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  • West Coast Winter shoot.

     

    On the West Coast we are used to mild winters and glorious sunshine. I should clarify that last statement a wee bit. In Victoria, we can have glorious sunshine between the breaks in the storms.  Last week we had a day like that. Our photo shoot was postponed the day before due to rain, but the Monday brought sunshine and we took full advantage of the break to work on portfolio images for local model, Brielle Turpin.

    I love the area around Uplands Park and Cattle Point for photographing people.  I love the mix of colours, textures and wildness on the edge of the Village of Oak Bay. I will always choose to photograph here if I can because of the variety of backdrops.  Brielle and I worked around the different areas and she even walked in the ocean despite the January chill.

     

    From the park to the beach for a lighter backdrop.

     

     

    Oaklands Sunset Market

    I was asked to photograph the last Oaklands Sunset Market last week.  The weather lately ranges from intense storms to glorious sunshine and earlier that day the skies opened up for a serious downpour.  The Market began with just the right amount of sun, but with a distinct chill in the air.  It was a little unsettling to see everyone bundled up as if it were fall, but the rain held off and that was perfect.

    I love this market in my neighbourhood.  We spend most Wednesday evenings poking around the stalls and listening to the usual awesome array of music.  My kids even sold their own wares at the kids market a few weeks ago.  This is what I love about Victoria.  I feel very much part of a community.

    The evening’s entertainment began with the Larsen Music Choir and ended with a most exquisite poetry slam.  I believe it is almost 20 years since I attended my last poetry slam so it was such a treat!

    Thank you Oaklands Market for inviting me to participate in the last market of the season!

    Creative evening

    Last night I indulged my creative side which does not get out much.  I took a ceramic spoon making class with the darling Mary Loria through Poppet Creative Studio.  It was a great night to meet new people in my neighbourhood and play with clay.  Poppet Studio is right in my hood and I will make it a point to stay on top of what classes are being offered.

    Mary started the class with an intro to various clays and techniques.  She herself will start selling her whimsical ceramic spoons. Mary can usually be found at the Moss Street market during the summer.

     

    Mary’s spoon on the left (glazed) above and (in progress) below:

     

    My spoons are on the right above!  I think I made at least 10.  I can’t wait to see them finished.  I will post an update pic when I receive them back. My little flourishes on the end of the spoons, on the left picture below:

    4 Generations of Beautiful Women.

    I am a student of history.  I especially love following family histories and can trace my father’s line all the way back 300+ years to the Jesuits arriving from France.  Next spring I plan to take my children to Scotland and follow my mother’s line back in time.

    When I met a family of women who recently celebrated the matriarch’s 99th birthday and who reside together in Victoria, it was a pleasure to photograph them.  It wan’t as simple though as I thought.  While I am very skilled at handling the 3 and under crowd, I have never photographed, professionally, anyone over 70. Women at 99 are delicate and our time with her was short, but she was happy to comply and be patient as we worked around her limited mobility.

    It is a beautiful thing to see such a remarkable family.

    Waiting for the day.

    (Her eyes are closed in defiance of my asking to take her picture.  She is aware of her digital self propagating the internet universe. I secretly smile as she scowls.)

    My eldest is on the verge of puberty … well, she is waiting daily for it.  I am grateful for the modern day school system where she is able to learn, ask questions and discuss the changes that are coming at any moment.  At home she can ask any question and she will be given a truthful answer.

    She warned me that she may not seem herself and she may appear unable to control her emotions.  The educator that came to her school recently was up front and honest about her next developmental stage.  Eldest daughter is longing for this change. I see this as her readiness to embrace her tweenness.

    I was advised at 11/12 that my body was a temple for the holy spirit and that we were no longer allowed to play ‘boys chase the girls’. I learned most of my information about puberty from Judy Bloom and my mother’s copy of “Our Bodies, Ourselves”, which I always felt I was reading in secret.

    This eldest child checks in with herself daily for changes.  She is very in-tune with her world and has distanced herself further from her younger sibling.  I love her strength and awareness, but feel I must express this in very subtle ways so as not to ‘tip her off’ that I am also watching closely for her evolution of self.