One of Ottawa’s leading, long-time photographers, Paul Couvrette, celebrates 40 years in the art of creating pictures, which he turned into a thriving business that has stood the test of time. He owns and maintains the longest running photography studio in Ottawa, and has run the gamut from journalist, to photojournalist, then to photographer, with enough stories and experiences throughout his long journey to not only fill a book, but a volume of encyclopedias.
As I would discover after a tour of his studio and an interview, Paul Couvrette has survived this challenge-ridden industry with more than just a skilled eye and a camera. Business savvy, calculated risks, occupational versatility, along with his quick-witted charm and social skills are just some of his tools of the trade that have sustained his success.
“When I started this business there were 18–20 studios in the core from the Glebe, to the Market, to Bank Street, and in terms of owned studios, I’m now one of the last ones.”
Photo provided by Paul Couvrette Photography
“I’ve survived in part by keeping on the edge of technology… there’s always something new. Another thing is to be versatile. I remember in the early days, people scoffed at me shooting weddings. Hey, I renovated this studio with the money I made from doing weddings. One summer I shot 40 of them and I’m surprised I’m still sane… wine got me through it. I’ve gone on to shoot almost anything, and managed to become good at a whole bunch of things… corporate, commercial, you name it.
“It’s also important to have staff that are on the ball. I pick staff that have a degree of patience and train them properly. And you’ve got to be organized… back everything up.
“Next, I’d say good old fashioned values like delivering a product on time. We’ve never had an assignment in 40 years that we didn’t successfully deliver to the client. I have long-time clients for 30 years or more… sometimes I wonder where the time went when I look back on how long some of them have been with me. It’s straightforward business, it’s as simple as that.”
Paul Couvrette’s journey began after he earned his Bachelor degree in Journalism at Carleton University in 1974. The transition to becoming a full-on photographer stemmed from an assignment he wrote for the Ottawa Journal newspaper, which was also the day Yousuf Karsh invited him to dinner:
“So the day that it dawned on me to go into just photography was the day Yousuf Karsh invited me to dinner. It was at the Persian (now the Iranian) Embassy with him and Roloff Beny, who at the time was a very famous architectural photographer. For some reason, Karsh liked me and told me I should come along to do an article about Beny. I originally had wanted to do an article about Karsh, but I thought this was cool too so I did the interview with Beny and took a photo of him with my 35mm Nikon. This was ’76/’77, I was just starting out. I submitted the story to the Ottawa Journal along with the picture. They ran it and a month later in the mail, I get two cheques… one for the article which was around $75, and that was fine although it took me two days to write. The other cheque was for the photo… also for $75 and I thought, wait a second, it took me two minutes to take that picture! That was finally when I got the brainstorm to become just a photographer.”
Photo provided by Paul Couvrette Photography
What makes this story amazing is that during that time, Couvrette had never actually studied photography. Later, he would go on to be named Canadian Photographer of the Year in 1994, and became one of only a handful of artists presented with a Master of Photography. When the on-set of the digital age would forever change the face of photo technology, he managed to roll with the punches, while others were crippled by the blow. He saw what the future had in store, and jumped on the bandwagon to become one of the first to help launch the new age of digital photography.
“…a month later in the mail, I get two cheque… One for the article which was around $75 – and that was fine although it took me two days to write. The other cheque was for the photo… Also for $75 and I thought, wait a second, it took me two minutes to take that picture!”
“It might sound strange for me to say, but photography has always seemed easy to me. Even the whole digital world seemed logical when it came around. I had a high-res scanner in 1993, and was an advisor to Corel and Adobe at that time. I built a website in 1996, three months after Microsoft, so I’ve always been on the edge of it all. I was hired by the biggest digital company in the world, Agfa, so I knew what was coming. I knew things would crash and burn as soon as digital came out, and that’s 20 years ago. But I didn’t think it would happen this badly… this near total destruction of all these industries. To give you an idea, I’d say out of the top 10 photographers in Ottawa, at least half of them have packed it up… just gave up. Went from big businesses… massively talented photographers. On the other end, in terms of studios, when I started this business there were 18-20 studios in the core from the Glebe, to the market, to Bank Street, and in terms of owned studios, I’m now one of the last ones.”
