Nigel Hamid is the editor and photographer of TorontoVerve, a street style blog he started in 2010 after being inspired by The Sartorialist. Nigel makes his living in the financial industry, but spends much of his spare time snapping pictures of Toronto’s most fashionable, interesting, and vibrant people. He also tackles occasional film reviews, special event coverage, and creative photo shoots. Nigel was kind enough to grant Style Invasion an interview and behind-the-scenes look at what he does.
What captures your eye when you’re out hunting for street style?
What captures my eye, usually, is colour, boldness, an attitude, or an activity that someone’s doing. It could be as little as someone who’s texting, someone who’s on the phone, someone who’s sitting and waiting for traffic to go by, or someone who’s hailing a cab.
Do you have any rituals or particular preparation you do before heading out to shoot street style?
I’ve never been so consumed with weather. Now, I’m always checking the forecast – will it be sunny, cloudy, rainy? How cold will it be? Because, weather always dictates what people wear.
How does weather affect your street style photography?
The winter months are the most challenging. Sometimes I can hardly hold my camera because it’s so cold, but I’m committed to having new street style (on the blog) every day, so it’s something I endure. The warmer months are definitely a street style blogger’s dream.
When do you shoot street style?
I shoot most of my street style on weekends, so I don’t generally leave the house until the afternoon, when I know there’s the most traffic. I prefer daylight photos, so now that the days are longer, I don’t feel like I’m under pressure anymore, because I can shoot until 8pm and still have a lot of light. Mostly, I prefer shooting street style when it’s unplanned.
Whenever I leave the house now, I always carry my camera, because you never know when you’ll see great street style. It’s better to have a camera and not need one, than to need a camera and not have one.
Quite often, a lot of the more interesting street style that I capture is on the way to the gym, or walking the dogs.
What was it like the first time you hit the streets with your camera?
The first day I went out for street photography, I brought my partner, just because I didn’t have the courage to approach people. Sure, it was a great concept, I’ll just approach people on the street and photograph their fashion, their style, and showcase Toronto, but that’s easier said than done.
I remember the first person I approached, I was just tongue-tied and I was so nervous that I had my partner approach the first few times, and she was gracious enough to do so. But later, she said, “You know, it’s your website and you’re going to have to do this sometime or another,” so I started asking people. And the more and more I asked people, the more comfortable it was. Right now, I have a tough skin and I can handle the rejection. More often than not, people accept the invitation for a street style photograph. I’ve been very fortunate.
What exactly do you bring with you?
Very little. My camera bag holds just my Nikon D7000, flash and my business cards.
Do you walk, drive, or take public transit to your shooting destination?
In the winter, I’ll drive to several different locations because I don’t want a week’s worth of photos in one location. But I’ll admit it’s hard to drive and look for street style at the same time. It’s even harder to park and catch up to someone. In the warmer months, I ride my bike to several locations. Once, a stylish person jetted passed me on their moped and I was determined to catch up to them on my bike, and I did. It turned out to be a lucky break, because the person was CBC’s Mary Wiens, who was impressed with what I did and had me appear on her Metro Morning radio show.
How long are you usually out for?
Looking for street style is my least favourite thing to do in this whole process, so I don’t spend as much time as I used to. If I feel I’m on a roll, I’ll stay out longer, but if I go without finding street style in an hour, I’ll call it a day. I remember once looking for street style at Dundas Square for two hours and not finding a thing. It was such a disappointing day and a lesson I learned to never do again.
Do you cruise the streets or just stay in one spot?
I prefer moving around because I don’t want to have too much of one location at a time. Multiple locations guarantee a variety of styles.
Do you take breaks for food, water, etc?
In the past, I was so focused on looking and shooting street style, I would forget to eat, drink or even take a washroom break, but now I’m more relaxed about it and take regular breaks.
Do you edit your pictures right away?
Shooting and editing are my most favourite things in this process. If I’m excited about what I’ve shot, I’ll start editing the same night.
What are your favourite things about Toronto?
Its multi-culturalism and diverse neighbourhoods.
Where are your favourite places to shoot in Toronto?
The hot spots to shoot in Toronto are still Yorkville, Queen Street West, Bloor, and Kensington Market.
You have a full-time job, yet you still manage to post new content on TorontoVerve on a daily basis. How do you do it?
I feel if you’re going to have a street style blog, you must be committed to it. I know one of the more disappointing things for people who are devoted to a blog is to visit it, let’s say three days later, and there hasn’t been a new post. So, I want to try to avoid that disappointment and try to get as much content as possible on the blog. So, what that means for me is a commitment to go out every weekend, for instance (and shoot street style).
Why are you so passionate about street style photography?
I do it because I love meeting people, I love the spontaneity, I love creating something artistic, and more importantly, I love showcasing the city to the world.
What are your other interests and hobbies?
I’m a big movie fan. I see about 30 movies during the film festival and go regularly throughout the year. That’s why you’ll find movie reviews and celebrity photos on the site.
Favourite reading material?
Right now I’m reading Steve Jobs’ biography and Stephen King’s 11/22/63.
Favourite websites?
Of course, I’m always looking at street style blogs, such as The Sartorialist, Stockholm Street Style and Easy Fashion. I’m inspired by those blogs and I try to avoid looking like them.
Favourite places to shop?
Since I’ve started the blog, I’m very interested in colour. So I’ll shop at a variety of locations: Banana Republic, Club Monaco and The Gap.
What kind of music are you into?
I’m all over the board: from classic rock, new wave, R&B and soul. It’s what I listen to on my iPhone when I look for street style.
Do you have any tips for aspiring street style photographers?
1) Always look presentable, because you want people to feel comfortable in your presence.
2) Have professional business cards made, just so people can trust you and know that you’re serious about what you’re doing.
3) Get to know your camera, because when people are on the go, they’re not going to wait for you to figure out how to use your camera.
Check out Nigel’s street style photography at TorontoVerve.
*Street style photos courtesy of Nigel Hamid
{ 3 comments }
