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Capturing a moment, whether a split-second action or an encapsulation of the slow passage of time, is one of the most beautiful and impactful ideas a single image can convey. The artists featured in photoED magazine’s TIME edition have produced time-bending works that, politely, gently, and kindly invite viewers to take an extra moment of consideration from our fast-paced image heavy world. The payoff is not only a visual reward, but also the gift of new ideas when considering one’s own future recordings. The TIME issue IN PRINT • Cover image by Bret Culp • photo by Marie-Louise Moutafchieva #MadeWithAffinity The artists in this issue work with time as the basis of their photography, taking their explorations to new levels. “Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still.” — Dorothea Lange Sylvia Galbraith records room-size camera obscura images with such clarity; her work is a time-blending puzzle. Bret Culp uses the same tool, a pinhole camera, to create a single image recording: the passage of time over days, weeks, and months. Sylvia Galbraith • What Time Is This Place? Solargraph by Bret Culp, “183 Day Solargraph #1 (2023.07.21 – 2023.12.21), Oakville, Ontario.” Zinnia Naqvi • “The Wanderers ‑ Niagara Falls, 1988,” from the series Yours to Discover, 2019. Zinnia Naqvi’s art practice embraces 1980s images from her family albums to question colonial influence and (re)present her experience to new audiences — perhaps relating to viewers’ own experiences and influencing recollections of whatever a “Canadian experience” means to them. Craig D’Arville/ FFOTO.com + June Clark and Christina Leslie I’m especially excited to present an interview by Craig D’Arville featuring June Clark and Christina Leslie. These artists’ works are thoughtfully crafted and loaded with immeasurable layers of history, family, love, struggle, and contemplation in every visual they thoughtfully present. I hope you can afford to make the time for these works, ideas, and more. This issue features:        June Clark and Christina Leslie , in conversation with Craig D’Arville Zinnia Naqvi , Time after Time, by Darren Pottie Sylvia Galbraith , What Time Is This Place? Camera Obsura rooms Wade Comer , Layering time in a single frame, by Cece M. Scott Arianne Clement , Aging, beautifully. Documenting centenarians, by Alan Bulley Scarborough Made : Celebrating five years of community storytelling by Sid Naidu This edition also features, our Books + Resource recommendations for further explorations, and our PORTFOLIO featured artists: Daphne Faye Boxill Elsa Hashemi Lucy Lu Farah Al Amin Julianna D’Intino Elizabeth Siegfried Catherine Page Find our playlist of TIME inspired tunes on SPOTIFY! Follow us on Instagram, Patreon , Facebook , and Instagram , and sign up for our e-newsletter to keep up with all our adventures! Consider supporting us! We'd love your support to continue producing great content for you to enjoy!   • JOIN US AS A PATRON   • SUBSCRIBE FOR PRINT DELIVERY   • READ our digital editions

Noémie was born blind. She suffers from Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), a genetic disorder. At a party organized by the Foundation for the Blind of Quebec (FAQ), she dances with her friend Florence. Noémie wears glasses to protect her eyes, as she has no muscle reflex in her eyelids. Montreal photographer OPHELIA CHAUVIN documented the daily lives of people with living with partial or total blindness. This work tells their stories and prompts reflection on the notion of "vision." How to perceive the world differently. This documentary project, whether featuring people who were born blind or those who lost their sight later in life, bears witness to the daily lives and resilience of individuals with partial or total blindness. "This first chapter of my documentary led me to understand the realities and challenges faced by people with visual impairments in Quebec. I focused on various issues related to mobility and cultural, sports, and intellectual accessibility. I aimed to meet and tell the stories of individuals with different life paths and from various generations. It was also important for me to understand how these people cope with their disabilities and perceive their relationship with our modern and visual society. This project aims to bring them out of invisibility and to raise awareness of their resilience, with the goal of challenging some preconceived ideas." Marc-André regularly attends a book club. This activity allows him and other participants to discover new authors through the voices of volunteer readers. Marc-André (50) lost his sight at the age of 46 due to what is believed to have been poisoning from chemical aerosol products while living in Thailand. For him, it wasn't just about "losing his sight but also his entire way of life."   A true man of letters and avid traveler, Marc-André spent over 20 years living throughout Asia — from Japan to Thailand, with stops in Burma. Following his disability, he returned a few years ago to his native Montreal, where a new chapter of his life is now unfolding. Today, Marc-André works as a development officer for the organization Le Bon Pilote and he is actively involved with numerous associations that promote accessibility and social connections for people with disabilities. “What do you want? I'm not going to stay at home staring at the walls. Besides, I can't see them anyway,” he replies with his usual sense of humour when I comment on his busy schedule. Marc-André can count on Hao Yu, his neighbor, friend, and guide, for daily assistance. For Marc-André, having a trusting relationship with his guide is essential. Every Sunday, they go together to do their weekly grocery shopping. Marc-André selects his products by touch. Through habit, he recognizes the layout of the displays in the stores he frequents. Other blind individuals