Transitions, Transformations and a Little Photography
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Judgment
My knee jerk response is no - I’m a pretty accepting and open person who really frowns on being judgy, but if I’m being perfectly honest with myself - I do it in subtle ways that can sometimes fool me into thinking that I don’t.
I came to this realization recently on our Zambian safari trip. It’s always interesting to observe the interactions and dynamics when strangers put together by circumstances (chosen vacation location) first meet and start up conversations. There is the initial pleasantries and then the inevitable where are you from, what do you do for a living, do you have children (I always feel judged when I answer no), have you been on safari before and what are you hoping to see?
Grounded or Floating
I think that we all have a go to or more natural state - at least I know that I do. When I was in university I learned about entropy (thermodynamics was not my favourite subject, but this I do remember) - without exerting external force, systems tend to move towards states of higher disorder. Think of most teenagers’ rooms - those clothes and books and junk don’t miraculously put themselves away.
I think that it is similar for my current preference of resting state - in the absence of me exerting effort to maintain an organized and orderly schedule, I tend to feel like everything gets wildly out of control. In fact I like to think of myself as a homebody - one who enjoys a routine and familiar surroundings and people.
Scarcity Mindset
The strict definition of scarcity is when demand for something outstrips supply or the basic premise that there is a finite amount of human and non human resources, so at some point there will be a shortage. This term has come to be associated increasingly with our mental condition and is often referred to as the scarcity mindset which is a belief that resources we rely on to live and survive (e.g., money, time, love or opportunities) are limited and less than is required to satisfy our needs. This results in a focus on what is lacking - much like the gap in the term the gap versus the gain which I wrote about in this post- the focus is on what I don’t have (whether it is real or significant) rather than what I do have. I like to think of this as the opposite of the gratitude mindset which is when I am grateful for the abundance of the wonderful things in my life rather than focusing on what is missing.
Rituals - Why They Can be so Important
A ritual is defined as a structured or repeated sequence of acts with a formal component to them. They can be seen as transitions or rites of passage such as weddings, funerals or graduations. Participating in rituals can be very grounding or help reduce anxiety, or even shift internal focus or perceptions. They can also form an important component of social bonding as people who share rituals have a common point of reference.
We often create personal or informal rituals such as morning coffee to start our workdays, or clearing email inboxes, or brushing teeth and relaxing in preparation for bedtime.
Exploring the Lower Zambezi
After spending 5 wonderful nights in South Luangwa exploring the area on game drives and through a walking safari we moved on to the second location of our safari adventure - the Lower Zambezi. This is a much different area as the water levels are controlled by a dam whereas the Luangwa River remains a naturally regulating water course resulting in significant water level changes throughout the year.
The safari adventure transition started with a drive to the Mfuwe Airport with a stop at a few local shops looking for the green tomato chutney we had become addicted to at Mwamba.
Finding Creative Inspiration
Well there’s a loaded question! Do I go after what is inspiring or what is creativity? Actually, I attended a photography talk by David DuChemin at the new Calgary Library in the east village downtown December 2024. It’s an amazing building with interesting architecture and design elements. Spending time there made me itchy to grab my camera and explore the lines and curves. Maybe that alone is inspiration - something that compels me to take action and get out of my head and get creative.
I’ve long been a fan of David DuChemin’s photography and writing - he has a number of photography books which often feel more like books on life and the creative process than strictly photography - so they are applicable to any creative pursuit.
First Impressions of Zambia
Well we’ve survived our 20+ hour flights to South Africa and we spent some time with the Wild Eye team. This is the company that we’ve used for our safari tours and I cannot speak too highly of them and their support in the planning and booking process. They take care of all of the details that make for an enjoyable and smooth trip, plus we have the added peace of mind knowing that we have support should we need it in case anything doesn’t go to plan (I’ve travelled to Iceland and Kory and I have visited Kenya and now Zambia with Wild Eye).
It was lovely to meet Tanya, Caitlin and Judy - just a few members of the logistics team who have helped us with booking trips. Being able to put faces to names when all communications have been via email or WhatsApp messages really helps.
Elders’ Wisdom
I do love when the universe feels the need to provide me with a strong life lesson and there is no warning that it is coming my way. These lessons tend to knock me on the head and get my attention - quickly. When I take the time to stop and really pay attention then the lesson tends to go easier, however I must admit to rarely being wise enough to do that.
