Carlos Taylhardat

As a little boy I admired my father’s ability to capture great images. He was a diplomat and traveled around the world – I would follow him everywhere. My favourite shots of dad’s were always, without fail, images of people.

In 1985, while studying photography at Claude Watson School for the Arts, I was mesmerized by the most outstanding portrait photograph I have ever seen: National Geographic Magazine’s cover of June 1985 – the Afghan Girl by Steve McCurry. Little did I know that 30 years later, my mission would be to recreate the feeling of the Afghan Girl in every portrait, by capturing the spirit inside everyone who I have the pleasure to photograph.

In the 1990’s, I worked with troubled youth and their families for the Ministry of Children and Families and also with the Vancouver School Board. During those 14 years as a youth worker and family therapist, I always wondered about capturing images of people at their best rather than at their worst.

Counselling taught me to interact with my clients as if it was a session, bringing out their best throughout each interaction. Today, my clients have a mini-session, just like family therapy, but it’s fun, easy and always produces great results.

My father’s passion for photography was infectious. He would have been an extraordinary photographer. In our last conversation he asked me to never quit photography. I never will.

Some of Carlos’s previous clients include Microsoft, 3M, Lions Gate Studios and The Vancouver Art Gallery.