BRENT PERNIAC - FEBRUARY SPOTLIGHT

Sylvester Stallone and Brent Perniac

BRENT PERNIAC - Photographer

What originally inspired you to get in this line of work?
I've been interested in photography all of my life. It was actually my Dramatic Arts teacher at Delta S.S., J.P. Morrison, who encouraged me to explore creative projects including writing, phototography, film, and video. Mr. Morrison planted the seed that I could pursue the Arts, specifically photography, for a living. I started photographing for my high school yearbook and newspaper. At university, I continued to pursue photography for McMaster’s publication, the "Silhouette". I then moved on to work professionally for numerous local publications until I was hired by Hamilton Magazine and contributed for 20 years.

How would you describe what you do to someone who is not in the industry?
I am a professional celebrity and event photographer. Like a wedding photographer for instance, I have a list of photos that my photo agency and clients expect and need from me in a timely manner. I supply these images to my photo agency which in turn supplies these images to magazines and entertainment publications. They also provide these photos to all the various related entertainment professions such as publicists, movie production companies, agents, and even the talent themselves.

Is there someone that’s no longer alive that you wish you had the opportunity to photograph?
Yes. Great question! David Bowie, Muhammad Ali, Elizabeth Taylor, Jimi Hendrix, Freddie Mercury, John Lennon, Charlie Chaplin, Albert Einstein, and of course Elvis are all on my unfilled wish list. They continue to inspire me with their legacy of work.

What creative tools do you use to get your work done?
​Besides having a relatively “good eye" for photography composition [haha], various camera lenses, digital cameras, memory cards and lighting equipment are necessary. In post production, my Mac computer, with various software to view (Photo Mechanic), retouch (Photoshop), and uploading images (Cyberduck) are essential.

Brent Perniac is a professional photographer based in Hamilton, Ontario. Brent has become one of Canada’s most popular celebrity-event photographers and regularly covers national events such as The Juno Awards, The Genie Awards, Canada’s Walk of Fame, MuchMusic Video Awards and the Toronto International Film Festival. You can see his work at brentperniacphoto.com

Writer Bryn Wilkinson is a co-op student at the Hamilton Film Festival