Dylan Seedin is no stranger to Colombo. His photography first started gracing our Facebook walls way back in 2011. At first it was spectacular albums of birthday parties and events and everyone was curious as to who the man behind the brilliant pictures was. Seven years later, he is one of the best in the field, with many testimonials of praise and international acclamations under his name.
As a young boy studying at St. Josephs College, photography was not something he saw himself involved with in his future. Even though he had an eye for photography and a liking towards having a good camera, marketing, management, production and basically, something in the field of business, he thought, would be more of his thing. Because of this, he went on to study for a degree in Business Administration.
“My father passed away when I was very young and my mother started working. This gave me a strong desire to become independent as soon as I could.” When his oldest brother, a software engineer, first bought a camera to get into photography as an additional income, young Dylan began experimenting with it and that was his first stepping stone towards the industry. While at university, he was taught a few photography basics by his brother and taught himself more with the use of YouTube, in order to improve. Slowly what became a passion, started to evolve into a career with his first official event for which he was paid for – a friend’s birthday party – as people started recognising his skill.
Today, Dylan Seedin is popularly known for being a wedding photographer. Capturing moments that would be reminisced for a life time is not an easy task and requires a lot of guarantee and trust from the side of the client. After few weddings of Sri Lankan clients, came the first destination wedding in Sri Lanka, Dylan’s first exposure into an international wedding. “Foreign weddings are very different from Sri Lankan weddings. It’s more of a relaxed and intimate affair.” Soon he found himself flying to Italy, Hawaii, Bali and many places across the world, adapting to the different circumstances, sometimes by himself, shooting weddings of different international clients. “The best part about destination weddings is the location. The architecture, texture and layout of the locations is mesmerising and allows for more flexibility to be more creative. The mindset of the couples is also very different. In Sri Lanka, more often, the couples are very stressed out even on the day of the wedding. This hinders the authenticity of the wedding. At weddings abroad, everybody is a part of the ceremony and this gives more content to capture.”
Looking at his vast portfolio of photographs captured, Dylan Seedin was featured on the Top 150 International Wedding Photographers list for 2016 by SLR Lounge. This list is an official list where the panel of selectors have done their own research and looked into the uniqueness, creativity, consistency and artistry of different photographers around the world. It is the first time that a Sri Lankan photographer has ever been featured on an official list as such. “This was one truly memorable moment in my life. Being an international wedding photographer is very different from being a Sri Lankan photographer. There were no submissions or such involved. For the selectors to go through my portfolio and find me – it was a big thing for me and a big thing for Sri Lanka.” Additionally, one of Dylan’s ‘rain shot’ wedding photos was featured in the Wed Awards – 7th Collection.
What differentiates Dylan Seedin from other photographers? “Most of what I’ve learnt is self-taught. Theory is important, but if you stick to theory you can’t get anything ultra-artistic. You have to break the rules. Getting an epic picture requires a lot of knowledge and a willingness to take risks. You need to really know what you’re doing and get down to business,” Dylan said as he showed us a brilliant photograph taken with a breathtaking background of light, which he said, he had gone to the extent to create by even burning himself in the process. “Light is very important and if there’s one key feature of my photography, it’s that I use a lot of light.”
Apart from being a wedding photographer, Dylan is a photographer of all things people and places and even photographed the Miss France pre pageant tour. What makes his photography truly stand out is the creativity involved and the flexibility offered to clients. “Especially if it’s a wedding, we ensure that we connect with the clients well so that at the day of the event, it’s your friend photographing you.”
The vision that he has as a photographer, has made him very popular in a short period of 7 years. “If you keep innovating, you can do a good job.” He works by the motto, inspired by Robin Sharma, who said ‘If you’re a street sweeper, sweep like Michael Angelo does his paintings.” In this industry, everybody is a competitor. “You need to come up with your own style and let your personality play a role. Clients like the fact that I’m very energetic on the job. If I’m not energetic and having fun, how can I expect them to do that? My aim is to get the next award winning picture and this could be at any given moment.”
Using the experience gathered from his university degree, Dylan has his group of carefully selected photographers working under his tutelage. “My team has to be genuine and in the industry for the passion that they have and not easy money.” With his team and the use of the most modern technology, Dylan just keeps reaching greater and greater heights in his field every day. “I’m grateful to my family for supporting me in any decision that I took and always encouraging me to do better and better – to aspire to be someone people can look up to. Knowing people around me are doing well because of me, this brings me the greatest joy.”
To all young photographers aspiring to pursue their careers in the field of photography – this is what he has to say, “Work on your own style. Bring up innovative ideas and don’t be afraid to take risks. Demand for fair pay for the work that you do and don’t undercut anybody, let the clients decide what works for them.”
Box Information
Full Name: Maas Dylan Seedin
DOB: 20th March 1990
Family: Mother, 2 older brothers (also into photography) – Reza and Jehan
Role-Model: Robin Sharma
Life Goals: Live happily, do my job well, travel the world…
Written by Tabitha Abraham