Life through my lens

Photos from Turkey

2011-12-29T17:20:00.001+01:00

Messages for You Part One

2011-07-11T15:47:00.001+01:00

Some favourite shots from the Girls at Risk School

2011-03-18T09:19:00.001+01:00

As my time gets filled, I am slow to load new photos here! So here are some from the past few months of our work at the Girls at Risk School in Niger, Africa.

60 girls means 60 beautiful faces, 60 second chances and 60 reasons to show up for work and be passionate about it all. I love them!

September at a glance

2010-09-22T23:23:00.001+01:00

Triplets

2010-05-23T11:56:00.001+01:00

Bennett and Arielle have birthdays!

2010-04-12T07:48:00.001+01:00

Every year around their birthday I like to do a little photo shoot of Bennett and Arielle. They are both March birthdays.

Here are a few of my favourite pics from this year!

And a recent one of me!

Photos from visits

2010-04-12T07:06:00.001+01:00

We had visitors over the past few weeks and I thought I would post a few of my favourite photos from March

Welcoming Harriet

2010-03-17T11:08:00.001+01:00

While I am working to re-design this blog (I hate html!) I thought I would give you something to look at!

We have a new addition to our family – this is Harriet the turtle! She is an African Spurred thigh Sulcata tortoise. She fits nicely in the palm of our hand now, but she will live many years and will grow to be 2-3 feet across!

She loves lettuce and hanging out in the plants and the sun next to our house during the day.

She weighs just 300 grams so far!

Writing an email home to her family to let them know she arrived safely

One of her new best friends!

Changes

2010-03-14T21:33:00.000+01:00

In the midst of changing my blog layout. Bear with me!

Bonnie and Clem

2009-09-26T23:39:00.001+01:00

Here are a bunch of pictures I took of my parents this summer. Editing them and looking at them makes me miss them even more!

They will probably want to strangle me for posting this shot, but it was so much fun and we laughed so hard! Suck it in or show it off is the theme folks!

I love my parents and miss them dearly. Bennett says he wants to come back to Canada and stay at your house FOREVER!

Amy

2009-09-03T16:44:00.001+01:00

The youngest of my siblings, (Paul’s sister) is Amy. She is an amazing seamstress who makes theatrical costumes come alive with her talent. Here are a couple of her. Miss you Amy!

Bryan and Lisa

2009-09-02T21:38:00.001+01:00

With such a big family we have no shortages of opportunities for photo ops! I took Bryan and Lisa’s photos while we were out in Canmore. Don’t they look great!!

Mark, Teresa and Jael

2009-08-29T22:02:00.001+01:00

While home in Canada I had the awesome opportunity to spend some time with my best friend, her husband and new baby girl Jael. Teresa and Mark normally live in China and we don’t get to see each other often, so this was a special blessing to be able to call and chat on the phone, meet up for a BBQ, hang out in the afternoon, go for walks and just be together!

Leanne & Colin plus a bun in the oven!

2009-08-28T22:40:00.001+01:00

I am going to be an Auntie again soon! I did a whole bunch of pictures with Leanne and Colin while we were home this summer. Their baby is due the middle of September and sadly we won’t see him/her for quite a while. At least we could be a part of this though! Here are some of my favorites !

Doesn’t she look like a summer goddess in this one. Wow I love it :)

Thanks for letting me take your pictures guys. Can’t wait to hear the good news!!

Love

Chantelle

Evolution of a Photographer

2009-08-28T15:24:00.001+01:00

Literacy hut class project launch

2009-06-23T18:36:00.001+01:00

For many months we have been working to help a local Tuareg group launch its vision of a hut class. This group consists of a lot of our workers and their families and other Tuaregs living in the community around us. Our input thus far has been to fund the building of the straw and grass hut for the classes, install solar panels for 4 lights, build a latrine on site and supply learning/education materials. We are also working alongside them to design teaching content and support them in whatever way possible. The teachers are all volunteers from the community who got educated and want to give back now, and their board is all working together to learn how to manage the project, be accountable for and keep track of project funds, and to plan what they can do for their community.

