Artists Profile: Erin Doble

A longtime friend and early supporter of Heady Vermont, we first noticed Erin Doble’s eye for photography at the inaugural Vermont Hemp Fest last September, and were so impressed that we hired Erin in to help take photos of the First Annual Vermont Cannabis and Hemp Convention, and she was such a sharp and deft shooter – such a keen-eyed artist – that we realized we needed to do a profile of her and her gorgeous photography as soon as humanly possible. 

HVT: What is your personal background?

ED: I was raised in southern New Hampshire and always had a passion for art and photography. My parents let me use their old school VHS recorder camera when I was little, so growing up I was always making silly videos with my friends in the neighborhood. This grew to having a YouTube channel for a short time as well as taking photographs for school art exhibitions. I later competed in the New Hampshire 48 Hour Film Festival where I won best student film. I also took photos regularly for friends and family; anything from rock shows, graduations to weddings and more.

I decided to go to college for film and photography until the unfortunate closing of Burlington College. I continued my education and received an associates degree in business while continuing to pursue my passion for art.

HVT: What’s the source of your artistic inspiration?

ED: A lot of my inspiration comes from color, shape, negative space, symmetry and nature. I also love the look and feel of the psychedelic era and try to incorporate strange shapes, angles, effects and colors. I always try to look at something most people would normally overlook in their daily life and try to make it interesting to the eye. 

I’m always working to come up with something abstract and different while incorporating colors, shapes, and more into my work. Truly, I just wing it most of the time. That’s when I discover the most. I’ll take multiple photos of my subject in different angles and exposures and get to the drawing board with choosing a favorite (or even combining them) and playing around with multiple editing tools. I always make the most extreme choices and work my way backward until I’m happy.

HVT: What’s your personal and artistic relationship to Vermont?

ED: The vibe of Vermont and its community is just amazing and I believe that you can’t find that energy anywhere else. I played baritone saxophone for almost seven years so music means a lot to me. Having the music scene that is present in the Burlington area in the palm of my hand is just wonderful. We really are spoiled at the amount of artistic and musical talent we have in the state. I mean hey, Phish did come from here so that’s saying something. Vermont is full of so many different photographic opportunities. The waterfront, mountains, hiking trails and more are covered in beauty just waiting to be captured.

HVT: What’s your relationship with cannabis?

ED: I’ve worked in the medical cannabis industry here in Vermont since 2015, and cannabis has been incredibly helpful for my anxiety and sleep. With my photography, this is an area I want to focus in. 

I want to help businesses and farmers capture what they do. Many businesses have the opportunity to showcase how things are done in their industry, and unfortunately cannabis and hemp are limited when it comes to this. By using photographs I can set the scene for the customer. Seeing hemp and cannabis in it’s true form can help the stigma that unfortunately still exists by reminding people that this isn’t something to fear or consider a dangerous drug. In this industry it’s hard for potential customers to look behind the scenes and I hope to help change that.

HVT: What’s your vision for cannabis in Vermont?

ED: Right now I think of Vermont as a pot of water on a stove. For the past few years it’s been simmering and heating up under the surface. People are working behind the scenes right now preparing their business plans, investing, and getting things started. I believe that Vermont will be the leader in hemp and recreational cannabis once it becomes a tax and regulate system in terms of holistic/organic growing as well as education. Right now, it’s up to our legislature to do the right thing and continue talks to make this a reality. We are ready. Things are about to boil over.

HVT: Where are you based, how can people see your work, and what’s the best way for folks to contact you?

ED: I’m based in the Burlington area, and people can view my work and talk to me via my website: www.erindoblephoto.com or my Facebook page. 

For any upcoming cannabis or hemp farms interested, I’m in the process of building my portfolio for the industry and am offering some free or discounted sessions to whomever reaches out first.