Noa is full of life and full of the spirit of art making. She is not the kind of artist that rests or finds comfort in the familiar. She finds a way to take her influences, funnel and squeeze them through her unique perspective and marrow and produce something new and continues to create from a place of wonder and curiosity. She knows the rules and knows how to break them and with a strong backbone has been able to merge her creative life with her professional life. For me the Feather Love Photography Workshop was an experience that will influence my direction in an immense way and what I especially took to the deep heart was to be yourself without apology whatever that happens to be; figure out what that is and be it!

I haven’t felt strongly motivated to get off my ass and really search out what I fancy in a long time. I’ve discovered this and that but I haven’t felt proactive in the exploration of inspiration, it has been a fairly passive affair. The Feather Love Workshop truly lit a fire under my butt and it isn’t just about motivation as an artist, it is a motivation to not be passive in life, to not let any barriers stand in the way of the pursuit in discovering the needs of our true being, well that’s what I took away from it anyhow and am crazy thankful for it. I like to feel challenged and I feel the weight of challenge on me, to not play safe, to not be a passive observer in life from myself to my home and to my art, to my everything.

The day started at Noa’s home that encapsulated her unique charm, it was impossible for me to not pull out my camera and capture this place. We continued the day near the downtown area where we met the sweet and extraordinary Amanda and Jason. Their home is also just bursting with the curios, distinctive and beautiful and I couldn’t help but take a bunch of photos here as well. Here we experienced Noa in the action of capture and creation. Overall an incredible and wondrous day! Thanks so much to Noa, Stuart, Amanda and Jason for being so open with yourselves and your lives and inspiring three lady photographers in new ways! Also thanks to my sweet friend and co-worker Kevin for switching work shifts with me so I could attend this workshop!

The cast of characters:

The lovely and charismatic Lee Anne Havens of Flower Child Photography:

The sweet and talented Vanessa Chalmers:

and of course the illustrious and enchanting Noa Azoulay-Sclater:

Noa’s amazing home:

Noa mid-workshop:

Early evening photo shoot starting with the wondrous and amazing cat, Iris, she loooves the camera:

and the immaculate home:

and oh sweet explosion of red!