This is their "governing board".

The purpose of this project was to benefit the men, women and children, all with different classes, to reach a higher level of literacy and education. Here is a picture of Paul at the grand opening handing out notebooks, pencils, pens and other school supplies to be distributed. Tim and Paul also gave a great little speech about how thrilled we are to partner with them. Paul drove home the idea that they don't have to live in ignorance and give up having an education. Their children CAN be doctors, lawyers, shop owners, ministers or whatever else their hearts desire, and we are here to help them make their education count. Even as adults there are many things they can learn to improve their lives.

This is Sidimou and Kutana explaining to the group of men what the classes are about. The men's class is twice a week and will focus on speaking, reading and writing (based on the french system which is what they need for government and jobs here). They will learn how to count money, make transactions, talk to their bosses with common french phrases and how to write their names. We will also teach on subjects such as building latrines, handwashing, and how to build,repair or make things (Paul's input will be awesome!)

This is a large part of the group of children that will be receiving free classes twice a week at the hut class. The purpose is to give them a place to bring their homework from school and meet with teachers to go over the concepts they didn't understand, be re-taught things and practice the things they did learn. The public school system is notoriously bad for going on strike for months and it is always the kids who suffer. By working with the kids several times a week we hope to enhance their education and success at school. Our staff members get their children's schooling paid for as part of their benefits for working with us, so this is one other way to make sure that investment is making it's maximum impact.

Who wants to learn? ME ME!!

Teachers and students. I can't wait to get in there and have fun teaching these kids and doing homework with them!

The women's class is also held for 2 hours twice a week on Fridays and Sundays. Starting in September, Chantelle will be co-teaching the Friday afternoon class with Miriama. As their own initiative, these 18 women who are registered so far have already started to donate 50 CFA (about 13 cents Canadian) every week into a communal pot. This fund will slowly grow and they are thinking together how to make their money work for them and how they can use it to help each other. We are listening carefully to their ideas!

Topics for the women will include how to count, how to write numbers and how to write their names. Almost all of these women are completely illiterate. We will also focus on health topics such as handwashing, breastfeeding, nutrition, family planning, ways to avoid their children getting sick, overall hygiene, etc. The list is long! I can't wait to get started in September to meet weekly with these ladies, speak Tamasheq and hopefully have a positive impact as they learn and improve their lives.

The opening party day itself was a lot of fun. Tim and Kristi came from our team along with our family. We got there at 10:00 am and went into the hut for some of the opening speeches. Once that was done they felt they had to feed the white people. The "real lunch" was still about 2 hours away...but maybe we looked frail? This is quite a common custom at gatherings we have been to. They pull us aside and practically force feed us to show us hospitality!

And when they are honoring you and even went out and bought more meat, how do you politely decline intestine and stomach all mixed in with meat chunks and sauce? For me the rule is I eat very slowly, mostly eating bread or pasta and try to be polite while avoiding too much meat, only having a few pieces of it. I know...some people delve right in and I admire them...but I am not quite up to that yet! Arielle on the other hand...she goes to town on it!

After our "pre-meal" we spent a few hours talking with the women, playing with the kids and animals, and then the real meal was ready! They had slaughtered a sheep and had a huge sack of rice and one of macaroni elbows prepared to feed the 50 or so people who were there

The cooking team with their two HUGE cooking pots on the open fire. It takes about 4-5 hours for these to cook before the meal is ready.

Platters of food being doled out and then the sauce and meat is added by the ladle-full over top.

And of course what day would be complete without the kids having a blast too! They love eating with their hands, playing with the kids and of course animals too.

Arielle holding baby Soufian (the baby of our main day guard)

I know it looks like Bennett is throttling the baby goat here, but please believe me when I tell you he was just trying to get it to look at the camera!

And that is it for the day! We are so excited that the hut is built and the classes have begun. I am sure there will be many more stories over time about how this class is a part of our lives and work here in Niger!

This will likely be our last blog from Niger before we head to Canada for a 7 week stop, so see you on the other side!!

