Montreal, a bit of magic over 7 days.

So I had a wonderful time. The flight was two hours late so I stayed in a hostel my first night there, I had the reservation in my pocket just in case I needed a place to stay. When I got up the next day after a few hours of sleep I got coffee for us and walked to my friend’s door. It took her a minute to answer the door. There was a huge staircase and I left my suitcase and coffee at the top after ringing the bell and waited at the bottom.

I sent a text just in case she didn’t hear the doorbell because she was in the shower but she was just waking up and trying to get her head around the day so she hesitated in answering the door. When she did I ran up the stairs, offered her the coffee and then we hugged and cried for a while. It was the best time I have ever had on a vacation, none of it was planned, and it was an entire 7 days of magic.

I had a scooter tour with a friend, went to the art gallery and spent the afternoon that included live performance. I walked so much that the souls of my shoes are a little smaller. I had a gourmet meal, found a co-working and co-living space that welcomed me with open arms, we spent hours talking while I visited for the 7 days, I learned how to take the metro and the bus, I met so many amazing people, drank champagne, took a heap of photos, worked a bit, relaxed, found some great things for my friend’s new apartment, learned about the local mural artists, spent time in a park, hiked Mt. Royal, sweated in 30-degree heat, spoke as much french as I could and was welcomed in English when I couldn’t manage, slept in, did yoga and ate really good food. There is more and as soon as I remember it all I will tell you.

Montreal, I am in love.

Capture 2022 with Beau photo, Closer.

beauphotostore

Join us for a photo walk and investigate the details around you. Try lenses from the rental department with the digital group, or a roll of ILFORD film for your camera with the analogue crowd. Each group will walk from Beau, and for about 90 mins, observe our surroundings and photograph the details that interest us. We will be available to give you shooting tips and to provide inspiration. Even being able to have everyone participating together brings us all closer. After the official walk, you can continue on your own to explore the things and people you want to keep close to.

Each photographer will have one image selected for printing on ILFORD Gallerie paper that will be displayed in an exhibition at the shop.

Space is limited to 10 people per group so we will select 10 participants for the digital group and 10 for the film group by lottery. Walks will follow all provincial health orders in place at the time of the event and the format of the walk may need to be adjusted according to the current guidelines.

The exhibition will be on view in the Beau Photo gallery space from April 24 to May 28, 2022.

We will also publish an online gallery in this space with more of the images from the walks.

Register here: https://www.beauphoto.com/closer/

I was on my own after winning a spot in the analogue lottery. I choose a roll of 120 mm film and choose to photograph those I want to get closer to. Connections I want to cement, to get closer. Not in a romantic way, in a way that creates an authentic connection.

The image that was selected is the first one on the roll. I hope to see you at the show.

A way to help people in the Ukraine from QT.

So we feel helpless. Going about our daily lives while those who are fighting for their country become refugees and lose their lives. People are going there to fight, people are donating and I saw something that I thought would be great to share because it is another easy way to help.

Quentin Tarantino has a brilliant idea.

In other very unrelated news, I will have a brand new Skillshare course ready for you in the next day or two.

So if you want something else to do in between news updates and trying to get by maybe a new skill will help.

This week, we discovered Reels.

Ok, so maybe I’m new to this and maybe I am not even doing it right but I have been making reels.

This week I concentrated on making BTS reels. People often ask about how a shoot comes together and I hope these little vignettes give you some idea of how it’s possible.

The only thing I wish Instagram would do is enable you to export them so I can share them here too.

https://www.instagram.com/freeadmission/

A post without images is just kinda meh, so here’s a collection from one of the reels I made of Victoria, shot in the studio at Doris with the amazing Lexi styling the whole thing adding in her handmade jewelry too.

A productive week in studio.

I spent the week behind the camera.

I am loving the new studio space I have access to and with that space comes the ability for me to expand and explore. I am just finding my footing and can’t wait to see where it is going to take me.

This is Bahar, Uma and Victoria with a snap of Raychel with some State of UnderDress too.

Let's look back at 2021

Wow, what a year eh. So many ups and downs and not knowing what the next few years will bring has made us all a little on edge.

One thing got me through and I want to share it with you because maybe it will help you too. Hope.

I have always had hope, some weird form of faith because of how things have turned out for me, I always have hope. Call it blind faith, call it silly but I managed to pull through this crazy time and come out on the other side with more of it. Strange, I know but that’s me I’m a little eccentric anyway so that’s half the fun of waking up every day for me.

I wanted to recap some highlights from the past year here and maybe it will give you enough juice to take a look at your year and find some of your own for your highlight reel. I would love to see yours too.

I was published in Vogue Italia 8 times.

I began working commercially with brands providing social media content.

I found studio space.

I made a portrait project in Tofino

I created a lookbook of my merch with the help of a magnificent team.

I finished a year-long photo and word project.

And I reached out to you consistently for 52 weeks.

Thank you for being here, I really appreciate it. I wish you and yours a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2022.