Before Couvrette bought the building on Gladstone Avenue in 1994 that would become his current studio, he built his first one as an addition to the back of his house with money he borrowed from the bank at 23%. He knew the risk was big, but his passion and clear vision to succeed was bigger, even though his friends thought he was absolutely crazy.
“I told them, you know what, I’m either going to succeed amazingly, or fall flat on my face, but if that happens, I’ll do something else. I’d gotten my journalism degree, backpacked across Europe like everybody else back then and thought, what the hell, I’m gonna take a go at this. I might have to go bankrupt but I lived in Europe with nothing but a backpack, sleeping under a railway bridge with $10 to my name… what could happen to me worse than that? So I went ahead and believe me, I paid that sucker of a loan off so fast. I did take a calculated risk to build that space, but taking chances is another thing you have to look at, and where it’s going.”
Photo provided by Paul Couvrette Photography
Today, it might seem that with the digital age, anyone can virtually become a photographer. One can easily find an endless supply of tutorials on the subject, and with some practice on technique, a good camera, and a basic knowledge of editing programs, one can churn out some pretty decent photos. But what about those who seek an actual career in an industry that today is saturated with so many photographers and would-be photographers? Couvrette speaks about one of his biggest pet peeves:
“I believe that some of these community colleges are a massive disservice to the community, to the taxpayers, and to the people they’re putting through. The math is pretty simple—for the course to exist there, pay the professors, pay the facility, you’re talking half a million dollars a year easy. You’re also taking the students, some of whom don’t have a job for those 2 years that they’re there, are forced to go out and buy $20,000 worth of equipment. Their job prospects are zero. I get requests from students for free apprenticeship, who’ll hang out with me for a summer and are willing to work for me for nothing. I feel badly for these kids because they have been led down the garden path, and we pay for it. It’s borderline criminal.”
“Their job prospects are zero. I get requests from students for free apprenticeship, who’ll hang out with me for a summer and are willing to work for me for nothing. I feel badly for these kids because they have been led down the garden path, and we pay for it. It’s borderline criminal.”
Paul Couvrette has been asked to speak at this year’s Canadian Camera Conference 2017, which runs from June 28-30 in Ottawa. Most of his talk will focus on his experiences with renowned photographers, brothers Yousuf and Malak Karsh, whose works will be displayed through a joint venture with Archives Canada. As far as stories he told me regarding himself and the Karsh brothers, this one is my favourite:
Photo provided by Paul Couvrette Photography
“I was at the Chateau Laurier, where Yousuf was living, and I used to run into him there from time to time. I had just done a wedding and was fried but had to take one more shot of the wedding party on the staircase inside. I parked my car in front and bribed the guy out front I’d be in and out… 10-15 minutes tops. I didn’t have an assistant with me for this shot, so I dragged all my crap out of the trunk through the revolving door. I vaguely noticed out of the corner of my eye somebody grabbing some of my bags and following me. I’m walking along, thinking it was one of the ushers and thought “what a nice guy,” and finally get to the staircase. The wedding party who were gathered on the steps dropped their mouths when they saw me coming. I whirled around to see Yousuf Karsh coming up the rear, carrying my camera bags. Surprised, I said, “Mr. Karsh! So good to see you again!” Then I turned to the party and said, “Well ladies and gentlemen, this is a historic day. Take some pictures because this is Paul Couvrette photographing your wedding, assisted by Yousuf Karsh.” True story… oh we laughed our heads off.”
The two-hour interview went by in a blink of an eye, and it seemed I’d only heard the tip of the iceberg on the subject of photography and its transformation through the eyes of Paul Couvrette, from its more glory days into an era where certain elements of respect for the medium seem to have been lost. But the one true thing about photography remains: it will always be an art and like any other creative outlet, a passion. His is the story of passion, perseverance, and survival.
For more on Paul Couvrette and Couvrette Studios, visit www.couvrette-photography.on.ca.
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