Traveling through time with Revelstoke film photographer Maxim Vidricaire

Maxime Vidricaire has been exploring the streets of Revelstoke with a 35mm camera by his side. Shooting with film, his nostalgic style creates images that attempt to take the viewer back in time. Classic cars, in conjunction with Revelstoke’s historic architecture, have allowed him to develop and progress his artistic style.

Vidricaire came to Revelstoke to temporarily escape a career in finance. He grew up moving around Quebec and Ontario in a skiing family, to a father who worked in the industry. After graduating from university, he began working in finance and would use his two weeks of vacation to come out west and ski here in Revelstoke.

After paying off his student loan, he decided to take some time off and moved to Revelstoke in Janyary 2021 for a season. In classic Revelstoke fashion, that wasn’t enough time, so he stuck around for the summer.

“It’s a really neat community,” said Vidricaire, who feels that the supportive nature amongst the locals has encouraged him to stick around.

Vidricaire started shooting on film about two years ago, to allow him to develop his own style.

“I used to look down on film photography. I thought it was for hipsters, now I’m one of those guys, I guess,” he joked.

It’s the mechanical feel of analog photography and the thought processing that comes with taking pictures on film that he said makes the experience worth it.

“I can slow things down and it forces me to think, ‘Is this shot worth it?'” he said. “I’m O.K. if my film doesn’t come back good. The first time it was like a punch in the face, but then it made me realize I’m in the moment first and the photo comes second. You’ve got to take risks to get rewarding stuff.”

Having grown up in the 90s and early 2000s, Vidricaire sets out to create art that reminds him of his childhood. The abundance of classic cars has given him a focus, but he said he is just as excited by an old sign or an old diner.

“I’m not into old cars like some people are. I don’t know the year or the engine type, I just like the aesthetics of it,” he said.

He also wants to take his style and start shooting other things like skating, and create shots reminiscent of skateboarding’s golden era, which he is considered to be the period of 1986 to 2004.

Walking around town, Vidricaire’s eye for spotting classic cars is well trained. On one block, he noticed three classic cars.

“I have to be way more deliberate with what I chose to exclude from a photo,” he explains while photographing a classic car in front of a downtown heritage home.

“The angles at which I can shoot is sometimes limited by newer cars that might take away from the feeling of nostalgia.”

Vidricaire has been posting his developed photo’s on the Revelstoke Community Facebook page for vehicle owners and others to see.

“I’m not particular about people taking my photos, I don’t want to put a big watermark in my photos and force people to buy it. I want people to want to buy it,” he said.

Vidricaire plans to stay in town until fall and see where life takes him from there. But he said he’s really encouraged by the local arts scene in town.

“After saving some money, I really wanted to hit reset, maybe start my own thing or switch careers to a company that I’m more passionate about,” he said. “Something more outdoorsy, something that I felt more connected to. I wanted to give myself time to think and make art.”

Vidricaire’s art can be viewed on his on Instagram page, @sixbao. His work is also available for purchase in print form or on t-shirts at www.etsy.com/ca/shop/VintageFilmPrint.

Sig

Lake Country Calendar