The festival of Eid (or Eid al Fitr) is a joyous occasion in Muslim cultures. It marks the end of a month of fasting and introspection during the period of Ramadan, which is a time of reflecting on the blessings one has and to give to charity. In fact, some Christians may see some parallels between Lent and Ramadan, and Eid and Easter.
Here in Winnipeg, Eid is perhaps most notably marked by a large gathering at the downtown Convention Centre and I was fortunate enough to observe this year’s event at the beginning of June.
Held in a spectacular upstairs room fronted by a floor-to-ceiling window, the cavernous space was bathed in light, and the relatively-small figures of the faithful traced long dark shadows as they walked through the early morning sunlight.
It was hard not to see and feel some spiritual metaphors in a diverse group of people coming together in a brilliant, open space. I was free to discreetly walk about, trying to record the feeling and essence of this upbeat gathering. It was a wonderful time to be a photographer.
My thanks to the Manitoba Islamic Association for their help and of course friends Nilufer Rahman and Dr. Rehman Absulrehman!
Duo526
I recently had the pleasure of hearing from the classical music partners who make up Duo526. These passionate, talented artists and educators tour internationally, and have a new album coming out in 2019.
Kerry DuWors and Futaba Niekawa asked if I could help them with some new artist portraits for use with the album, publicity and social media. It was an immediate “yes” from me!
Working over a few hours in the wonderful Aspire Studios in Winnipeg’s Exchange District, we truly collaborated and together crafted images that these two can use to help put forward an image that reflects who they really are: talented, down-to-earth and confident musicians.
Please look up their website, and order their upcoming album! Bonus points if you can find out how the group “Duo526” got its name!
Canadian Red Cross
The Canadian Red Cross saves lives here at home and across the world - whether it’s here in Canada or in Indonesia (where your help is needed after the latest tsunami), or Yemen (the world’s largest single humanitarian crisis) and elsewhere, the sign of the Red Cross tells people help has arrived.
Last summer, the Red Cross helped evacuate hundreds from Little Grand Rapids and Pauingassi First Nations in northern Manitoba after wildfires burned close to those communities. It was a pleasure to photograph their work, and meeting the people helped from a tough situation. One of those photographs was chosen as one of the top ten images from the past year.
Please check out their website and see if you can help out with an aid project, or volunteer for their work here at home.
2018 Re-View
Going forward, looking back on 2018
Read MoreUpdates coming soon!
Check back for new blog posts - coming soon!