Written by: Olivia Avotins
A camera is one of the simplest tools we have, yet it teaches us one of the hardest skills: how to pay attention. It opens the world in ways that would otherwise remain unseen, turning observation into exploration. Photographer Alice Cloutier-Lachance describes the experience of being behind the lens as something inherently wonder-filled and ever expanding, a practice for those who want to learn, to document, to discover. Photography, for her, is a dynamic medium of visual storytelling, timeless in its essence yet always shifting and always unique. It is the art of captivation, holding moments still on film without confining the fluidity of their meaning, always leaving space for individual interpretation.
Alice’s relationship with photography began in her childhood home, where her father kept a dark room. She recalls him photographing her and her sister, then retreating “into the dark room in the basement of our house to develop the film and do some prints.” At the time, her interest was passive. “I wasn’t interested in photography back then, but it’s just kind of always been there,” she says.
The shift from passive exposure to active engagement came through travel. It was then that she “picked up a film camera” and finally realized her passion for capturing moments. For Alice, the camera became more than a tool; it allowed her to be creative and to approach people and experiences with intention. This curiosity deepened during her three and a half years living in Australia, where she built a substantial portfolio that ultimately led her to pursue a BFA in fine arts in photography at Concordia.
Her work is both rooted and restless, contained geographically within Quebec yet conceptually tied to larger questions of belonging and place. She describes her focus as “kind of like the connection or the relationship between the human and the land,” and much of her practice unfolds in small towns where tourism defines the economy. There, she studies the rhythm of life as it swells and quiets with the seasons, documenting the dramatic “shift” between the busy summer months and the long stillness of winter, when the absence of visitors leaves people face to face with their environment, and with each other.
Although her practice often falls under the umbrella of documentary, Alice is wary of the word. “It’s not objective in that way,” she says, acknowledging that every photograph is mediated by choice: what she frames, what she withholds. Instead, she places her faith in process. “I only shoot film,” she insists, working primarily with a 4x5 large-format camera. The equipment is heavy, unwieldy, and slow to set up, which is precisely why she prefers it. “It’s really... it’s an intentional process,” she explains, one that allows her to take only “one or two shots max.” For Alice, this pace is not a limitation but a philosophy, “bringing it back to the roots of photography” and affirming values of patience, attention, and authenticity.
Even as her professional projects demand rigor, she draws a boundary around her personal work, refusing to sacrifice joy. She is careful to keep space for experimentation, for the images that exist outside of deadlines or commissions. As she puts it, she separates the two deliberately, so she doesn’t lose the “fun of it,” a reminder that for her, photography remains not just a profession, but a way of seeing.
Currently, Alice divides her time between personal projects and documentaries while also managing the marketing efforts of Du Fleuve, a whale-watching tour company in Quebec. She
makes an active effort to bring back slow tourism that allows nature to be appreciated while maintaining an environmentally friendly approach that won’t destroy the very beauty we are observing. Earlier this year, Milo & Dexter had the incredible opportunity to collaborate with Alice on a photoshoot featuring our products in action on a fishing vessel. The photos, featured in this article, aren’t your typical stagnant fashion shot; instead, they are dynamic and moving. The imagery breathes and bobs with the ocean. Alice’s exceptional skill is amplified by her ability to capture the moving moment, forcing one to stop and appreciate beauty in every medium. This shoot allowed a combination between clothing, photography, and nature. It showed effort and dedication in each medium, creating a new horizon of marketing and situating our company as it bobs on the sea. Alice’s photography amplifies the goals of slow tourism and slow fashion companies: to appreciate nature and people, and to collaborate rather than overtake.
In speaking with Alice, I had the profound opportunity to dive into what creativity means to her, and our conversation left me with one stark thought. Human art is made for connection, with each other, and with the art the world already offers us, so long as we are willing to see it. And in this way, her belief becomes even clearer: a camera may be something we take for granted, but it keeps us curious. It teaches us to pay attention, to people, to places, and to the quiet beauty that’s already there, waiting to be noticed.