do their shopping online or ask for help from store clerks. Marie (23) was born blind. Originally from Mascouche, she moved to Montreal on her own to pursue her studies. A Political Science student at the University of Montreal (UDEM), Marie aspires to work in diplomacy. For the past two years, Marie has been assisted by her guide dog, Djenga. To obtain her care and support, she spent 6 months at a specialized school in the USA. Since she switched from her white cane to Djenga, Marie feels much freer, more autonomous, and safer. Additionally, she has noticed that people are much more willing to approach her and socialize. Marie will always remember the first time she walked the streets of New York with Djenga: she cried tears of joy! In the face of her disability, Marie is constantly seeking autonomy and freedom. She prefers to use public transport or Uber, even though she is eligible for adapted transport services. Equine riding, dancing, swimming, music, and even DIY projects—Marie is a jack-of-all-trades, with great curiosity, sociability, and a critical mind. She truly feels "disabled" when society imposes accessibility limitations. To study, Marie uses an electronic Braille reader connected directly to her computer. With this device, she can read her course materials, write, use Excel and PowerPoint, and navigate her computer. In Quebec, there are nearly 100,000 people who are blind or visually impaired, with the vast majority living below the poverty line. Many local organizations, such as the Foundation for the Blind of Quebec (FAQ), work daily to combat the poverty and isolation experienced by individuals with visual impairments, and to enhance social and community integration. Each year, the FAQ pushes the boundaries of accessibility by offering a wide range of sports and recreational activities for ages 6-25 (including alpine skiing, tourism, tandem biking, hang gliding, cooking classes, music lessons, etc.). Given that over 80% of the information we receive is visual, these activities are crucial for helping young people develop their social and cognitive skills. Ali has optic nerve dystrophy. As a child, he participated in activities organized by the FAQ. Today, he works for the Foundation as an accountant and recreational activities instructor. See OPHELIA CHAUVIN's full project - HERE. Did you enjoy this read? For as little as $2./ month we'd love your support to continue producing qualitative content for you to enjoy!   • JOIN US AS A PATRON   • SUBSCRIBE FOR PRINT DELIVERY   • READ our digital editions Follow us on Instagram, Patreon , Facebook , and Instagram , and sign up for our e-newsletter to keep up with all our adventures!

Jessica Thalmann's Philosophy is that a photograph is just a piece of paper to destroy, rip, tear, and cut. The taking of a photograph is only one component of Jessica Thalmann's artistic practice. Jessica is an interdisciplinary artist, curator, and writer who divides her time between Toronto and New York. With a Master of Fine Arts in Advanced Photographic Studies from ICP-Bard College (New York) and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from York University (Toronto), Jessica's knowledge of photography, film, and sculpture influence her work. Using her own images, and archival materials, she prints, cuts, assembles, and folds photographs into a variety of manipulated forms. The inspiration behind her work stems from her integral belief that a photograph does not depict reality, or the "true" story. "There is a romanticism around photography that we need to get over," she says. "We think photos are documents of reality but in fact the camera lies. There is a hand behind the camera that stages and frames. We have lofty goals for our photographs, but they do not depict the world as it really is." Destroying and reinventing images is a painstaking step-by-step process for Jessica, who believes that researching, analyzing, and planning are as much a part of being a photographer as taking a photograph. "Utopos (Henry Hall Building in 1969)", one of Jessica's current projects, stems from a personal family tragedy that happened when she was four years old. "In 1992, there was a shooting at Concordia University: a professor killed several of his colleagues. Mr uncle, Phoivos Ziogas, was one of the professors massacred. Also, in 1969, students took over the ninth floor of the same building where the 1992 shooting happened. They destroyed engineering equipment and threw thousands of IBM computer cards out of the window which littered the street like a blanket of snow It was one of the most violent riots in Canadian history . . . With the Utopos project, there is, for me, an emotional resonance and a desire to understand. This work focuses on returning to that building, to that site of trauma and, as I film and photograph it, on trying to understand what happened there. It is a delicate and cathartic process for me." For the Uptopos project, Jessica scoured the university archives until she found a black and white image that depicted the 1969 riot at the exact moment when the students were throwing IBM cards out of the window. Jessica overlaid colour onto the image and then printed the large 82" x 32" image into eight prints and eight sections. She cut and trimmed each print and folded them into equal lateral triangles. She says, " From these organic shapes, I was able to fold and shape the prints and then pin them directly onto the wall." Jessica manipulates most of her images manually in her studio, adding shadows and strange distortions, with the end goal of finding the hidden beauty in buildings others don't find. She goes through a series of emotions, including frustration, anger, reverence, and wonder, when trying to get at something that a photograph is not actualizing for her. "At a certain point in my practice I was steeped in other's photography, how beautiful and holy their