I’m more of a quickly assess the facts and take action kind of woman - yes this habit has gotten me in trouble a time or two and I’ve been working on slowing down and being more intentional about what actions (if any) I take. Slowing down, getting curious and spending more time gathering facts tends to change the way I view a situation and how I go about responding.
Mountain Bluebird Season
For the last four years between April and August I have been fascinated with small vividly blue migratory birds - yes mountain bluebirds. During this timeframe they fly back to Alberta from their wintering grounds in the southern US and northern Mexico. It is a long way for these small birds to travel and their return to this area is specifically for nesting and raising new generations of mountain bluebirds.
I was able to get out this week and do a nest box monitoring run to see if they have started nest building. The last time I was out was towards the end of April and I saw a number of mountain bluebirds, but with the changeable weather that included snow and cold spells - there was no nest building happening.
Getting Ready for an African Safari
We have been anticipating our upcoming trip to Zambia which feels like it’s been in the planning stages for a long time (likely because we started over 2 years ago now). These trips tend to need a long lead time for planning and scheduling in order to get spaces in the locations we want. Kory and I prefer to stay in smaller and rustic locations in order to allow us to experience a more natural and low key atmosphere.
We’ll be partnering with our same guide (Michael Laubscher) and Wild Eyesfor the logistics and planning of this trip. It is such a positive experience to work with this team and not have to worry about whether our plans will come together smoothly or not. They have also been extremely helpful to make suggestions of locations that will fit with our style and approach to travel. They did such a great job when we planned our trip to Kenya so I can’t wait for Zambia.
Encore Seniors Talk
It’s interesting how certain things can cross generations and result in strong connections when you least expect it - that’s how it felt when I gave a follow up photography talk at a seniors facility earlier this week. Hold on a second - let me back up a moment and try to make some sense here - I received an email out of the blue about a month ago with an invitation to give a photography talk at a senior’s facility to go along with their Safari Themed High Tea event. I have spoken at this venue a couple of years ago about Bird Photography.(I wrote about it here)
I was pleased to accept as I had enjoyed giving the talk on bird photography several years ago. I took some 25,000 photos during our 3 week safari trip, so I was pretty confident that I had enough material to fill an hour speaking slot - in fact I think that being able to come up with enough material was not the issue I would face at all
Bluebird Time of Year Again
I am always amazed at how quickly the new mountain bluebird monitoring season comes around, but I anticipate it with enthusiasm and curiosity about what I will observe and learn this year. This is the 5th year that I will be monitoring these wonderful birds with CANMS (Calgary Area Nestbox Monitoring Society). I really appreciate being part of this network of bird enthusiasts who support education, networking, information and data collection around the monitoring activities. I must say out of the gate that there is a workshop being held May 23, 2026 at the Leighton Art Centre outside of Calgary. I attended this session last year and it is a great way for people to learn about the bluebird monitoring process and especially for children and young teens to increase their knowledge of birds and conservation. It is also a great place for anyone interested in taking on a Nestbox monitoring run to learn what is involved. Information for registration is supplied on the link on the website.
Rising Up
I’m not sure that I was as intentional about starting this year off differently than I could or should have been, but regardless - I found myself wrapping up 2025 with some feelings of unrest and vague distraction. I also found myself spending more time online than I like and less time getting outside pursuing my passion of photography and just being in nature.
I also found myself falling into some habits that I know are not productive or good for my mental health - things such as comparing my images and progress with others - that’s a rabbit hole that never leads to a good place. Wondering what my photography is about and trying to come up with some way of making it financially viable - ugh what better way to suck the joy out of something. Which led to second guessing and questioning the reasons that I get out with my camera at all - a definite start to a negative spiral.
Doing Deep Work
I’ve been doing some reading (shocking I know) about a concept referred to as Deep Work. Cal Newport digs into this concept in his book of the same name and I found myself fascinated with exploring this further (there’s some irony in doing deep work on deep work, but I digress).
The idea of deep work is spending focused and significant time on substantial efforts of craftsmanship - and the idea of craftsmanship is not restricted to things that you make by hand - it refers to any endeavour. In our current culture there is so much emphasis on productivity and efficiency with praise going to “multitaskers” and those who can juggle multiple projects or concepts at the same time.
