Photography Passion Was Sparked in the Hospital

 

I believe this camera is older than I am, originally uploaded by The Photography Elf.

As some of you know my passion for photography started at a very young age.  I discovered it before learning how to read and write English fluently.  Photographs helped me to see and learn to understand the world and the people around me.  Thanks to one nurse who was kind enough to provide me with visual clues during my stays and let my parents know that what I wanted most when I got out of the hospital was a camera to capture my own images to share.  I do not remember her name anymore but am forever grateful for the gifts that she gave me which helped to spark my passion.

When I was younger polio had struck my body and paralyzed almost all of my limbs.  After coming to Canada as a refugee we were moved to Victoria after a brief stay in Edmonton.   I went into surgeries almost immediately after arrival and didn’t understand what was going on at the time with no knowledge of the English language.   I didn’t get to see my parents very much and when I did the visits were brief.  For a time I believed that they had sold me because I was too hard and expensive to take care of.  I remember feeling scared and like an alien of sorts because there was no one in the hospital that spoke my language.  I watched how people moved around me, how they used their hands and body when communicating and learned to ape the words surrounding me.  When that one nurse saw how much I was struggling to understand my environment she started to put up visual photo clues in my room to help me gain more insight.  It was my first few steps in learning the powers of observation.

Over the years I’ve nurtured and utilized my powers of observation in various forms.  In photography it has really helped me to tap into a model’s personality and bring that out in images.  I truly feel that to be a good portrait photographer you must be able to appreciate people watching to some degree.  You can learn a lot about capturing a person’s emotions if you take pause to simply observe.

The best things in life are free

What do you see?!, originally uploaded by The Photography Elf.

It’s now the start of the most commercialized holiday of the year, Christmas, so I thought I’d do a post on some of the things that I appreciate having in my life that are free to take off the commercial edge of the season a bit.  We are planning to celebrate Christmas but we’re not going over the top with buying too many gifts.  I’ve finished most of my shopping for the holidays as I’m a year round shopper.  It saves me money to shop out of season.  When I see something on sale and think it would make a great gift for a loved one I grab it.  This year most of my gifts are for services and homemade items.  A lot of my loved ones are pretty selfless and don’t treat themselves to things like gym memberships, spa treatments, dinners out and such.

Most of the things I treasure in life can’t be purchased in any store.   Gifts like having a close family and caring friends who love, understand and respect me to spend time with are worth more than any material goods.   My kitty Princess of Chaos: Ruler of the Backyard Kingdom, is another light in my life and she gives me joy simply with her presence.  My family has taught me many lessons over the years which have all helped me to grow as a person.  Amidst the tragedy of my father’s brain injury accident came a hidden blessing – my immediate family forged stronger bonds.  All of us became closer after the accident when we united to support my father in recovery.  My cat has taught me more about the importance of resting and the importance of quiet empathy.

Dean, my perfectly imperfect partner, brings me love and friendship through good times and bad times.  We’ve both grown tremendously over our time together and although it has been painful at times there are no regrets with taking the risk to love knowing that there is no guarantee.   Dean’s in recovery for alcoholism and is fighting his own personal battles every day.   I support his efforts and am working on my own personal battles while he’s working on improving his life.  Both of us think that by doing this we’ll both be better individuals which in turn makes us better partners.  I’ve always believed that no one really loses when you’re focused on self improvement.

Outside of my relationships with people which bring me great happiness there are other things I appreciate.  The natural world is full of free pleasures! One of my favourite free activities stems from childhood and is still something I enjoy doing to this day.  It’s watching the clouds and imagining faces and shapes (like the pic above with the clouds cat face).  Another free activity I love is spending time at a beach taking in the views and doing some beachcombing with my camera.  Exploring a park is something I enjoy doing year round and most parks here offer free parking.   Some of the CRD parks offer free fun nature programs as well and the ones I’ve been to in the past have been fabulous.  If you are a fellow big kid at heart simply visiting a playground, riding a bike or climbing a tree and unleashing your childhood spirit can be a lot of fun!  Spending time in the garden getting close to the Earth and tending to the beds is something I find to be a lovely free stress reliever and highly rewarding.

What are some things that you enjoy doing for free?

Mars Farm Pumpkin Patch is Worth a Visit

Mars Farm Pumpkin Patch – great place to get your pumpkins & avoid the crowds/overpicked popular patches!, originally uploaded by The Photography Elf.

