Trailblazing Canadian Hoops
If you typed “Saskatoon” on a search engine, you would find your jaw dropping, in awe at the majestic Canadian landscapes. Connecting them with basketball is not the easiest nor most immediate link to make. But basketball has no boundaries, weather, season or location. Brayden Elliott knows this well, as he is pioneering his own take on basketball in the big north. Expressing his creativity through basketball, in a country that is set to be an indelible protagonist of the Game in the near future.
Interview by Overseas
How did your passion for photography start and how did you first come in contact with basketball?
Honestly - instagram was part of the initial spark for me. I found the profiles of guys like 13th Witness, Trashhand, and Goldwatch, and started shooting and uploading with my cell phone to start. Basketball’s link to photography was not immediate, though. I started playing basketball at the playground by my house during summer before fifth grade. I just wanted to try and ‘get in’ with the cool kids at the school I had been attending for a couple years. Fast forward, and the few years leading up to purchasing a camera I had kind of fallen out of love with ball. Playing the game hurt, and it was now more recreational, which I think made me consider, for the first time, what I wanted to get out of the game moving forward. It was not until a few years after, when I realized I was gravitating towards hoops I would see around while out and about or travelling.
What are your reference points in photography and what do you aim to express with your art?
Shooting gameplay and game days is still something that I feel relatively new to. But, shooting it in a way that captures emotion or captures the quieter moments that happen within such an exciting environment. I try not to overly control the environment, too. I like going into a gym and seeing that the lighting creates a super unique look, even if it’s just at one end of the gym, and trying to capture moments within that. I think when I first started shooting, I was trying to create the same look wherever I was. Overall, the biggest reference point is probably simply ‘art’. Knowing I shoot something and see or hear that someone has printed it and put it up somewhere - that’s the goal.
Tell us about Canada’s basketball movement, how has it develop, what have been the main drivers? Has the latest FIBA WC performance changed anything?
A lot of the push that is happening in the NBA right now can be linked to NBA’s arrival in Canada. Which obviously makes sense, but I think that shows it is relatively young as far as a widespread mainstream sport here. If a person has time to watch a couple documentaries, I suggest checking out The Carter Effect and The Grizzlie Truth. The interest and support of the game is a country-wide thing now. To your point - I definitely think things like the FIBA WC help connect even more parts of this country to the game. In a lot of ways, it feels similar to other big Canadian basketball moments like Vince winning the dunk competition, or when Steve Nash was with the Suns. The online support I saw while the WC was going on - you can really feel that people are rallying around it.
If you had to describe Canada basketball in one sentence, what would it be? What makes it different from US basketball to which you are often compared to?
Canada Basketball still has so much more potential. The number of players in the league increases every year. NBA Champions, and teams making deep runs in the playoffs consistently have Canadians in major roles. For years now we have been the most represented country outside of the US in the NBA, but I think the impact is increasing at an even faster pace. Compared to the US I think we’re still discovering and maybe even defining what is possible as a Canadian basketball player. For years it was the pass first floor general like Nash, but now you see guys like SGA (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) and Jamal Murray. I think that it is becoming more and more similar to US basketball, but with hints of the international style.
How do you connect the beautiful aesthetics of Canadian landscapes with basketball and overall sports played outdoor?
Sometimes I think of the aesthetic, or landscape, first. In Saskatchewan a lot of the times I will see a hoop and kind of mark it as a good spot to catch a sunrise or sunset. So, if I am travelling somewhere and I have some time in a place, I will have that mindset as well. Also, being a bit more responsive to the scenario helps as well. Making lens and aperture choices based on what you see in the moment rather than trying to shoot them all the same. Ultimately, my favorite thing to look for is something iconic to an area and find a way to capture it with basketball naturally in the same image.
What is the best thing about being a photographer in Saskatoon and what the most challenging part?
Saskatoon is a smaller place and it is not too close to any bigger center, which means it does not have the draw for the major sports franchises. That is obviously a challenge because of the limited opportunities, but at the same time it might have granted me opportunities that would be harder to come by in bigger cities. Canada has a new league that runs during the summer months called the CEBL (Canadian Elite Basketball League), and the Saskatchewan Rattlers are a team in it, which I am a staff photographer for. Getting my foot in the door, and being able to try some of the stuff I have might have been a bit easier here than in other locations. It’s a league where the talent is increasing a lot year by year - definitely suggest checking it out if a person has not yet.
What’s buckets & borders and how are you involved in it?
Super rad group of guys! Buckets & Borders is a non-profit out of Regina, which is also located in Saskatchewan. Their mission statement is ‘Improving communities & bringing people together through basketball’, which began with them fundraising and repairing some hoops in Regina (The Cage, The Den, and The Yard), but over time have branched out nation wide and worked with partners like Canada Basketball, and WNBA/NBA. Their process typically starts with them finding a hoop/court that has a story to tell, and then working with the local community start to finish on the project. Finding a local artist to create a design, and involving the community on the painting days. It was founded by Justin Lee, and through mutual friends I met him and have been able to help out on the content side on a couple projects now.
Credits: Brayden Elliott
