Photography

This is a series documenting where my father was born, grew up and spent some of his early adulthood: Rural Saskatchewan. I took this trip with my father, mother and my oldest brother in the summer of 2008. We've never spent time together in this way before, it was amazing to watch my father's eyes when he would look at his old farm land where he grew up with his brothers and sisters; his old Sunday School building; the local bar where he used to go pick up his father, and his mother's grave... tears of pain and tears of joy. It was an emotional trip that means a lot to me. Having grown up without a lot of family around, I finally feel as though I have a connection with my roots.

My trip to Haiti in June 2006 will remain as one of the best experiences of my life. I was there to photograph for my portfolio. I wanted to be proud of my portfolio; to me it wasn't just a school assignment to get a passing mark on in order to graduate. I wanted to prove to myself that I could create something that I was truly proud of. These images will always be meaningful to me because I remember the exact second that I pressed the shutter. I wish I could experience that feeling with every single photograph I take; looking through the viewfinder and knowing in that instant, that you've captured something important. I am very proud of these images and the experiences and people that made them possible. I thank my family in Haiti for welcoming me and creating this opportunity and my husband for accompanying me, supporting me, and sometimes acting as interpreter. I would not have been able to do this without him.