This is a great farm to go to if you don’t like over-picked patches and not a fan of selecting your pumpkin in a crowded patch full of people.  A lot of people go to the more popular ones but I enjoy seeking out the smaller quieter farms.  I also prefer spending my money at a smaller outfit because they tend to struggle more with the larger farms as competitors.

Mars Farm is located on Veyaness Rd and it’s nice and mellow there.  No crowds at all and lots of great pumpkins to choose from.  I recommend going here for your pumpkins next year.   Visit their farm market stall to purchase great fresh produce at fabulous prices.  Support our local small farms by visiting them in person when you can!

An Odd October Evening – Oct. 10th – TONIGHT!

Odd October show poster from Sonicshoots, originally uploaded by The Photography Elf.

www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=150398076024&ref=ts

An Odd October Evening” will feature performances by:
Rosie Delight
Precious Metal
Dollipop
Rad Juli
Mz B Haven
Dirty Richard
Cherry D Vine
Jett MaJique
Randii Andii
Roxee Lee
Cherry Poppins
with surprise guests!

Hosted By: J McLaughlin

You could win a sonicshoots.com photoshoot!

Tickets onsale Now @
Aces and Spades 1314 Douglas Street
aces-n-spades.com/
or Buy Online @ www.clubzone.com/tickets/1/Victoria/76754.html

Learn to Play the Musical Saw Workshop
The musical saw is an elegant, delicate, creepy and beautiful instrument.  With this educational and fun workshop you will be able to terrify your neighbors by playing the Haunting “singing” saw in no time.   Perfect for Halloween.
There is limited space! Instruments will be provided.  If you have access to a saw and bow please bring them.

Please contact Lily.fawn@gmail.com for more info and to reserve your spot in the workshop.

Homecooked meals & family bonding

Home made crispy noodles with prawns, pork & veggies, originally uploaded by The Photography Elf.

Homecooked meals are the best!  We do enjoy dining out when we’re able to but there’s something special about preparing a meal together in the comfort of one’s home.  When you cook together there’s a sense of unity and teamwork.  It’s important for my family to have at least two meals together each week.  Those are the times when we can get caught up with what everyone has been up to and discussing current affairs and news stories of interest.   Conversations are very important at the dining table.  It is a simple way for us to bond with loved ones and something I treasure deeply.

Salmon BBQ

Salmon BBQ, originally uploaded by The Photography Elf.

The salmon BBQ at this year’s Metchosin Day Fair was just as fantastic as the lamb BBQ. The smells were amazing!

Lamb BBQ

The amazing lamb BBQ, originally uploaded by The Photography Elf.

The amazing lamb BBQ at this year’s Metchosin Day Fair!

John Vickers & his pumpkin art

John Vickers & his pumpkin art, originally uploaded by The Photography Elf.

I did an “at work” shoot with John Vickers at the Victoria Truth Centre earlier this week. There are still a lot of photos from that shoot I need to sort through and they will be posted to a set on my Flickr when I finish organizing the images.  John is a talented and well known artist with a huge charitable heart.  It was a both an honour and a pleasure to work with him.

For more info on John Vickers’ artwork & the pumpkin art tour please visit the official site:   www.pumpkinart.ca/

This year’s event will be at 1201 Fort St. at the Victoria Truth Centre.   Event admission is by donation.

Event Times: 5pm – 9pm Daily
Friday, October 30th, Saturday, October 31st and Sunday, November 1st.

Free parking available at the Victoria Art Gallery on Moss Street, 2nd right after the Victoria Truth Centre grounds on Fort.

This event is in support of the Victoria Youth Clinic who provide health and counseling services to area youth.  For further information visit http://www.victoriayouthclinic.ca

Jett MaJique gets saucy in the garden

Jett gets saucy in the garden, originally uploaded by The Photography Elf.

Jett MaJique is amazing to work with.  An enthusiastic model who brings plenty of fun outfits, accessories and props to shoot with.  Jett can take direction very well.  She’s relatively new to the burlesque scene but this is one lass to watch.  Jett’s extremely creative and already has some nifty acts under her belt.  Keep your eye out for her performances in the near future!

Daydreamin with Dollipop

Daydreamin, originally uploaded by The Photography Elf.

I had a wonderful garden shoot with Dollipop last weekend.  She’s one of my favourite models to work with because of her awesome energy and enthusiasm.  This is one of my favourite images of her from that day.  The light was just right and this was shot in the back gazebo area where the shadows hit all the spots I wanted.  The light was amazing that day.   Pretty much all the images taken during this shoot were straight from the camera.