Paul's shop

2009-06-14T19:00:00.001+01:00

I did a series of photos in May looking at Paul's "happy place" where he goes to work, teach and relax. These are some of those shots.

From the ground

2009-06-08T21:26:00.001+01:00

My sister in law Michelle and I both really love photography, so we are challenging ourselves to learn and grow with weekly contests! Also a great way to stay in touch and connected across the world! It also really shows the difference between the two worlds we live in. So I will post a few of our favorites here each week.

This weeks theme: From the ground

Chantelle's perspectives:

Michelle's perspectives:

Giraffes

2008-12-23T14:50:00.004+01:00

Here in Niger I am lucky enough to live only 45 minutes from one of the last "in the wild" giraffe sanctuaries. Our last trip was amazing as we saw around 40 giraffes in different family groups, including baby giraffe twins! We walked quietly among these peaceful animals. Enjoy.

December 2008 - Niger

Bryan's visit to Niger

2008-11-24T21:46:00.003+01:00

Time

2008-10-22T08:51:00.001+01:00

All you need is love

2008-10-21T23:11:00.002+01:00

Held

2008-10-21T14:37:00.003+01:00

My boys in High Definition

2008-09-27T14:49:00.006+01:00

A high definition picture. Uses 9 photos in an array of exposure to capture each wrinkle, shadow and variation. Check out the character shown in Paul's face and all the definition in the straw behind them!

background

2008-09-15T11:59:00.000+01:00

Web board titles

2008-09-15T10:45:00.000+01:00

Just loading these so they can be on my top slideshow!

Play and the Sand

2008-08-29T00:42:00.000+01:00

2008-05-24T05:19:00.004+01:00

This is a websized version of a panorama from Wyoming. It consists of 14 different photos.

Red Rocks Amphitheatre, South of Denver Colorado. (4 seperate photos stitched so you can see they whole perspective)

Believe it or not, Bennett is saying "CHEESE" with this face

I love the look on Arielle's face in this one as bennett gives her a kiss.

Bennett half way down the stairs at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre

A lone tree outside Denver. It stuck out to me and so many verses went through my head. I took 6 shots and stitched them and now have this picture on canvas for my wall in Africa.

Callianna

2008-04-20T04:55:00.007+01:00

Good friends of mine had a new baby girl on March 27th and I was honored to be able to take a pregnancy photo shoot of J and then the photo shoot for Callianna when she was born. Here is just a few of the several hundred photos I took!

Sanka meeting his new baby sister for the first time. True love.

My favorite street in Old Quebec City

2008-03-17T23:51:00.004+01:00

2 different feels for the same street. Can you believe I caught it with no one on it. My luck! (Plus it was cold that day!) This one is getting blown up for my walls.

Lab color change as an overlay for effect.

A favorite Chateau in the Loire Valley

2008-03-09T23:58:00.003+01:00

Family

2008-01-30T03:10:00.000+01:00

This Christmas season I spent lots of time with family. I managed to capture most of them on film and spent time creating the look I wanted for a collage of their faces. Here are a few I took to give you the general idea. Thank you to all of them for humoring me :) All of them are beautiful shots and you can see the rest on facebook if you are interested!

A Father's shoulders

2007-11-14T02:50:00.000+01:00

A couple more

2007-10-29T19:48:00.001+01:00

From Quebec

2007-10-28T04:56:00.000+01:00

I posted some more on my main site, but a few of these I am really happy with, so i thought i would post them here for posterity :)

All are from Quebec and I took them in the last couple of months. (Just a reminder, you can click on the photos to see them full screen)

Jen's favorite barn

2007-09-27T19:26:00.000+01:00

My friend loved this old barn near where she grew up and always wanted a picture of it. I took a whole bunch for her, and here is my favorite.

Taken with my Canon XT Rebel. 18-55 lens. Moderate post production work for lighting.

