In Honour of my Student and Good Friend Tanja Tress

The picture to the left is my favourite picture I have taken of my dear student Tanja.  Tanja came to my studio in January of this year to study photography with me.  What I didn't expect was that we would become such amazing friends.  Tanja and I sometimes are like an old married couple that can finish each others sentences, and are very comfortable and happy chatting or just sharing each others company in silence.  The funniest thing about Tanja and I are that we both are incredibly reverent of humanity and think people are absolutely amazing but our visions are completely and totally at polar opposites.  This is what keeps things interesting in our teacher student relationship.  I have taught Tanja the mechanics of photography but I have left it wide open for her to develop and explore her own unique style.  I have pushed her boundaries and encouraged her to trust herself, laugh at herself, and be courageous for her vision.  But she has motivated herself, dug deep and found her true passion in photography.  I just pushed her.....but she had the courage to fly.  Her style is beautiful and edgy, a bit dark but in a way that leaves you thinking.  She has made me look again at the ugly that I would have not considered in the past, to see through it into its own unique beauty.  Sometimes the student can become the teacher as well.  I would like to share with you her blog and website.  She will leave me soon for new adventures and a very promising career in photography.