The Gravity of Chris Hadfield
Picture this: you’re driving when your phone rings, and the name on the screen is Chris Hadfield.
I remember looking over at my assistant, Andrew, in complete awe and disbelief. We both had that same expression - the kind that says, “Is this actually happening?” I couldn’t help but laugh at how surreal it all felt. But beneath that disbelief, I was overcome by a deep sense of gratitude and accomplishment. It was one of those rare moments when you stop and realize just how far your work has taken you - and one I’ll never forget.
Some people carry a presence with them.
Chris Hadfield is one of those people, but not in the way you might expect. There is no distance or formality, no sense that you are standing in front of someone whose accomplishments require an introduction. What stays with you instead is how grounded he is - down to earth, for lack of a less obvious phrase.
I photographed Chris at his cottage for a Report on Business story in The Globe and Mail about longevity. It felt like a fitting subject for someone who seems to move through life with such curiosity, discipline and purpose.
From the moment he welcomed us in, he was warm, generous and completely present. He has a way of immediately putting people at ease, while still carrying an unmistakable thoughtfulness and quiet intensity.It is difficult not to feel inspired in his company. Not simply because he has been to space, commanded the International Space Station or experienced things most of us can barely imagine, but because of the way he speaks, listens and engages with the world around him. His enthusiasm feels genuine and contagious.
Chris and I quickly found some common ground in our shared military backgrounds, trading a bit of army lingo as the conversation unfolded. When he learned that I live in Oakville, he asked where my kids go to school. As it turns out, my older son, Erwitt, attends the same gifted program, at the same school Chris once did. It was one of those unexpected connections that made the whole experience feel even more personal.
Chris was game for every idea we brought his way and seemed to genuinely enjoy the process of making pictures. Between setups, we talked shop and found plenty of time to nerd out over photography - both on Earth and in space.
At one point, I asked Chris if he would lie down on the ground for a portrait. I told him I wanted to photograph him as far from space as I possibly could.
There was something beautifully fitting about making that image at his cottage, on land that has belonged to his family for generations. A man so closely associated with space, photographed pressed against the earth in a place so deeply connected to his own history.
For me, that contrast is what made the photograph special. It became more than a portrait of Chris Hadfield. It felt like a portrait of where he comes from.
Thank you, Chris, for welcoming us so warmly, for the conversation, and for the generosity you brought to the entire experience. Photographing you was a privilege, but spending time in your presence was the part I’ll remember most.
Photo by Andrew Fleming
Read the Report on Business story here.
As always massive thanks to director of photography of Report on Business magazine, Clare Vander Meersch for trusting me with this dream assignment.
Magazine: Report on Business (Globe and Mail)
Writer: Clare O'Hara
Assistant: Andrew Fleming
Dog: Henry!
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