I have always been considered a water-baby and I had a dream of being an Olympic swimmer when I was younger and a National Geographic photographer. I would spend hours in a pool or lake until my skin was shriveled and pruned, shivering from the cold, but never wanting to get out. Water made me feel incredible! I could float, fly, I could explore, and most importantly, I could shut out the noise. It was just me, body and mind, working in unison. No distractions and only infinity around me. Through my work I’ve seen people of all ages and ethnicities join together to protect water. One of the most courageous people I’ve met is Josephine Mandamin, an Anishinaabe grandmother who has walked over 10,900 miles around each of the Great Lakes. She is known as the “Water Walker.” She has walked this distance to raise awareness of the importance of our waterways. She began walking alone and has now created a wave of activism around the world. Travelling and meeting people like Grandmother Josephine has shaped the direction of my work. I started photographing in swimming pools in Toronto, but as I began to travel my passion for water conservation grew. I have shot people in many different environments, from Indigenous women on the Great Lakes in Ontario to the Palau archipelago of islands in Micronesia. I have developed a unique skill set, from equipment knowledge and shooting in unpredictable environments, to scuba diving, freediving and sailing. I’ve collaborated with organizations like The Seabin Project that has created bins to extract oils and plastics from our oceans and The Great Lakes 2016 Expedition—a group of women testing for microplastics in our lakes. Most recently, I sailed in the Caribbean aboard Diatomée, a collective residency raising awareness of ocean conservation through art and science. I used my photography to promote all these amazing organizations.
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