Saturday, 6 October 2018

Giving Thanks for Photography



“If a photographer cares about the people before the lens and is compassionate, much is given. It is the photographer,
not the camera, that is the instrument.”
– Eve Arnold (1912-2012)
American Photojournalist

”Taking pictures is like tiptoeing into the kitchen
late at night and stealing Oreo cookies.”
 – Diane Arbus (1923-1971)
American Photographer

Thanksgiving is always a good time to stop, look at the blessings in your life, and literally give thanks. Photography has been an important part of my life for almost five years – the energy, delight, passion, and frustration it brings into my life is a beautiful thing. As the late, great Diane Arbus said, photography is like tiptoeing into the kitchen and stealing Oreo cookies!

This sense of gratitude has been amplified in the last few weeks as I have been preparing for Heart & Soul: Two Men Tell Their Stories, the joint exhibition that my husband, Bill, and I are mounting next month at Belleville’s John M. Parrott Art Gallery. Bill’s quilts (Link), my photographs. He’s the heart; I’m the soul.


The process of winnowing my photos from thousands to the eighteen that will be on display was a challenging, enjoyable, and occasionally harrowing experience. I’ll be writing about that experience in an upcoming blog post. The take-away for this Thanksgiving blog post, however, is the immense sense of gratitude that I felt while in the midst of the discernment process. It was both humbling and deeply pleasing. And a lot of photos got rejected, creating an odd sense of wistful regret. But the choices have now been made and my friend Mike Gaudaur from Quinte Studios in Trenton (Link) is busy printing and framing them.

But it’s the gratitude that I’m feeling now. And I’d like to share some of that gratitude on this holiday weekend by posting the photos below. All of them are ‘rejects’ in a sense, because none will be in the exhibit. They are special to me, however. I hope you enjoy looking at them.

And Happy Thanksgiving.

Yonge/Dundas Square, Toronto
April 10, 2018

Yonge/Dundas Square, Toronto
April 10, 2018

Yonge/Dundas Square, Toronto

April 10, 2018


 Yonge/Dundas Square, Toronto
April 10, 2018


Yonge/Dundas Square, Toronto
April 10, 2018

Yonge/Dundas Square, Toronto
April 10, 2018

Vaughan Centre Subway Station
April 10, 2018

Pioneer Village Subway Station, Toronto
April 10, 2018

St. James Park, Toronto
September 12, 2017

Near the Sydney Fish Market
February 5, 2018

Yonge/Dundas Square, Toronto
April 10, 2018

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