June 25, 2013

I had the opportunity to have my first gallery event on June 22, 2013.  It felt strange to me that I was not the one taking the pictures. I seldom go to events where I am not the photographer. I worried about a myriad of things; is there enough light, is the photographer capturing all the special moments, my family, my mum (who flew in from London for the event) my friends? Over one hundred people showed up and needless to say the evening got so busy that after the first 10 minutes I don't remember seeing the photographer and can't remember him leaving. 

Putting together a photography exhibition required much more planning, knowledge, and money than I ever imagined!  Given only six weeks to prepare (which is an incredibly short amount of time) I felt that I was in a "now or never" situation. So I jumped in with two feet pulling my oh-so talented family members with me.  My fantastic sponsors  (Ms. Cresta Mentor, Philip Howard Residents Association, 7-11, Dawn's Catering, Murray's Framing and Angela's Cookies) they provided me with resources for a memorable evening.  

I didn't have time to shoot a body of work and needed 42 pictures for the space.  I  decided on a portrait collection.  I felt the pictures had mass appeal, highlighted several styles and could be weaved together easily to tell a story.  Thus "Life in Squares" was born.  "Life in Squares"  are portraits that chronicle snapshots of the lives of people from a diverse range of backgrounds. All portraits are accompanied by text that tell a story not only individually but collectively.  The last picture in the collection is captioned with "Life is a Dream live yours to the fullest!"  "Life in Squares" is all about stepping out of our comfort zones and doing something a little different.   I stepped out.  The things I have learned and the people I have met has been amazing.  June 22nd was a dream for me.  Step out and see what you discover.

*Thank you to my amazing family for your love and support. And a BIG thank you to Syndor Cinema and Duality Productions for capturing the event.