MOUNT PEARL, NL — It’s isn’t often that one’s workplace involves being able to play with your favourite toys, but Kyle Callahan is putting a playful spin on his artwork.
College of the North Atlantic’s (CNA) Graphic Design graduate (2011) currently owns and operates his own business, Kyle Callahan Photography. His specialty is incorporating toys and figurines into everyday life.
“I love doing ‘Toy Photography,’ by putting them into our local sceneries. I also do weddings, portraits, studio work, and everything else you can think of, but I’m mostly known for my toy photography,” he explained.
Kyle Callahan graduated from CNA’s Graphic Design program at Prince Philip Drive campus in 2011. He currently owns and operates his own business, Kyle Callahan Photography, which incorporates a lot of fun into his unique artwork.
Callahan says he loves the imagination of movies, anime, taking photos, and drawing. This means he is always thinking of new ways to incorporate these objects into different settings.
“I love collecting toys and figures, especially all things Godzilla,” he said (Callahan is often referred to as ‘The Godzilla Guy’). “These days, when I see a figure, I try to picture where it could go in our capital city or around the island.”
He uses a Nikon D7200 with a variety of lenses and tries to procure his toys locally when possible.
“I get most of my toys and figures locally, through the local hobby shops, and sometimes online through eBay or other sites,” he said. “And I collect a variation of everything. I mostly look for detail in my figures.”
His
online gallery clearly shows his humour, ingenuity and fearlessness when it comes to his art. There is a strong blend of Newfoundland and Labrador culture and expressions with familiar scenery, products and images.
Despite currently working as a full-time photographer, Callahan says it wasn’t until he attended CNA that he truly fell in love with it. He credits the freedom to explore with igniting his passion.
“Play with your tools, whether it’s a software, a camera, a blow torch, textiles, or anything at all; the more you play the more you learn,” he said, adding that his time as a student at CNA flew by. “I wish I could go back. The teachers were fantastic! I wish it was longer than two years.”
Having said this, he also knows that time is precious. Currently, he is a stay-at-home father to a 19-month-old, so between that and running his own business, free time is a rarity.
Most weekends he can be found at the St. John’s Farmers’ Market and says owning one’s own business is a lot of hard work and certainly has its ups and downs, but it’s also been very fulfilling.
“It’s so worth it,” he noted. “Follow your passions. If you are kind and work hard, amazing things will happen.”
For more information about CNA’s Graphic Design program and others, visit
www.cna.nl.ca.
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Media contact:
Ryanne McIsaac
Content Specialist
College of the North Atlantic
709-643-7870
Ryanne.mcisaac@cna.nl.ca