images were. It was only when I gave myself permissions not to create something beautiful, to move from holding a photography as holy, that I could create something beautiful out of something I destroyed." Jessica says, "That is not going to work for everyone; it is a niche I have found for myself." Jessica's advice for aspiring photographers is to read Camera Lucida by Roland Barthes (1980) and On Photography by Susan Sontag (1973). Barthes explores the nature and essence of photography, and Sontag studies the force of photographic images that are inserted between experience and reality. She also photographers not to get into their own heads too much: to step away from their thoughts and start using their hands. "Not making work is not the solution to not making work. That is the best advice I can give to anyone," she says. "Money should not be your primary goal; just make the work you want to make." jessicathalmann.com Find this story and more in our ISSUE #52 - digital replica edition Enjoyed this free read?!  Consider supporting us! We need your support to continue producing great, original content for you to enjoy! JOIN US AS A PATRON   • SUBSCRIBE FOR PRINT DELIVERY   • READ our digital editions

EVERYONE HAS A DIFFERENT RELATIONSHIP TO FOOD AND FOOD PRODUCTION. Image by Bob St Cyr This single frame by Bob St-Cyr opens volumes of questions we collectively should be asking. This image depicts a scene of an older man, bent over, picking fruit off the ground. In the background, a younger woman stands with her back to the man. She has what appears to be a phone in her hand, and she is taking a photo. The first thing that I saw was the man, immediately, it made me think about travel restrictions during the last few years, and migrant workers, unable to travel to Canada and pick our crops for us. There were many news stories on how entire crops were left to rot in the fields because no one was willing to pick them. Is this a statement on the work ethic of different generations? Another viewer may look at this scene and feel frustration with the woman with the phone. This is an all too familiar sight. People everywhere, walking around like zombies with phones in front of their faces, living life through phone screens and social media filters. Maybe she is an Internet influencer promoting her experience visiting an orchard or someone who has worked in this orchard and is making a video teaching people where apples come from. Are these two people related to each other or are they strangers? Is this scene real or staged? Are there other people just out of the frame or are these two alone? Who picked the full basket of apples in the foreground? How large is this farm? Where are these apples destined? Are they going to a local market or a supermarket on the other side of the world? Was this photo documenting apple-harvesting methods in a particular place in the world or is it a local vacation snapshot? It is very possible that the real story to this photograph has no special explanation and is a basic and banal scene. But does that really matter to us as viewers if we read into it? Why did the photographer choose to preserve and share this moment in time? What’s the message in the act of presenting images without context? Interpreting the meaning of an image is really just guessing. What makes one person feel passionately about any one piece of art, a song, a poem, or a photograph is personal and depends on individual life experiences and unique points of view. Photographs have the power to tell stories but, without context, interpretations will vary. What do you see in this image? What societal message can it press you to re-think for yourself? Like what you see here? Read more in the FOOD ISSUE + Consider supporting us! As an independent editorial publication we'd love your support to continue producing great, original content! JOIN US AS A PATRON   • SUBSCRIBE FOR PRINT DELIVERY   • READ our digital editions  •

"Guided by the notion that North Koreans are residing in a "dream-state," where the truth is not lived but imposed by those in power, Nathalie Daoust's anonymous forms wander through the landscape." By Samantha Small Nathalie Daoust's photographs reflect a love for eclectic places and a wild, inexhaustible sense of curiosity. Exploring, experiencing, and documenting rarely visited landscapes and carefully hidden places, she has spent the last decade producing voyeuristic insights into otherwise veiled existences. Nathalie studied the technical aspects of photography at the Cégep du Vieux Montréal. Since, she has been travelling the globe seeking to translate her experiences into photography-based artworks. She spent two years experimenting and living in the Carlton Arms Hotel in New York, which led her further abroad to explore Tokyo’s red light district, Brazilian brothels, and Swiss naturists in the Alps. Nathalie’s project, Korean Dreams (2016) is a complex series of 25, 50 × 70 cm prints that reflect the mysterious world of North Korea. “I was working on a photo documentary in China about North Korean women living in hiding and working in the sex industry. I wanted to better understand why these women would rather live in such conditions in China than remain in their own country with their friends and family.” Nathalie’s images captured in North Korea reveal a country that seems to exist outside of time, as a carefully choreographed mirage. She has spent much of her career exploring the idea of fantasy: the hidden desires and urges that compel people to dream, to dress up, to move beyond the bounds of convention. With Korean Dreams , she is exploring this escapist impulse not as an individual choice, but as a way of life forced upon an entire nation. Most foreigners associate North Korea, shrouded by fanatical isolationism, only with the hallmarks of its repressive regime – kidnapping, torture, and forced labour camps. Tourist