Category Archives: Photo Essay

A Look Back at The Hours Project

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About this time last year, I got invited to participate in a really wonderful collective project for 2015 called The Hours. I loved the idea behind it where each month, all of the photographers involved were going to take a photo at the same hour (in their own time zone of course). We started in January at 7am, February at 8am and so on…leading all the way to 6pm in December.

Each week more photographers photos are shared and my last photo of the year just went up on the Hours Website today (you’ll find it under the 6pm clock) so I thought in honour of the year coming to a close I thought I’d share a look back on the photos I shared for the project throughout the year.

I decided right from the start to make them self-portraits. Looking back, it would have made it a bit easier to have the subject matter wide open, but well…being a part of the visual story is just what I do. But other than a bit of myself in it, I let there be no pressure for it to be a certain kind of selfie so a lot of them did end up to include my hands!

I’m really glad I took part as it pushed me to get out and take photos in hours that I normally wouldn’t. I go on regular photo walks throughout the week but they are often in the 12-3pm range or around sunset during the springtime so this was a great challenge especially in the earlier and later hours of the day.

Head on over to the Hours website to check out the images from all the photographers!

7 am

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8 am

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9 am

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10 am

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11 am 

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12 pm

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1 pm

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2 pm

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3 pm

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4 pm

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5 pm

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6 pm

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A Look Back at 2014 in Self-Portraits

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Each year I like to make a point of pausing at the end of the year to look back at the visual story of the year that my self-portrait practice has created.

Wanna try it? It can even be as simple as taking 2 minutes to look back at your Instagram or Flickr Feed (where ever you share most of your photos) or use this as a prompt for your own blog post and ponder things like:

Which ones feel like they tell the story of your year?

Which ones embody the ways you have grown/healed/changed throughout the year?

Which photos jump out at you?

What about this year feel important to be a part of the narrative you want to tell about this year (cause remember…we get to be the narrators of our own story)?

It always feels powerful to gather the photos together. Which ones feel important? Which just make me smile? Which ones do I even leave out and why?

I suppose I really do these posts for me (which is why I wanted to invite you to offer yourself the same) but I also hope that they’ll be of inspiration to pull out your camera more next year and be in the visual story of your own life!

You can check out the 2012 post here.

And the 2013 post here!

I confess 2014 began intensely. My beloved Grammy passed away in late January and my heart was broken. Self-care had to be at the forefront as grief took hold and I really wasn’t sure how the year would go. Thankfully, as the year progressed it gave way to lots of adventures, time with family and of course, a whole lot of teaching and self-portrait taking. Looking back on these photos I see the stories woven in the spaces between these photos, the ones that you have to have lived it to know.

I see a woman who has been truly lucky to go on some mighty fun adventures this year to the Bay Area, Nashville and who also really began to take advantage of the beauty that my own city holds and get out exploring it more!  I also see a woman who returned again and again to taking photo walks as a way to offer myself care and compassion, especially in a year like this one where it felt more vital than ever. I also can’t help but notice how the way I dress has changed. I felt less afraid to show my body this year (though my body didn’t change…I did) and there are more bare arms and more short wearing in these than I could have imagined!

I see peace making, adventuring, grieving, healing, walking, wandering, light catching and a whole lot of dancing!

So here is a look back at 2014 in self-portraits (all taken with my DSLR)!

January

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February 

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March

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April

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May

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June

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July

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August

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September

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October

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November

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December

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Especially if you have started taking selfies this year…what about gifting yourself with doing a post like this?  Look back on each month of the year and pick your favourites or pick your top 12 of the year as a whole?

Why not gift yourself with this time even if you just look back on your year and acknowledge what happened, what has changed and how far you’ve come with stepping into the story of your life through your camera?

Or if you’re wondering how to make 2015 a year where you get your camera out more and step into your visual story…join me for the Be Your Own Beloved E-Course or if an E-Book is more your style, check out the Beloved Camera E-Book!

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Beauty in the Blur

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I’m getting more obsessed than ever with shooting unfocused.

Click the camera over to manual focus and see what happens.

Seeing how the story shifts when I let go of having one thing in focus.

It makes me think of the way the world looks without my glasses

Or like an oil painting, seeing brush strokes in the way that

the blur curls sharp edges to soft.

dreamy cloudsforest blurreflectionforest reflection

 

These were all taken on last weeks forest hike and on the pier in the town of Deep Cove.  Have you experimented with shooting unfocused? I’d love to see the blurry magic in your world too!   If you haven’t experimented with this before, it is beyond fun…and you can find tips for this and other ways of adding some magic to your photos in the Tips & Tricks for taking Dreamy Photos Ebook!

 

January Light Hunting

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In the city I live in, the words grey and winter are generally intertwined.

So when a day like today happens, when morning fog covers the city but then shifts to wide open blue skies, it is something to be savoured.

I had to get out for a wander even though with Soulful Gathering starting on Monday and another super secret (and very exciting) project due soon, I probably should have been attached to my computer all day.  I figured I needed to practice what I preach in my photography and video classes and step away from the computer.  To just make space for some exploring.  To fill up my creative well.

I wandered down to one of my favourite places to shoot nearby, a big factory turned art studio with gorgeous grafitti.  Near the building is a beautiful community garden too so going on a photo walk down there gives me a perfect combination of urban and natural beauty to find.  It did exactly what I hoped and I came home with a filled up memory card and my creative well filled up too.

Here are a few bits of todays light hunting and beauty seeking:

east vanthawinghaving fun with my shadow. its not every day you get to see it so strongly here in the winter.bamboo bokehparker st studiosurban growthlight hunting