Brett Hurd’s Photographic Impact on the Words of Kabir
Canadian photographer wins Nautilus Books award for Turn Me to Gold, a serendipitous collaboration with mystic Andrew Harvey
Brett Hurd, a professional camera operator, bonded with renowned mystic Andrew Harvey in a van in South Africa. The two discussed their passion projects: Harvey talked about his Kabir translations. Hurd shared his passion for still photography.
“We were returning from a night shoot back to our camp,” Hurd said. “We lost a tire—we had a flat. We were traveling in a portion of the bush known to house the large she-lions.
“The entire crew was stuck in the van for a few hours. It allowed us [Andrew and I] to bond in ways that we wouldn't have had otherwise. We have become incredibly close friends since.”
The serendipitous flat tire led Harvey to invite Hurd to Chicago for more conversation, and eventually to India, to shoot images for Harvey’s epic translation of Kabir, a 15th-century Indian mystic. The result was Turn Me to Gold: 108 Poems of Kabir, including Hurd’s moving black and white photographs.
The book, published by Unity Books, went on to win a 2018 Nautilus Books Silver Award in Photography and Arts.
“I am especially thrilled that Kabir has been recognized as the essential pioneer of divine humanity, and that Brett Hurd’s magnificent, edgy photographs have received the honor they deserve,” Harvey said about the award.
The Intimacy of Hurd’s Photography
A native of Brampton, Ontario, Canada, Hurd lives in Toronto, working primarily in long form TV and feature films as a camera operator. He recently wrapped on Possessor, a feature film by director Brandon Cronenberg starring Jennifer Jason Leigh and Sean Bean.
He’s been kept busy with the flood of Netflix shows shot in the Toronto area, including the TV adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Anne with an E, and the 2020 release, Grand Army.
“It was great to be pushed off your feet by these words—not only Kabir's words—but Andrew Harvey's translation of them. They had an impact on me.”
Still photography may not be his bread and butter, but it is his passion.
In Turn Me to Gold, Hurd’s award-winning imagery captures a close intimacy with his subject—the people of India—in a place he had never been before.
“I think the benefit of going in blindly is … there is no bias or preconceived notion about the people or location,” Hurd said. “That’s a great way of working. I was able to be more reactive because I didn’t know what I was getting into.
“The second trip I understood what to expect, so the work was more calculated, in regard to lighting, allowing enough time to get the best light, or to plan for certain events. I could go back and capture the things I missed.”
Blending with Indian Culture
Hurd refers to this kind of shoot as a “fly on the wall” style where he tries to capture life as he sees it. This can be a tough task for a 6’2” blond man in India. Hurd tries not to impress himself into the scene, shooting with smaller cameras like a Leica, which he says often goes unnoticed by his subject.
“What I was looking for was those moments where it’s almost alchemy, when I could foresee that someone was going to move in a certain way,” Hurd said.
“When I make images out in public, I want them to be as natural as possible: I want them to do things as if I wasn’t there. When you are able to make an image without your influence, that is kind of magical.”
Marrying Photos with Kabir Poetry
Hurd admits that, before the project, he would not have considered himself a poetry buff. Harvey helped prepare him for the shoot by reading some of the poems to him. They traveled together to India for the first shoot.
“It was great to be pushed off your feet by these words—not only Kabir's words—but Andrew Harvey's translation of them. They had an impact on me.”
Hurd said winning the Nautilus award came out of left field. However, he believes that placing the photography with Harvey’s translation of Kabir poetry made for a more rewarding literary experience.
“I think the juxtaposition of the poetry and the photos is great—greater than the sum of the parts,” he said.
To see more of Brett Hurd’s work, you can follow him on Instagram.