experiences are carefully crafted to countermand these impressions. Accompanied by guides at all times, and adhering to the rigid, pre-approved travel program, visitors get a highly selective view of the country as they are paraded past cultural landmarks such as theatres, schools, and music halls, meant to create the illusion of a perfect society. The difficulty of reconciling systemic violence and repression with this shiny world led Nathalie to focus on the spaces that exist on the edge of the “tourist zone.” By shooting furtively while travelling between destinations, she was able to capture an alternative narrative. Guided by the notion that North Koreans are residing in a “dream-state,” where truth is not lived but imposed by those in power, her anonymous forms wander through the landscape. From civilians bicycling against an urban backdrop, to military personnel marching stridently in line and schoolchildren staring pensively out of the frame, these figures seem to exist suspended in an ambiguous, timeless dimension. Playing with the line between fiction and reality, Nathalie exposes an indeterminate space where “truth” and “lies” are interchangeable. Nathalie’s multi-step development process is integral in this series to the interplay between fiction and reality. In the darkroom she reconstructs a forgotten past and an unknown present. The images were taken on 35mm black and white film and have been obscured in her unique photographic process. She creates a “negative” by cutting out her selected frame from its contact sheet and peeling off the back of the photo paper. The breakdown of the original negative film has produced final images that appear indistinct and somewhat ghostlike. As the layers of distance from the original film are removed, a sense of detachment between the photographer and her subjects is revealed. Nathalie’s darkroom method also mimics the way information is transferred in North Korea: it is stifled until the truth is lost in the process. The resultant images speak to North Korean society, of missing information and truth concealed. daoustnathalie.com Find this story + more in our CANADIANS ABROAD - ISSUE #53 Enjoyed this free read?! Consider supporting us! We would love to continue producing great content for you to enjoy! JOIN US AS A PATRON   • SUBSCRIBE FOR PRINT DELIVERY  • READ our digital editions

photoED Magazine a rencontré Marie-Louise pour discuter de son travail. « Marché du jour »  • Une journée de courses au marché hebdomadaire de Sinalunga, Italie • Pris avec un Tamron 28-200mm. ISO 800, 1/180 sec, f/5.6, 57mm. Marie-Louise Moutafchieva est une photographe canado-bulgare passionnée par la nourriture et les voyages. Que ce soit au Canada ou à l'étranger, elle crée de belles histoires qui célèbrent la nourriture, les producteurs, les cuisines, l'architecture, les plantes, la lumière et les moments à savourer. « Pigeon toscan »  • Toscane, Italie • Pris avec un Tamron 28-200mm. ISO 160, 1/200 sec, f/5.6, 200mm. photoED: Comment avez-vous commencé la photographie? Et qu'est-ce qui vous motive et vous inspire à continuer? Marie-Louise : peux pas dire si c'était un vrai appareil ou un jouet, mais ma curiosité pour la photographie a définitivement commencé à ce moment-là. En voyageant souvent avec mes parents à travers l'Europe, ma mère était la photographe de la famille, mais à l'adolescence, j'ai commencé à prendre le relais. J'ai suivi des cours au secondaire et j'ai rapidement découvert que je voulais m'y consacrer sérieusement. Le voyage reste une source de motivation créative pour moi. Observer les petits moments quotidiens — que ce soit une tasse de café avec une part de quelque chose de sucré et fait maison, documenter un changement de saison, ou voir quelqu'un travailler dans une cuisine ou une boutique alimentaire — je suis toujours excitée de trouver un nouvel angle à partager. Mes amis et ma famille m'ont toujours soutenue. C'est agréable d'entendre qu'ils aiment voir comment je perçois le monde et que cela les inspire à reprendre un appareil photo! photoED: Qu'aimez-vous le plus dans la création d'histoires à travers la photographie? Marie-Louise : J'aime la façon dont les photographies ont le pouvoir de créer des souvenirs d'un lieu et d'un moment, comme de petites capsules temporelles. Les images partagent la culture d'un endroit — la nourriture, les traditions, les gens, l'histoire. Au lieu d'utiliser des mots, les photographies ont suffisamment de pouvoir pour raconter une histoire plus large. Je crée des histoires dans l'espoir de transporter les spectateurs et leur faire vivre l'expérience d'être là. Je veux qu'ils sentent presque l'odeur des fruits de saison au marché hebdomadaire, entendent les bavardages des habitants, ressentent tous les sens à travers mes images. photoED:  Quels artistes vous ont influencé?   Marie-Louise : Mon style a évolué au fil des ans, trouvant son influence chez divers artistes. Le travail des peintres de la Renaissance et des maîtres hollandais comme Johannes Vermeer et Rembrandt a influencé ma série de portraits « Renaissance Children », en 2016–2017. Je suis également une grande fan de la photographe danoise   Ditte Isager , qui est une excellente raconteuse. Ses diptyques combinent la nourriture et le lieu, créant un sentiment de calme. Saul Leiter et Joseph Sudek , dont les photographies donnent de l'élégance à leurs sujets, sont d'autres de mes préférés. « Costumes italiens »  • Rome, Italie • Pris avec un Tamron 28-200mm. ISO 125, 1/200 sec, f/7.1, 78mm. photoED: Qu'est-ce qui fait une bonne photographie? Marie-Louise : La composition, la patience, un bon œil, le timing parfait pour capturer un moment, et la capacité de traduire une nouvelle perception d'un lieu. La photographie vous fait regarder le monde sous un autre angle et vous oblige à prêter attention à ce qui nous entoure. Plus important encore, une bonne photographie semble simplement être juste. photoED: Comment le travail en photographie vous a-t-il influencé personnellement? Marie-Louise : l'expérience et j'apprécie les connaissances que j'ai acquises. J'ai rencontré certaines des personnes les plus intéressantes de l'industrie. Il y a beaucoup de choses dans la vie que je ne pense pas avoir pu faire sans la croissance qui est venue de ma persévérance et de ma pratique constante de la photographie. « Coin de Cortona »  • Cortona, Italie • Pris avec un Tamron 28-200mm. ISO 200, 1/200 sec, f/4.5, 81mm. photoED:  Quel a été votre projet préféré?   