This past month has proven to be one that snuck up slowly and then rocketed past with so many wonderful days filled with amazing memories. I’ve been meaning to post about all the opportunities that I’ve been so fortunate to have been involved in but I haven’t been able to find the time to just sit and write. I’ve finally managed to find a few quiet hours to try and recap the last few weeks!

Band Photos With The Good Ol’ Goats

Earlier this year I was “introduced” to a local band of students from the school I work at, a band called “The Good Ol’ Goats“. Immediately I was a fan of their folk sound and amazing talent and I mentioned that if they were ever looking for some photos, I’d love to work with them. At the beginning of September, we met at a local ghost/historical town to work on a series of promotional photos for their new album and while I was nervous having never shot band photos before, it was a fun afternoon filled with a lot of laughter and music.

It’s been so great to be able to work with a local group that is getting so much positive attention and I feel that our collaboration has been mutually beneficial, I’ve suddenly been booking more local shoots and have been meeting with a lot of other local artists and people looking for photo work. The power of community!

Fall Fair

On my first day back at work, a coworker mentioned an upcoming fall market/country fair that was taking place and suggested I enter the photography competition. I’ve never really enter my work into a judged competition and I only had one day to pick three pieces to enter but I figured that if this year was all about pushing myself to try new things, I should just go for it. I dropped off my photos and hoped for the best!

Unfortunately because the fair happened to be in the middle of a really busy weekend, I couldn’t actually make it to see my photos on display but when I went to pick them up after it was all over, I found out that I had not only won a ribbon, I had won best overall photo and a second place ribbon in the category I entered! I was totally shocked and humbled by the kind words the lady running the booth said to me as she handed me back my work. It was certainly an unexpected but very much appreciated surprise!

Youth Fair Speech

On the same weekend as the fall fair mentioned above, I was also booked as a ‘keynote speaker’ at a travelling workshop aimed at promoting job skills towards youth. I was pretty nervous trying to think of what I would talk about and how I was going to stand up and talk about myself without feeling totally awkward but again, the motivation of trying something new was stronger than my nerves. I ended up writing a short speech on my journey as a photographer and how each of us has the potential to go where want in life and that our passion should lead us in the right direction.

Hiking The Rockies:
During the summer a teacher and friend sent me a message asking me if I would be interested in joining her Outdoor Skills/Geography class on a few of their multiday hikes in the backcountry. Immediately I said yes and I’m so glad that I did. This month I was fortunate to join in on two incredible hikes. The first, an overnight hike to the Conrad Kain Hut at the base of the Bugaboo Glacier in the Purcell Mountains. We spent about 5 hours hiking through an avalanche debris field, climbing over boulders, lugging 40 pound backpacks up the sides of mountains and enjoying the overwhelming views of the glaciers ahead. In the morning we woke up early to watch the sunrise over the Rocky Mountains before heading home. Just last week I joined the class again, this time on a 4 day hike through the Rocky Mountain backcountry in the Steeples Mountain range. There is nothing like hiking among yellow larch trees in the fall, the air crisp and clean and feeling the power of the environment around you. I felt totally recharged after spending 4 days away from the normal day to day life.

Magazines
This month has also been an amazing month for mail! I was lucky to recieve two magazines that have featured my work in them. The first, Coffee Today from Korea is a magazine that I’ve been ‘hired’ by to create covers for. It’s an amazing opportunity to be able to work on images that are being printed and distributed around the world. As a big coffee fan, I’m also very keen on finding inspiration in every cup 🙂

The second magazine, 5×5 magazine out of the U.S. is a beautiful magazine that contains a wonderful 6 page feature including an interview and full page photos. It’s always really thrilling to see my work in print and to feel it in my hands rather than only see it on a screen.

Jane Goodall

And finally, on the last evening of this month I was fortunate enough to attend a short lecture by the inspring Dr.Jane Goodall. She presented a speech on the power of hope and the power of humanity and I was left with an overwhelming sense of motivation and inspiration. Being able to listen and watch such an accomplished teacher and activist share her life story and fill the room with passion was incredible and I’ll never forget her last quote of the evening
“Only when there is harmony between the mind and the heart can humans fully reach their potential”.  Those words sat very clearly in my mind and I hope that one day I can look back and feel that I have found harmony between my head and my heart.

This month was full. I started to book more portraits which were exciting and gave me the opportunity to work some new people with great ideas. September was fun and full of memories, of laughter and love, of community and inspiration and I can’t wait to see what October brings 🙂