Born and raised in Montreal, Alan Dean moved to Vancouver in the 1980s, where he studied photography at Langara College’s Focal Point professional photography program. In 1990 he moved to Ottawa and quickly established himself as the city’s premier fashion photographer, shooting for modeling and acting agencies in Ottawa and Montreal.
In 1992, he was hired as the principal photographer for a Montreal casting agency and throughout the next 7 years he commuted to
Montreal weekly to shoot actors’ headshots for thousands of professional and aspiring actors of all ages. “This is really where I learned to shoot,” he confesses. “With so many different faces to photograph, I began to seriously study the face and try to find the best possible perspective for each person.” But the true key to getting a great portrait, he quickly learned, was “establishing a relationship with the subject and getting them to react to me instead of to my camera. People are intimidated by being photographed, so I realized that if I have a warm approach as a person and don’t ‘play photographer’, my clients are more inclined to open up and reveal their true personality.” This proved to be a winning formula that he uses to this day.
By the late 1990s, Alan Dean Photography had expanded from shooting editorial fashion and actors’ headshots, into the realms of children’s and family portraits, business portraits, and commercial photography. His clients are diverse and his portraits are in high demand. He continues to be well-known in the acting community, and has provided headshots and/or show photos for companies and schools including Orpheus Musical Theatre Society, Kanata Theatre, Tara Players, Suzart, GOYA, Ottawa School of Speech and Drama, Orleans Young Players, Ottawa Little Theatre, and many others. He also enjoys shooting for many music and dance schools, including Elite, Denise Smith, Pointe of Grace, Music for Young Children, Ottawa Conservatory, Nepean School of Music, and others.
In 2004, Alan Dean began to focus on the business community, offering high-quality business portraits to realtors, mortgage brokers, lawyers, doctors, accountants, executives, government officials, small business owners and other business professionals. His attention to detail and unique approach lead to successful business portraits that are a popular choice for the Montreal and Ottawa business community.
Aside from photography, Alan has many artistic interests. He and his partner, Andrea Cochrane, have co-written over a dozen plays for children and youth, which have been performed by her students at Orleans Young Players and Ottawa Little Theatre’s Summer Workshops. They have also penned three original musicals, Sweet Nothin’, The Goddess and The Kiss, which have been performed multiple times in the Ottawa area, including at the 2007 & 2008 Ottawa Fringe Festivals. He plays and writes music on his guitar. “Music is my first love,” he says.
Alan has directed and produced entertainment events, including evenings of dinner and music at the Ottawa Bagelshop. He sat on the board of John P. Kelly’s SevenThirty Productions, whose A Night in November, with Pierre Brault, was a smash hit in early 2007 and won two Capital Critics’ Circle Awards.
Alan devotes much of his time to his daughter Cailin, who is a competitive figure skater and is ambitious as her dad – Her dream is to one day compete in the Olympics.
Alan Dean’s studio is located at 1295 Wellington St. W. in the heart of West Wellington’s exploding arts community. The studio is above Petit Bills Bistro, and 3 blocks west of the new Great Canadian Theatre Company. Make-up is available by long-time make-up artist Susan Kealey. Alan also travels to Montreal frequently to shoot on location for various clients.
A sampling of Alan Dean Photography’s clients have included:
Royal Lepage
TD Canada Trust
Remax
Keller Williams
Minto Realty
Century 21
Coldwell Banker
Sutton Group
Mortgagebrokers.com
Investors Group
Corrections Canada
Dept. of Foreign Affairs
Rideau Centre
Hazeldean Mall
KPMG
Dinmar
EMS Technologies
Sun Microsystems
Dell Computer
Great Canadian Theatre Company
CARMS
Gorilla Chiropractic
Hampton Family Chiropractic
Ottawa Integrative Health Centre
Distinctively Fine Furnishings
Alteriors
Westboro Academy
Ottawa Catholic School Board
Music for Young Children
Nepean School of Music
Ottawa Conservatory
National Capital SCAN
CityHealth Magazine
Ottawa Life Magazine
Modern Woman
Congregation Beth Shalom
Auger Hollinsworth
Low Murchison
Sack Goldblatt Mitchell
Alder Group
Andrews Robichaud
Strata
Canadian Musical Odyssey
Orpheus Musical Theatre Society
Yoriko Tanno-Kimmons Studio
Bytown Operaworks
Distortion Studio
O-Towne Records
Pebble Recording Studio
Fat Dog Records
Hummingbird Music
Ottawa School of Speech & Drama
AKA Talent Management
Claire Boivin Agency
Mensour Agency
Agence Louise Bergeron
Focus International
Total Casting
Take One Talent
Models International Management
Ben Barry Agency
Barrett Palmer
Access Agency
Zoom Models
North American Talent Tours
Elite Dance Studio
Denise Smith School of Dance
Pointe of Grace
West Carleton School of Performing Arts
Focus Forward Dance Workshop
Driven Dance Company
Suzart Productions
SevenThirty Productions
GOYA Theatre Company
Orleans Young Players
Ottawa Little Theatre
Grimes Road Theatre
Nepean Creative Arts Centre
Concordia University Theatre
McGill University Players Theatre
University of Ottawa Theatre Department
Tara Players
New Ottawa Repertory Theatre
Garkin Productions
Black Sheep Theatre
Kanata Theatre
Versailles Academy of Make-up and Esthetics
Peak Sportswear
SixO Activewear
Minto Skating Club
Nepean Skating Club
Gloucester Skating Club
Rideau Skating Club
North Bay Skating Club
March Kanata Skating Club
Club de Patinage Artistique Asticou
SportEtude
Douvris Martial Arts
Pro-Style Martial Arts
Tsunami Martial Arts
Ottawa Solar Power
Juniper Restaurant & Wine Bar
Local Heroes
Ottawa Bagelshop
Mattress Mart
Men Essentials
The Studio Salon
Philippe Athlan, Coiffeur de Paris
Lemar Salon
ADD Electronics
Cube Gallery
Homestage
Stage Rite
Majestic Jewelry
OneChip Photonics
Nordicity