“What if we started a photo series?” Paul asked.
We were having breakfast after a night away, just the two of us, while we were visiting Bermuda with our daughter and my mom. It was the winter of 2017 and Paul had just spent six weeks in Antarctica at a photography symposium, mostly off-grid and beyond any communications. We actually met up in Ottawa prior to flying to Bermuda, which required me to travel cross-country with a drone in my suitcase (his request), as well as Paul’s summer clothing. Once he was in Ottawa, Paul mailed his Antarctica gear back to Banff via Canada Post. Complicated, right?
This was a snapshot of our lives in some of the more intense times of travel. These seasons away from each other—especially when Paul’s photography took him away for weeks at a time—made us realize we needed to be intentional about carving time out together, just the two of us.
“That would be really special,” I said. “It would be cool to do something that can translate to many locations, wherever we go together.”
“You just need to find the right dress,” Paul said. “Something that will stand out in the landscape.”
Fast-forward four years and another child added to the family. I can’t remember why but our conversation about creating a photo series got reignited in November of 2019. I asked him which colour. “Red,” he said. “Bright red. It will contrast well with natural features.” I started to do some research and found the perfect dress: a long, bright-red bridesmaid’s dress with a floor-length chiffon skirt.
I ordered it, but it didn’t arrive before we left for Ireland and Malta. Then, the pandemic hit. By the summer of 2020, the dress had been hanging in my closet for half a year.
I didn’t even know if it would fit me when Paul suggested I bring it along on a hike to a forgotten waterfall on the old Icefields Parkway here in Banff National Park.
It fit. And we nailed the shot.
Thus began the “red dress series”* which has taken us all over Banff National Park in the past year, from waterfalls to turquoise alpine lakes to landscapes blanketed in snow. We’ve now photographed in 11 unique locations as part of ‘dates’ we take into the great outdoors. I’ve stood on ice, a paddleboard, slippery rocks and in glacier-fed lakes. The dress has not yet travelled with me abroad, but I have every intention of taking it wherever we go.
I don’t hike in the dress, of course. It requires a quick change from my hiking clothes, sometimes with mud underfoot or a cold wind whipping at my bare arms while I slither into the chiffon. But when I get into it and get into position, I feel like I’ve tapped into a different part of myself. I cycle through poses while Paul calls to me from 20, 50, 100 metres away — “Look that way!” “Now, that way!” “Now, rotate with the dress and keep going!”
Then he’ll say, “I think we’ve got it!”
And often we don’t know until we get home if we’ve truly captured something to meets both our standards. So far, there has been only one photoshoot that didn’t result in a winner.
For me, the red dress series has been a chance to collaborate with my husband. But it has also been a chance to collaborate with myself. I’m no stranger to being in images—I’ve been modelling for Paul as long as he’s been taking photos. But this is different. It feels vulnerable. It feels empowering. I’ve had to crack out of my shell to create them. I’ve learned to trust Paul and his creative genius and just go with the flow.
That is the power of this series. The results are beautiful, but the process is in itself something to cherish.
Find a few more from the series here.
*An important note on what is a sensitive matter I care about deeply: I stand by Indigenous Peoples in their fight for justice for MMIWG (Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls). This series is an artistic project that is not related to, nor a deliberate effort to align with, the MMIWG in which red has been chosen as a symbolic colour in efforts to raise awareness of this human rights crisis. To honour MMIWG, red dresses are often hung in outdoor environments or as indoor installations, or they are worn by activists at gatherings and on Red Dress Day (May 5). I highly encourage my readers to learn more about MMIWG and to donate to organizations that are working to support victims and their families.
What’s caught my attention lately… ✨
Did you notice something different about Olympics coverage so far this year? I noticed more women’s events being featured and broadcast. What’s more, according to this article on CBC, “…the head of broadcasting at Tokyo 2020 is trying to banish overly sexualized images of female athletes.” Read more about it in Olympic Broadcasting Services says it's working to curb overly sexualized images of female athletes. It’s a step in the right direction.
Check these out too… 🙌
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The Wonders That I Find - My children’s book is now available! 🌿
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