As I was photographing an extended family group a few weeks back, I noticed this little girl walking with her freshly picked flower behing her back. It looked so cute the way she was hiding her newfound gem in her hands, and I wanted to take a picture before she noticed what I was doing. I followed behind her a few paces, trying to shoot as she and I were both walking. Some were nice and sharp, and some images of course were out of focus a bit. I almost deleted them as I was going through the files, but his one just stopped me in my tracks. It was enough out of focus that a mom wasn’t going to want it the way it was, but it was clear enough that I could see that with a bit of creativity, it was going to be a very telling image. I’m so glad I didn’t hit the delete button!
I think the reason I didn’t delete it is because I had been at the Mendel Art Gallery in Saskatoon on the weekend and had viewed a collection by Courtney Milne, a Canadian nature photographer. He had a collection of 40 images, all shot in the reflection in his pool in his back yard. He shot at all different times of the day, and in all four seasons. Because they were reflections, they were all more ethereal than realistic, and I felt so inspired to create. I do have a job where creativity is vital and most times, encouraged, but to really produce art takes time. I see my photography style as artistic, but I don’t always feel like it’s “art”. That’s a whole discussion in itself, but none the less, I wanted to try and bring this image below alive by taking it to another level. I really love how it turned out, and though it’s not neccessarily one that a mom is going to buy for herself, it’s what makes me smile. 
Below is a slideshow of the exhibit at the Mendel Art Gallery in Saskatoon, by photographer Courtney Milne. For some reason, I can’t get the video preview to show up on the blog, but click on his name below and it will take you to the Vimeo.
Courtney Milne