Marie-Louise : Voyager à l'étranger apporte toujours des aventures intéressantes et me laisse inspirée en voulant plus. Depuis 2017, je collabore avec une amie boulangère artisanale à Sofia, en Bulgarie, lorsque je suis là-bas. Notre passion pour la nourriture et le stylisme vont de pair. Nous avons réalisé plusieurs mini-projets ensemble et continuons à essayer de nouvelles expériences par amour de la cuisine et de l'art. photoED:  Où espérez-vous que la photographie vous mène à l'avenir? Marie-Louise : Il y a tellement d'endroits où je suis excitée de photographier! J'aimerais que mon travail soit davantage publié dans des magazines internationaux de voyage et de loisirs, et je travaille lentement vers un livre de cuisine basé sur des photos de mes propres recettes. J'aimerais continuer à collaborer avec des chefs professionnels et des boulangers dans leurs cuisines, et étendre l'idée pour inclure des artisans du monde entier. Je veux documenter les histoires et les ateliers de personnes qui travaillent avec la nourriture, comme les fromagers, les vignerons, les agriculteurs et les chocolatiers, ainsi que des artisans tels que les menuisiers et les céramistes. J'ai également pour objectif d'exposer mon travail dans la cour du Musée archéologique du Musée régional d'histoire de Veliko Tarnovo, en Bulgarie. Ils ont un espace galerie et de jolis portiques où j'ai déjà vu une exposition! Je peux imaginer un spectacle très interactif. Ma mère et mon père ont grandi dans la vieille ville, donc j'ai une connexion très personnelle là-bas. « Portrait de Sienne »  • Sienne, Italie • Pris avec un Tamron 28-200mm. Le centre historique et les anciens remparts de Sienne. ISO 125, 1/320 sec, f/7.1, 75mm. photoED:  Avez-vous des conseils de voyage pour les photographes? Marie-Louise : Voyagez léger! Gardez des batteries supplémentaires à portée de main. Je n'aime pas transporter trop d'objectifs, seulement ceux qui peuvent être polyvalents pour tout, des portraits aux paysages en passant par les détails. Les objectifs sans miroir sont très légers et idéaux pour les voyages. Apportez des cartes de visite ou des cartes postales de votre travail à partager. Vous ne savez jamais qui vous pourriez rencontrer en chemin. Des clients potentiels, des amis et d'autres connexions sont toujours une possibilité! Prenez votre temps. Pour les photographes de voyage, le voyage fait partie du but! Gardez les yeux ouverts et restez curieux. « Salumi & Fromaggi tipici »  • Toscane, Italie • Pris avec un Tamron 28-200mm. ISO 200, 1/200 sec, f/5, 30mm ÉQUIPEMENT What camera and equipment do you use most now? What’s your favourite lens? Tell us about your experience using Tamron lenses. Marie-Louise : J’utilise du matériel Sony et, en ce moment, je travaille avec le Sony A7 III. Mon objectif de prédilection, jusqu’à récemment, était le Sony Zeiss 24–70mm, mais après avoir utilisé le Tamron 28–200mm F/2.8 Di III RXD, je peux franchement dire que c’est devenu mon nouveau préféré. L’ouverture rapide s’est révélée très utile lors des jours nuageux ou dans des conditions de faible luminosité. L’objectif commence à f/2.8, puis s’ajuste en fonction du zoom: f/3.5 à 50mm, f/4.5 à 100mm, etc. Je suis impressionnée par l’amplitude du zoom Tamron, en plus de son autofocus rapide et de la netteté exceptionnelle des images. Ce fut un vrai plaisir de composer des paysages magnifiques avec tous leurs détails lors de mon récent voyage en Toscane. J’ai adoré profiter de la capacité de zoom pour observer de près les ornements complexes de l’architecture séculaire. C’est un excellent objectif, qui passe facilement des micro-détails aux paysages. Marie-Louise  Moutafchieva See more of Marie-Louise Moutafchieva's work - HERE. Check out Marie-Louise Moutafchieva's fave new Tamron lens - HERE! www.tamron-americas.com

On any given spring or summer day, you will find Rocio Graham playing in the dirt. Coming from a Mexican family that grows food and flowers, including uncles who grow watermelons, beans, and other vegetables for exportation to the US and Canada, it was truly only a matter of time before Rocio went back to her roots in terms of working with the land. She feels she has always been very connected to the landscape and that it connects her to her home, and defines her identity. In 2002, a move to Canada from Mexico meant that Graham had to reacquaint herself with growing flowers and plants in a much harsher environment. She started to pay attention to the shifts of the seasons and observe the microclimates in her backyard. In 2013 after the rigorous family canning season, Graham started the painful process of mourning her garden. Late September in Calgary means the luscious greens that once graced the landscape become a tangled, brown, decaying mess. It was around this time that the idea of “canning” her flowers as a way to preserve them inspired her to think about ways to further immortalize the lifecycle of the garden. The question arose: What if, instead of fighting the cycles of nature, she could surrender to their power? That year, Graham started to freeze her flowers to preserve them so she could revisit them whenever she wanted, to be reworked and incorporated into her art along with other organic matter. Foraging within the boundaries of her home, she began to play with different combinations of compost and