The idea for When We Came From Away, Stories of Arrival, was created by the late DinDin Vallarino of Northumberland County as part of the ongoing work in the County's immigration portal to grow and help sustain newcomer business investment and settlement in the area. The end product is a collection of the stories and photographs of local first, second and third generation immigrants and their most cherished 'artifact'. It's in book form and the images and stories are currently on display at the gallery on the third floor of Victoria Hall.
It was one thing to spend part of the summer meeting and photographing these members of our community, but seeing them all hung together for the first time really took my breath away - along with the work it must have taken to frame and hang in such symmetry. It was incredible to walk around and remember each occasion, each person, family or couple I visited. Every single time I was met with generosity, kindness, time and, chocolate - YES!
We are SO LUCKY to live where we do, to have a community that welcomes diversity, where people can celebrate where they've come from and where they are now. Thank-you to everyone who made this project come to life.
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We worked in the studio, which is really private, and for a change, I had to restrict the natural light, using black to soak up the reflection.
Here are two collages - one of the portraits, one of the other. Love both styles.
Roger and his Bin-It crew worked hard all day Saturday at their latest clearing job, from frosty, icy morning to an afternoon thaw.
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My final wedding shoot was last weekend with my beautiful niece, her guy and two step-daughters. It was frosty outside, so we used the studio for family shots ahead of the ceremony. I love the gorgeous backlight and this wonderful sofa, which is a theatre piece designed by Ken MacDonald that I'm lucky enough to have inherited. This was the perfect ending to shooting hundreds of weddings, as it ended up being just what I want to focus on now - portraits, head shots and family photography.
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