I have come to be quite skeptical of multitasking - I used to think that I was proficient at juggling and completing a variety of tasks simultaneously,
AI and Photography
First off I will mention that I’ve received a number of notes requesting a post featuring my cat (although I wonder if the messages are generated by said cat - she is pretty smart and enjoying learning AI with Kory) - so here it is.
I thought I’d start out not bold, but just honest and state the obvious fact - AI is changing photography. What do I mean by that? Well there is a whole spectrum of influence from camera and lens technology (tracking systems, autofocus and face recognition software) to editing and denoise/sharpening software - all the way to AI generated images that are passed off as actual photographs.
That’s a pretty broad spectrum of influence and I haven’t even gone into the fact that artists’ work is being used to educate AI programs to produce better images.
Annual Pilgrimage
I did not envision that this would become an annual pilgrimage, nor did I imagine that I would even find snowy owls here in Southern Saskatchewan, but here I am spending time with the snowies (snowy owls) for the third year in a row. Braving frigid temperatures and sometimes melting conditions (I think I prefer the frigid temps personally), driving countless miles and spending hours and hours looking for these elusive raptors.
We’re very fortunate here in Western Canada to be on the migratory path of these amazing birds and that they like to overwinter near where my mother-in-law calls home. It’s a treat and a privilege to be able to see so many of them and to spend time photographing the white spirits of the owl family. Each winter they make the epic journey from their summer breeding grounds in the arctic to come and spend winters here and further south.
Country Living
We’ve been living “in the country” - well let’s be honest we’re just outside of the city limits - for about 18 months now and while we’ve spent a lot of the time in renovation/chaos mode, I feel like I’ve spent enough time in the new living situation to appreciate some of the differences from living within walking distance of the city centre. I thought I’d write about what it’s been like - the good the bad and the unexpected.
There are a number of things that we got right with this move and for the most part I would say that we did a good job anticipating the differences/challenges that we’d face, but there were still a few surprises that neither one of us saw coming. One of the big drivers for this move was to be closer to nature and be able to spend time enjoying the peace and quiet away from the hustle and bustle of inner city living.
Imposter syndrome
I have been seriously taking photographs for almost 10 years now and during that time I’ve taken thousands of photos, however (no surprise) not all of them have been “keepers” (that is ones that are worth keeping and bragging about or printing them). I must admit that when I first started taking photos, I sometimes despaired of ever becoming consistent at capturing images that I would be proud to show to others. That sentiment quickly morphed into despairing of ever taking images that truly reflected what I saw in my mind’s eye - my photographic evolution has been marked by despair.
I think that photography is a bit like golf - every once in a while you have a great shot that keeps you hanging on to the thought that you might just be good at this only to come back to reality when the same situation results in a series of duds. It’s that occasional wow shot that keeps me going.
In the waiting
I’ve had a very impactful few weeks where some random interactions have left their mark on me and I’ve continued to think about them long after spending time with these people. Two very good friends are having a tough time - suffering - and there is very little that I can do (I hate feeling helpless!). My first reaction/response is to try and fix it - help them - make it better, but I can’t. However, there are things that I can do like offer support - let them know I care and am thinking of them. These are small things, but maybe they matter more than the big grand gestures.
I have been sending one friend random texts of photos that I’ve taken - just something to distract her or let her know I’m thinking of her. More than anything it’s that connection - that knowing we’re not alone that I think is important. Or perhaps I’m annoying the heck out of her and she’s too Canadian to tell me to quit it - I don’t think that is likely, but the thought does occur to me.
Compasses and Directions
I’ve had some interesting conversations lately about the future, direction and purpose of life and while sometimes these conversations can be a bit daunting and heavy - especially when the forward path is murky and unclear - I have been finding myself uplifted by them.
I was recently asked to participate in a luncheon for a youth group with members nearing the end of high school and next life steps looming for the students. A group of “elders” and recent graduates were asked to provide a slide with information about their career, what made them get into their career, what sustained them and also what advice they’d give to someone considering this career. It really got me thinking back a few years as I’ve just passed 3 years in retirement after a 38 year working life.
I approached my slide as though I was speaking to a younger version of myself and trying to tap into my motivations and advice.