discarded organic materials from her home, both of food and flowers. The following year, Graham’s gardening became more sophisticated as she desired a larger variety of things to forage. New plants, seeds, and heirloom varieties were introduced. She planted flower seeds according to their textures, colours and shapes. Another mode of research put into place was the comparison of her work to famed historical artists who also used the garden as inspiration: Claude Monet, Georgia O’Keeffe, Jan De Heem, Rachel Ruysch, and other Dutch still-life masters. Aesthetically, the dramatic lighting of these still-life works seemed more appropriate to mourn the loss of the fertile garden at season’s end, but Graham soon discovered that her emotions were coming from a deeper level. Digging in the mud will unearth worms and other unexpected creatures, and in the same way, digging deeper emotionally brought to light enormous parallels between nature’s cycles and Graham’s inner garden. The inner landscape shifts and ebbs with the seasons, and as a trauma survivor, the bouts of PTSD Graham experiences are unearthed and reclaimed through gardening and art. The savage nature of still-life fits the underlying tones of her work in that the rawness of life, the flourishing and the decay, can mix together to reflect the contradictions and tensions of life and the remnants of post-traumatic stress. Feeling disconnected to her body in these moments led her to search for ways to reconnect with it, and for Graham, gardening and its labour-intensive qualities allow her to feel grounded and to access the landscape in a cathartic way. Her work is infused with metaphor and reflection and every aspect of her compositions transpires a deep intention. Her rigorous meditative art practice allows her to not only connect to the land, but ultimately, to herself. See more of Rocio's work: rociograhamstudio.com Enjoyed this free read?! Consider supporting us! We would love to continue producing great content for you to enjoy! JOIN US AS A PATRON   • SUBSCRIBE FOR PRINT DELIVERY  • GET DIGITAL ISSUUS   #womeninphotography #AlbertaPhotographer #stilllifephotography #naturephotography #lightingtechniques #fineartphotography #photoart #canadianphotography

The number of dead is irrelevant. Mass violence stems from the misguided belief that random killing and the fear felt by the innocent will rectify a perceived injustice. Motivations for these acts come from a range of beliefs: political, racial, or gender-based terrorism, or random acts of violence due to mental instability. Toronto-based photo artist Thomas Brasch commemorates resiliency by photographing locations that have been bombarded by violence for his Out of the Darkness series. He says, “I take photographs of notable architectural landmarks, found at the affected sites, to create a jewel-like abstraction as a testimony to survival from the darkness. I wanted to show that despite the abhorrent tragedy and irrecoverable loss of human life, resilience and survival can glow from the chaos of rage and terror.” Since 2015, Thomas has been developing and refining his technique. His process includes scouting and researching sites of violence and finding appropriate architecture to symbolize the city site. Each final image comes from photographing multiple angles on location with his Canon 6D DSLR camera. After editing to find the best capture and architectural detail, a single frame is manipulated in Adobe Lightroom, Capture One, and Photoshop. Multiple layers are manipulated, there is no set formula, and experimentation is key. However, it is important to keep enough of the detail so that upon close inspection, the viewer can see details such as windows and doorways. The actual time spent at the computer averages around 12 hours per piece. Nothing is ever done in one sitting. Sometimes hours of work will result in an abandoned project and other times the digital alchemy happens. The final works are printed 40 × 40 inches on high gloss aluminum sheets so that the blacks are solid and the other colours can glow in the reflected light. Thomas intends for viewers to see their reflection as part of the piece. Following two successful exhibitions of his “Vegas,” “Montréal,” and “Barcelona” triptych in Vancouver at the Capture Photography Festival 2018 and in Toronto at the Contact Photography Festival 2018, Thomas is looking forward to sharing his work in group and solo shows in private and public galleries. His long-range plans include exhibitions in the United States and in Europe. Online, Thomas provides viewers a further experience, to augment his aim of transforming the image from a reference to a historical event to a memorial present in our hearts and minds. He notes his personal connection to each location in text and in an audio soundtrack. Here, he reads the long lists of names of those who perished in the event. In this series, each “jewel-like” image represents each city he has visited. Future travel plans include trips within North and South America, including Mexico City and Lima, and ventures to the Middle East and the Eastern Hemisphere. Thomas says, “I have plans to make this a global project. I’m looking to honour the victims of incidents of mass meaningless violence at the hands of mankind.” Follow Thomas' ongoing work: thomasbrasch.com   #ThomasBrasch #photomanipulation #imagemanipulation PhotoED Magazine featured Thomas Brasch's story in print in our SOLD OUT - FALL 2018 issue, 'CANADIANS ABROAD'. You can now get this issue DIGITALLY DELIVERED HERE. Did you enjoy this FREE read? Consider supporting us! For as little as $2./ month we'd love your support to continue producing great content for you to enjoy!   • JOIN US AS A PATRON   • SUBSCRIBE FOR PRINT DELIVERY   • GET DIGITAL ISSUUS   Follow us on Instagram, Patreon , Facebook , and Instagram , and sign up for our e-newsletter to keep up with all our adventures!

