My Story

Brian Lavender

It starts with a camera, of course. I was 11 years old.

While on a walk along a quiet country road in 1981 after a recent outdoor concert, I found a Kodak Instamatic that had clearly fallen from some camper’s bag. Without a hope of finding the owner, my Dad declared the camera to be mine. On the technical side, the Kodak was nothing special - barely more than a box with a hole in it. It shot square images on 126 film cartridges. I saved up enough money for some film and processing at the Photomat and then I realized that my life’s path had been revealed.

My first images were not particularly noteworthy. They were mostly of the world around me: cedar trees laden with freshly fallen snow, the family car, the sun sparkling across rippling water, and, of course, people. My sister as an 8-year old. My parents in their early ‘40s. At the time, these snapshots seemed unremarkable. And now they’re treasures.

I became obsessed with photography and, later, with filmmaking. My first film was shot on a borrowed 8 mm camera. A volunteer job at my local cable TV station taught me a lot about interviewing and lighting. In addition, I became a salesperson at a local camera store and it gave me ready access to the emerging world of video and digital imaging. Things have definitely changed since the 1980s, but there has been something to learn at every stage. As a late teenager I carried a pager (Google it, kids) as I hustled my way into being the youngest freelancer ever to shoot for CFTO-TV in Toronto. In university, I met my soulmate and we used our collective media experiences to start a publishing company. In our decade of producing award-winning print media, LeeAnne and I facilitated hundreds of stories between our own publications and client work. In my personal time, I continued to amass epic hours of “kid video” and would edit them into family films that have increased in value over time.

The urge to experience the world with our children saw us move into the international teaching realm for 15 years. Along the way, we started Freedom Through Learning, a small NGO, to assist small schools in Africa and filmmaking became central to the storytelling that kept our partners connected.

At the apex of my teaching career I taught psychology alongside Applied Journalism and coached a team of eager students as they became the next generation of powerful digital storytellers. I have lived to see the advent of digital audio recorders, phone cameras and personal drones.

The experiences and the losses of the pandemic have sharpened our focus on what’s important in life. We may feel powerless as unseen forces conspire to take away what we love most, but we can each stand strong with what we’ve got. For my part, what I can offer is the enduring legacy of stories that matter.

Each film is a gift to the future. Every one is a message in a bottle that will be cherished. Of this I have no doubt.

Maybe you will find your way to collaborating with me on a film project. If so, you’ll have the benefit of my experience, my outlook and my undivided attention as we create the story of a lifetime.

Warmly,