Human interest Local Where are they now? Allan Cole Roberts, photographer and blogger
Where are they now? Allan Cole Roberts, photographer and blogger
| Human interest |
By Bev Boyle
Allan 'Cole' Roberts is the son of Al and April Roberts, who own A&B Photo and A&B Video. Al and April are integral to this community, not only for their businesses, but also for their generous donation of their time with many local charities and fundraisers. Their son Cole has a marvelous website at . His photos of Vancouver are incredible! This is an artist to watch. Check out his website, you will be awe-inspired.
Cole went to school at Horse Lake Elementary and then 100 Mile Junior High School. After he finished Grade 8 he left to go play junior hockey. He played in the BCHL for almost five years and also spent some time in Detroit in the NAHL. Cole says, “Hockey was definitely the direction I wanted to go until I turned 20 and decided to see the world and that getting my education was a better choice. This was probably where photography got going for me actually because I remember when I lived in Helsinki as part of an exchange program all of these creative people were super inspiring (bizarrely, most of them were Austrians!). There were web designers and artists everywhere and I was totally floored by this. After returning from that trip it was always in my mind that I wanted to get involved with something that involves creative expression.”
When Cole returned he dabbled away at photography with his mother. His inspiration was a friend he met in Helsinki, Jakob Granqvist, and they studied for their masters degree together in a city called Umeå, which is in northern Sweden. The two studied business, but both ended up pursuing photography.
After living in Sweden, Cole ended up moving back to Vancouver, where he lives now. He explains, “As you probably know, the job market for entry-level positions was hit hard last year, and it wasn’t easy to find work within my education. With that in mind, I thought it was a great opportunity to learn as much as possible about photography. That’s where my parents came in big-time. Mom first lent me her old Mamiya camera to fiddle with and from there I worked up to a Nikon D60 and later a D300. My friend Jakob had a photoblog about Stockholm that was exceptional, so figured starting my own about Vancouver would be the best way to improve. So, I started a blog and in the beginning, it was garbage. The pictures were definitely at a beginners level, as was the blog structure. But looking back that’s how to improve: start at the basics and hone your skills everyday. By forcing myself to post a blog picture everyday, eventually the improvements starting to become more and more noticeable.” 
Training wise, Cole is self-taught. “To a degree I should say actually because my mother showed me a lot of the basics and from there I just grinded through lessons on Youtube and other websites. One of my favourite photographers is without question Rebekka Guðleifsdóttir, who is a self-taught photographer from Iceland. I figured ‘She could be self taught and succeed, why can’t I!” This is why I never enrolled in any programs. Also, six years of business school was more then enough. The blog itself was tricky to narrow down because in order to have a successful blog, you really need to identify yourself and what you’re doing. Otherwise you’re just a small fish in a very big sea of other blogs. I was actually lucky in this regard though because there were few – if any – other daily Vancouver photoblogs. With that in mind, I just focused on putting up pictures of people, places and the nature around Vancouver! And I guess people like it!”
You will love Cole's pictures and we are proud to have a 100 Miler doing so well!
Check out his fabulous photos at www.allancoleroberts.com.
Editor's note: We at www.welcometo100milehouse.ca would like to embark on a new segment to our local news. Do you know someone in the area that has accomplished something cool, either here or out of the area? They must be from here or have relatives here. We are sure there are lots of success stories out there, and we'd love to feature them! Email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
| < Prev |
|---|