An interview with NIKON Ambassador Jenny Wong My very first polar bear sighting, on my first and hardest expedition to date in the high Canadian Arctic off the coast of Nunavut camping on sea ice. • Shot with: Nikon D800 Nikkor 200.0-500.0 mm f/5.6 shot at ISO 160, 1/400s, f/ 14, 500 mm. Jenny Wong is an intrepid Canadian photographer who specializes in adventure, travel, wildlife, and commercial photography. Her personal passion lies in using her craft to spread awareness about the frontlines and last-lines of climate change in the Arctic.  We spoke to Jenny Wong about her work and her adventures as a Nikon Ambassador. A puma mother, Rupestre, in Patagonia • Shot with Nikon Z 9, NIKKOR Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S shot at ISO 2500, 1/1250s, f/6.3, 800mm photoED: Your work and life involves constant travel. How do you decide where to go next? Jenny Wong: Travel is indeed a big part of my life, most of which is assignment work with durations varying from a few days to a few weeks. While it doesn’t always work out every year, I try to take one month for a personal trip to pursue exploration for the sake of exploration, to find stories outside my current narrative, and to take photos simply for myself. I think my guide for what comes next has been this idea that I have one life with many expiration dates. There is a timeline before my knees expire and multi-day treks are no longer possible, a time when my body will be less forgiving to the chilblains and bumps of the sea ice. There’s a window when certain destinations are safer to visit or more welcoming to the Canadian passport that I hold, a pressing timeline when nature seems to be expiring before my eyes. photoED: What do you love most about sharing stories through photography? Jenny Wong: Photography is a means of communication for me. Images convey the textures and emotions that lie between lines of text. From the inception of an idea, to the creation in the field, to sharing it with the world — you grow, you change, you are impacted by the place, the creatures, and the humans you meet along the way. Through creation I experience my own story. I am shaped by it and, frankly, I love the human that I’ve become because of it. photoED:  Whose work has influenced yours?   Jenny Wong: I am inspired by photographers who have great work but who are also phenomenal people engrossed in meaningful work. In the Canadian high Arctic where I have had the pleasure of spending some time, Michelle Valberg is not just a household name because of her phenomenal images and storytelling, but also because of the various programs she has been associated with that have made measurable impacts on the lives of people I have met. Ami Vitale ’s images and stories show an emotional interface of humanity and the wild that have moved her to embark on non-profit work, raising millions to benefit stories she hopes to change. I had the pleasure of meeting these two incredible women at the Nikon Ambassadors Summit in New York and they are bigger icons to me now, than ever before. They both exist in a genre of photography that men still dominate, and they not only thrive through their work, but also actively aim to make positive impacts wherever their camera takes them. The summit of Reinebringen, Norway. • Shot with Nikon D750 Nikkor 16.0-35.0 mm f/4.0 shot at ISO 400, 1/80s, f11, 16mm. photoED: What makes a good photograph? Jenny Wong: I think a great image happens when the ideas of the mind are felt by the heart. They don’t have to always be pretty, but I think they should communicate something that makes you linger and evoke emotions and ideas. Perhaps a bit controversial, but have you asked yourself, in the endless zombie scroll of beautiful images on social media, WHY we pause on a certain image? Why do we stop to read the caption? Why do we yearn to learn more? There’s an intangible impact that certain images have on us, and it isn’t so simple to sum it up as being just pretty. Puma kittens in Patagonia. • Shot with Nikon Z 9, NIKKOR Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S shot at ISO 2500, 1/1600s, f/6.3, 800mm. photoED: How has working in photography influenced you personally? Jenny Wong: This is like the chicken and the egg riddle. At some point photography was a means for me to see the world, and at some point it pivoted to being a means for me to share the world and advocate for the things that matter to me. The experiences I have had and the people I have met along the way have shaped who I am and who I hope to be. I think, as cliche as it might sound, looking through the viewfinder as you frame the world, you end up finding yourself. photoED: What has been your favourite or most personally impactful project or adventure? Jenny Wong: My first journey through the high Canadian Arctic was one of the most extreme adventures I’ve been on. We commuted 400 km on sea ice via snowmobile from Clyde River to Pond Inlet. We travelled for 3 days before we settled into our camp at the floe edge, where we stayed for another week. During the commute we had the honour of visiting an old Inuit settlement and seeing the ancestral burial grounds, as explained by my friend Noah, whose family once resided there. He shared stories linked to some of the most remote places on the map. Every day I felt vulnerable to the sea ice. I followed step by step behind Noah; yet, still the odd time my foot broke through. The story of climate change and a warming Arctic felt very personal to me as my vulnerability hinged on the quality of ice beneath my feet. This expedition was not just the inception of my advocacy but also a reminder to decolonize the language around conservation.  Only tracks in sight. Polar bear prints approach a seal breathing hole. • Shot with Nikon Z7 Nikkor 16.0-35.0 mm f/4.0. Shot at ISO 200, 1/800s, f/14, 24mm. photoED:  Tell us about your hardest or most challenging day as a photographer. What keeps you going on a hard day?   