Wine and Ambiance

2007-09-27T19:17:00.000+01:00

I went to Niagara on the Lake with a good friend of mine a few weeks ago. She used to work for a vineyard in their boutique shop in town.
Taken with my Canon A640 with full parametres on (manual lighting and color choices, stabilzation for low light shooting, depth of field). No post production work done!

Bennett the Star

2007-09-27T03:24:00.000+01:00

These were taken in a set of series as a surprise for Paul at my good friend Mike's studio. I love these shots. He looks so laid back and "chill-axin" in the chair :)

The old truck

2007-09-27T03:17:00.000+01:00

This old truck is parked in a field outside of Airdrie. There was also an old falling down barn near by.

Taken with my Canon XT Rebel 15-80

Quartier Six

2007-09-27T02:48:00.001+01:00

I took this photo in 1998 when I lived in Djibouti, Africa. I took it on my old canon film camera, a tiny little thing that took great pictures. I scanned this one in.
I volunteer taught in this neighborhood for 6 months.

Quebec in the twilight

2007-09-20T18:40:00.000+01:00

Twilight here is beautiful, but very difficult to get a good photo of because of the vastly differing light readings in the sky and on the buildings. So taking a base and bringing out what it really looked like to the eye is tough, but do-able!

Before

After

The Long Road

2007-09-14T02:44:00.000+01:00

Two different looks at a long road into the desert. Taken in Sept 2006 in the desert a few hours out of Niamey.

A socail commentary

2007-09-14T02:28:00.000+01:00

I took three pictures and melded them together to form a statement. No, I'm not a huge anti-americanist at all. No I don't think Canada always gets it right either.

Just a neat photo that expresses my opinion on some of their decisions as a country at that time. Don't send me hate mail.

Background wall and flag shot are from San Francisco. Chains come from a mountain top in China (compliments of Teresa!)

An Old Photo Revisited

2007-09-14T02:23:00.003+01:00

This is my great Aunt Joan Krueger at the Camrose store as a little girl.

This old film photo is over 50 years old. Its original condition was faded, scratched and creased. It was scanned at a high resolution and I worked on it with with Photoshop 7 to eliminate (at least reduce) the dust and scratches and restore some of the glory of the photo! Not necessarily huge differences, but the quality is much crisper now and no distracting scratches. Not bad for some first attempts at photo restoration!

The BEFORE

The AFTER

Little Cowboy

2007-09-13T18:53:00.001+01:00

This has got to be one of my all-time favorite shots. I took it at Fort Steele in British Columbia and had the perfect timing to catch his wink.

Taken with a Pentax MZ7 film camera.

My Grandpa

2007-09-11T16:23:00.000+01:00

I found this old shot of my Grandfather Elvin who passed away several years ago. I scanned it in and did restoration with Photoshop for cracks and dustspots. Then desaturated the background and created the embossed oval to highlight the center.

Love you Grandpa.

Benches

2007-09-11T16:19:00.003+01:00

At the Aquarium of Quebec. Arielle enjoying running around the terrasse.

Taken in b/w at scene with fast shutterspeed for overlit conditions. Post contrast adjustment.

The world is my park

2007-09-11T16:17:00.000+01:00

We were geocaching at a park in Levis, Quebec. The best toys were dirt and sticks.

Taken with Canon 18-55 lens. Post Desaturation, contrast and film grain for effect.

My best friend gets married

2007-08-28T01:25:00.000+01:00

My very dear best friend got married. Woohoo :) I couldnt be her photographer since I couldnt be two places at once and was busy being the Maid of Honor, but I did manage to sneak in a few pics.

Taken with a Canon 18-55 lens. B/W post production and lighting adjustments.

She's a McIver

2007-07-13T19:00:00.000+01:00

I took this on the day we found out the adoption was finalized.

Taken with a Canon Rebel XT and 18-55 lens. Post Desaturation and curves lighting adjustments.

Bikes in France

2006-10-15T23:45:00.000+01:00

We stayed at a fantastic old house outside of the Loire Valley in France, and they had these great old bikes you could ride around.

Taken with a Canon 15-85mm lens, Black and white with post gaussian blue and contrast.