shootstories

View toward Parliament Hill

Did you know that Canada is falling behind in representation of women in politics?  We fare 49th in a list of international nations, comparing number of women in national parliament.   In fact, Canada has less women in parliment than most European and many other countries in the world.  Despite a population comprised of 52% women, only about 20% of MPs are female.  This has remained relatively static since the early 80′s.  For a nation as prosperous as Canada, with economic & political stability, this is surprising for the 21st century.

Equal Voice is a national organization whose mission is to elect more women to politics at all levels of government in Canada.  A dear friend of mine, and past Chair of Equal Voice,  works actively putting in many hours to advance the mission of this non-partisan organization.  Through the connection, I had the privilege to shoot an Equal Voice function celebrating young women in politics.  What a remarkable group of young ladies (and men too), working to make a real difference in changing the face of Canadian politics.  The shoot was on location, at Mambo’s rooftop in Ottawa’s Byward Market.

perfect night for a 'midsummer night's dream'

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Another assignment from the David Trattles workshop was to photograph the Byward Market in a way we haven’t before.  It took me awhile to get inspired.  I’ve taken plenty of photos of produce and market stalls so that wasn’t going to cut it.  It was a busy afternoon so I kept wandering past the hustle and bustle, crossed Dalhousie and headed further down George Street.  I ended up by the Salvation Army, otherwise affectionately known as “Sally Anne” in Canada (” Sally Army” in the UK).  In Canada, the Salvation Army is the largest non-governmental provider of social services.  It offers a suite of programs including shelter beds for homeless as well as addiction services.  Being a warm day there were lots of gentlemen outside the George Street location.   I approached a few, started chatting and eventually asked for permission to take some photos explaining my assignment and new blog adventure.  They were more than happy to oblige.

I ended up with some pretty meaningful photos but more importantly a good reminder.  The men I spoke to were more then happy to have someone take an interest in them and even just acknowledge their existence.   The conversations also reinforced the point David was making, everyone has a story to tell.   The thing that amazed me, even with being down and out, the spark you can see in some of their eyes.

It was a good pause.  Next time, rather than just rushing by in oblivion and getting on with my day, I’ll stop again.