Jenny Wong: The Arctic will always throw a wrench in your day beyond what you could ever plan for. Having buffer time is always the only solution. Once, in Arctic Bay during the spring for a tourism project sea ice shoot, I had no luggage because it was lost with the airline for five days. Between the anticipated whiteout conditions and the lost time waiting for my warm gear to arrive, the days to get what we needed seemed to be escaping. When we finally got decent weather for landscape photography, further anxiety set in because the wildlife I was looking to photograph did not appear. Polar bear tracks teased me almost daily. I am sure we all have had similar moments and the best we can do, particularly with wildlife, is to focus on the bigger picture. To stay hopeful that tomorrow will be more fruitful. It is easy for anxiety to take the driver seat as your vision narrows in on expectations for epic images; but, if you take a step back and appreciate the location you are in, you can pivot to a new horizon to stay productive. photoED:  Where do you hope photography will take you in the future? Jenny Wong: In a world of sensationalist headlines, I always aim to share stories of success that serve as inspiration for positive coexistence solutions.  My focus is sharing the stories behind heroic local efforts to coexist with nature to gain the further support needed to continue and amplify conservation work. A lodge at Lagos Pehoe, in Torres Del Paine National Park, Chile. • Shot with Nikon Z 9, NIKKOR Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S, ND32. photoED:  What advice do you have for photographers just getting started? Jenny Wong: Understand who you want to be as a photographer. Every image you share delivers a piece of you tucked into it. Regardless of the genre you shoot and the constraints you may face, there’s a mark of who you are in the images. From a business perspective this becomes your brand. At the end of the day, people can copy your style and techniques, but who you are is something that is unique to you. When you can put that down on paper, internalize the idea, it becomes a guide to how you shoot, who your clients are, where your images end up, and how you approach the industry. Expand your skill set, but never lose sight of who you are as a photographer. Qarlinngua , which translates to “like pants” is a sea stack in the high Canadian Arctic, Nunavut. • Shot with Nikon Z7 Nikkor 16.0-35.0 mm f/4.0 shot at ISO 320, 1/640s, f5.6,16mm. photoED:  We simply have to ask …  what are your top travel tips or hacks for travelling with photography equipment?   Jenny Wong: My kit varies with each assignment, and I am all about the Goldilocks kit: not too excessive, not too little, but just enough for my photographic goals. A rule of thumb is that all the lenses and camera bodies (the breakables) need to fit into the capacity I have for carry-on luggage and I need to be able to manage it myself and lift it into the overhead bin, without help. If I can’t manage my gear in an airport setting, it’s unlikely I’ll have success when I land in the field. A good backpack, cube system, straps, and camera clips can make a world of difference when you push your physical limits outdoors. Accessibility to your gear and your workflow has to be dialled in. It is easy to pack everything and the kitchen sink, but sometimes that cogs up your workflow. No one wants to be fumbling gear around when inspiration hits.  The view from inside the Iglutuk pulled by snowmobile with expert navigation from our Inuk guide Don Taqtu. • Shot with Nikon Z7 Nikkor 24.0-70.0 mm f/2.8, ISO 200, 1/4000s, f5.6, 32mm. GEAR UP What camera and equipment do you most use now? What’s your favourite lens? Tell us about your experience using NIKON products. Jenny Wong: My two main camera bodies are the Nikon Z9 and Z8. As a storyteller and generalist, picking a favourite lens is like picking a favourite child, I think they all have their strengths and a time and place for them to shine.  Nikon lenses, particularly for wildlife such as the 400mm f2.8 and the 600mm f4 both with built-in TC (Teleconverter) are amazing, but I started my career on the more accessible 200-500mm, so  there’s always a place in my heart and in my kit for that. My first DSLR was the Nikon D90. At the time it was a camera that I could grow into, with a fleet of lenses that ranged from the economically feasible to legendary dreams. Fast forward to today and that still rings true. These Nikon lenses will get the job done, whatever niche you are in. For long glass, I shoot with the new  Z series 100-400mm, 180-600mm, and the 800mm PF lens. Accessibility is something that is important to me from a community perspective. I wouldn’t be where I am if I couldn’t afford to take my first steps.  Nikon has designed lenses by listening to the voices in the field. Examples of this are the built-in TC on the premium telephoto primes for wildlife photographers and the (relatively) lightweight and compact PF (Phase Fresnel) long glass. PF lenses bend light using diffraction, and allow the optical system to be more compact and lighter in weight. Both of these attributes are game changing for wildlife photographers. Aside from the dreamy long glass, I never leave home without my Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8. Jenny Wong See more of Jenny Wong's work - HERE.

TOP PHOTOGRAPHER WINNER: Daniel Calicchio  • Portugal Billed as the world’s greatest photo game, GuruShots is an international competition platform for photographers . Players get feedback from more than three billion monthly voters and try to work their way up through rankings, from Newbie to the ultimate status (and bragging rights) of Guru. GuruShots’ challenges are voted on by the platform’s Gurus and the wider community, with a fresh challenge every day. Winners can receive prizes from GuruShots’ sponsors such as Adorama, Kodak, Lowepro, and Lensbaby. The Pure Minimalism Challenge showcases beauty in simplicity through images from around the world. TOP PHOTO WINNER: Mg Dgaf • Austria GURU’S TOP PICK WINNER: Dani Major • USA Cachedigga • Germany Olga Zeltser • USA Will • USA Americo Sequeira  • Portugal Lukasz Szubartowicz • Poland Stoica Emilian • Germany David Feldt • Sweden Roy Egloff • Switzerland Bradley Benskin • Barbados Mario Congreve • USA Daiva Ališauskienė  • Lithuania Suave • USA Greg Baccei • USA Bryony Herrod-Taylor • UK Anika Krstic • Serbia Simona L. Neumann • Romania Ryszard Tutko • Poland To find out more, and take part in the next challenge, visit www.gurushots.com Also, check out GuruShots’ newest app AI Art Master.