PROFILE

Simeon Quarrie

A film set lit by neon pink and blue lights. Two actors in the centre and two film crew to their right.

Filmmaker and Canon Ambassador Simeon Quarrie uses both stills and video to create powerful multimedia pieces for a range of commercial clients. © Simeon Quarrie

A genre-spanning innovator, Canon Ambassador Simeon Quarrie uses the power of the still and moving image to engage his clients and offer them new and ever more exciting ways to reach out to their audience.

Simeon has been shooting video since leaving school and has grown up with the Canon system. He was working as a web designer when he started shooting weddings with an old Canon XL1, and soon became a professional wedding videographer and photographer, known for ripping up the rule book for what couples could expect from their wedding imagery.

In more recent years, Simeon recruited a team of fellow creatives and brought them together under the name VIVIDA. Together, they now deliver creativity for some of the biggest brands in the world, including Burberry, Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group and Sky, and also support charitable projects across the globe.

Simeon and VIVIDA now focus on making complex subjects simple, using storytelling and innovation including video and virtual reality, incorporating game engine technologies.

"One thing I'm very proud of is having moved from starting off as being a passionate amateur, then being involved in very high-end weddings and being able to successfully migrate and move over to corporate and commercial," says Simeon. "This has involved growing the business from being me by myself to having a team of seven or eight. Overall, my proudest achievement is actually the journey of where we've gone."

Canon Ambassador Simeon Quarrie standing behind a Canon camera on a tripod.

Location: UK

Specialist areas: Commercial, corporate, advertising

Favourite kit:

Canon EOS C200

Canon EOS R5

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM
A filmmaker advises a group of students how to use a Canon Cinema EOS camera.

Simeon started out using camcorders for corporate video, before moving to the Cinema EOS system, including the Canon EOS C200 and the Canon EOS C700 FF, which he teams with both Cinema and EF lenses. © Simeon Quarrie

Simeon is also a prolific educator, with an infectious enthusiasm that sees his work featured on some of the industry's most prominent websites, and he regularly draws big crowds at photo and video shows across Europe. He is a keen advocate of Canon's Cinema EOS cameras, as well as its high resolution DSLRs. He combines both on many of his projects, feeling that Canon's large sensors and colour science give his films the edge he needs to remain one step ahead.

"As I've progressed, the camera system has grown with me," elaborates Simeon. "My first photo camera was a Canon EOS 350D but on the video side I did 'go big or go home' and went for the XL1. As I've grown and increased in knowledge and skill, there's always been the next camera for me."

A man filming a group of waving children with a Canon EOS Cinema camera.

Simeon's work has taken him across the world, where he has shot video with a range of Canon cameras. © Simeon Quarrie

Simeon and his VIVIDA team rarely sit still: "We are currently changing the world of training by using storytelling and interactivity for subjects such as cybersecurity and diversity and inclusion," he says. "I never dreamed I'd be working with governments or companies such as Google and ITV. You never know where image making and storytelling will take you!"

A young woman leans on a bannister, looking directly at the camera. Other young people can be seen in the background.

What inspired you to pursue photography and filmmaking as a career?

"When I was a child someone handed me a camcorder to use at a wedding and said, 'Do you mind getting some nice shots and capturing the wedding?' I took it really seriously and I thoroughly enjoyed looking down the scope of the camera. I started to look at the world differently because I was looking through a lens. I was always a very visual person, so when I got a camera in my hand it really excited me. A number of years later I remembered that feeling and decided I wanted to get that feeling back on a day-to-day basis."


What is the best lesson you have learnt during your career so far?

"Don't just stay behind the camera and behind your editing computer. It's actually really important that you are talking to people and showing people your work. The career element is very much based on not keeping work that you've created close to yourself, and just leaving it being an online presence, but actually having real conversations with people."


What drives your creative ideas?

"As you listen to music, pictures form in your mind so I try to regularly change the music that I listen to. Every time you change the type of music that you listen to, your mind creates different imagery and different stylistic tastes."


How has Canon technology helped you to shoot your projects?

"Autofocus and the Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology basically help you work out if you are in focus or not. The fewer things I have to think about when I'm doing a shot, the better. I can stay within the moment more. Autofocus technology has allowed me to spend more time, while I'm recording, actually thinking about what's in front of the camera."


Why do you think the Canon Ambassador Programme is important and what do you hope to achieve by being a part of it?

"The fact that Canon looks at, studies and really appreciates the work of people using their technology is humbling and inspirational. When they spotted me I was in the middle of shooting weddings. That was fantastic and they've been supportive of my journey as I've moved, changed and grown. I just think it's amazing to know that it could be you – you could be the next Canon Ambassador. I also particularly enjoy passing on knowledge so one of the things that excites me massively is having the opportunity to do just that. Being involved in the programme means that I get face time with people all around the world; I think that's an amazing privilege."

One thing I know

Simeon Quarrie

"Shoot as much as possible, particularly in the early stages. There's nothing like having work to show and your style develops when you shoot enough to know what you like. One thing I would definitely recommend is to create little personal projects; set yourself a theme, a little task – then shoot it and put it out there. Aim for the highest standard possible, but don't aim for perfection. If you aim for absolute perfection you'll never put it out."

Twitter: @simeonquarrie

Youtube: simeonquarrie

Vimeo: VIVIDA

Website: vivida.io

Simeon Quarrie's kitbag

The key kit that the pros use to take their photographs

Simeon Quarrie's kitbag containing Canon cameras and lenses.

Cameras

Canon EOS R5

The EOS R5's uncompromising performance will revolutionise your photography and filmmaking. "When I shoot imagery, I'm using this baby," says Simeon.

Canon EOS-1D X Mark III

The successor to the EOS-1D X Mark II that Simeon favours is the ultimate creative toolkit, with superb low-light performance, deep learning AF and 5.5K RAW video. "I can shoot 4K video and photography at the highest standard possible – as an all-rounder I love that," says Simeon.

Canon EOS C200

The EOS C200 is a compact and versatile high-performance camera for a wide range of shooters that captures sharp 4K 50p images. "My day-to-day camera for video is currently the C200," explains Simeon. "I want a good look – nice production values, a bit of blurry depth of field but with my face still in focus – for as little work as possible."

Lenses

Canon CN-E18-80mm T4.4 L IS KAS S

A revolution in video production, it brings high-end quality cine-servo features, such as super-smooth servo zoom and focus, at an affordable price point. "If I had to carry one lens on my C200, this would be it," says Simeon.

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM

The professional's standard zoom lens – sharp, quick and compact, it excels in low light. An extremely popular lens with pros. "The Canon glass has a particular look, which is what I want," Simeon says.

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