
Hanley’s real break came at the age of 13, when he entered and won a National Geographic contest to go to Peru for two weeks of picture-taking fun.
“We got to travel all over the place and I shot 6,000 photos in 14 days. [It was] non-stop shooting,” he said. “I Learned a ton, came back and I’ve been shooting ever since.”
For those who haven’t stopped by his booth and marveled at his images, Hanley’s subject of choice is Mother Nature. Among his photographs are images of trees, waterfalls, wildflowers and the starry night sky. One of his personal favorites is a picture of Thor’s Well in Yachats, Oregon – a large hole on the Oregon Coast that turns into a saltwater fountain when the tide comes in.
“A friend and I actually put climbing harnesses on and tied off to a rock so we could stand on the very edge of it and look down into the hole,” Hanley recalled. “It was crazy but very cool. You kind of feared falling in because if you did there would be no getting out.”
Given his love for landscape, it’s quite fitting that Hanley grew up in North Clark County. After all, Ridgefield is home to a Wildlife Refuge. The Columbia River Gorge, Cascade Mountains and Oregon and Washington coasts are also just a short drive away.
“Everybody seems to have the desire to fly to Europe or across the globe and what I’m discovering is the Pacific Northwest is one of the most beautiful spots on the planet,” he said.
When it comes to pricing his work, Hanley has used some trial and error, as well as advice from mentors and his parents. And while he hopes to one day have a gallery of his own, he said it’s important to remain affordable.
“People aren’t coming to the Vancouver Farmers Market to buy artwork necessarily, so I’m trying to keep my prices low so that everyone can afford a photo,” he said.
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