My photography in the earlier stages had essentially been composed of landscape, architecture and macro photography. During one of my photography exhibitions, my instructor had laughed at me..... in a good way.
The first official class that I had signed up for went to Tofino to play around on the beaches. We would hike out to the sites at the wee hours of the morning (when I say wee... I mean leaving the house at 3am for those early morning sunrises). All the students would search out their prime locations and set up their tripods while I would wonder the beaches looking at what it had to offer. When it came to our evening critique sessions there would be all these exceptional shots of long exposures and perfect compositions.... and I would have a photo of wood grain. At first I did not think that I was getting the grasp of the situation as my shots did not look anything like what everyone else was photographing.... then again, I was shooting with a fixed lens camera. But it wasn't that I wasn't getting it..... I just had a different style. As Marc said, "when everyone is photographing this wonderful seascape, you are photographing rocks and logs.... but there is nothing wrong with that, you are just presenting us with an alternative view on the landscape." Shortly thereafter, it was interesting to watch the other students veering away from the beautiful landscape, and seeing what else the area had to offer.... and boy, there were some great shots that came out of that weekend getaway!
I have since invested in some exceptional equipment. My portfolio has expanded, though I still keep my eye out for those unique photographing opportunities.
With the expansion of my portfolio came an amazing opportunity that was presented to me when we lived in Victoria. A young family had just moved into the basement suite of the house that we were residing in. I had been having some identity crisis at the time..... and had been told that if I was going to be a photographer, I needed to act like one. So when John came upstairs to introduce himself I introduced myself as a 'photographer'. His face just lit up and he asked if I did headshots. At the time, I was working with non-human muses.... and was rather interested in trying something new. As it turned out, he had been teaching at about five of the acting schools in Victoria. His students needed to build their portfolios and I felt that I needed to challenge myself and expand my abilities. It worked out great. I decided on a student price which worked for the students... and went to work on printing off some business cards. But boy was I a little bit surprised when I got my first phone call for a photo shoot... which happened to come the next day.
Ashley was this absolutely wonderful girl. She had been taking some of John's classes and was willing to be my first client. The final result was fantastic. Thank you Ashley, you allowed me to practice my skills... I hope that you are still performing your art.
John opened the door for me to come out of the closet with my art. He sent many more students through my doors........... some of which I will introduce you to at some point! Thank you John for believing in me enough to work with your students! I have since been honoured to photograph children, families, weddings, and even done some more fine art pieces.
It's funny the distance that I will go to make someone's dreams come true. One of my clients had requested that I do a shoot with her and her boyfriend in Tofino as a gift for his birthday. They were planning on buying a house in the future and wanted some portraits done. Unknowing to her, he had snagged my email and contacted me with a request.... he wanted to make it an engagement shoot! What an absolutely horrible day for an amazing occassion... though even the most terrential downpouring of rain could not postpone this moment!!
Children are such fascinating creatures. It is so fun to be able to dress them up in costumes as they seem to rather enjoy it. One prop that I have in my 'tickle trunk' is a couple pairs of butterfly wings! This is one of the results!
While walking to Chesterman Beach in Tofino, there is a little corner of the land where the surfers will look out at the beach and see what the surf is looking like. Of all the years that I have spent in Tofino, this happened to be the only time that I had ever gone to this little lookout.... and considering it was only ten feet off the main trail, it was a big deal for me.
This piece really backs up what Marc was laughing at me about. While all the tourists and locals are taking pictures of the beach and the surf.... I am down on all fours taking pictures of rocks and logs.... well, lets add into that shells too!
Our place in Victoria was along Dallas Road. It was a great pasttime to head down to the water for an evening stroll with the family. There is nothing better than spending quality time with the family while being blessed with the opportunity to be able to photograph the beauty that surrounds us..... the two greatest passions of mine in the world!!
Last year, my family took a trip back home and went for a boat ride with my Dad to pick up some kayakers. It was one of the most enjoyable days on the boat that I have experienced in so many years. On our way out of the harbour, we met one of the local trawlers who was bringing his catch back to the dock. The ocean and the boats are always going to be in my blood! I am a true west coast girl.... put me in front of a fish, and I will clean it, filet it, and cook it to perfection!
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