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Oh the Places You Will Go
Written by Tarra Kongsrude, IACC Member Colleen Sayer bravely bared her photographic soul in her member’s showcase, “Oh the Places You Will Go.” It’s not by chance that this semi-retired elementary school teacher chose a Dr. Seuss book as the title for her show. Her showcase reflects the personal growth and unique journeys she’s undertaken as an IACC member over the past four years. Her photos dramatically captured what she learned at IACC outings, workshops, Special Interest gGoups (SIGs), and Community Support events. When Colleen first started with the Club she was a bit hesitant about attending activities with the “real photographers.” But she soon realized that the passion of others is contagious and that we all shoot in our unique way. She went to some classic Club outings, including the Alberta Rail Museum, Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village, Reynold’s Museum, and everyone’s perennial favourite - Aldon Auto Salvage. She also attended some special outings, such as the Pigeon Lake Dogsled races, Camrose County weekend, and a Rocky Mountain Brewery tour (sampling allowed). Colleen has come to realize that even if you’ve been to a site before, you see it with new eyes when you have a camera in your hand. Colleen came away with some elegant photos when she attended two IACC member-run workshops: Light Box & Scanner, and Underwater Flowers. She discovered how to take something that’s already beautiful and make it even more so. There is a wealth of knowledge in the Club and the members are generous in sharing it with others. Colleen is part of the Macro/Close-Up SIG where she is discovering how to capture the details in the everyday things around us. She has always had an interest in getting up close in her photos. For example, she loves to capture hands at work and can be found taking pictures of artists while they paint at their easels along the Whyte Avenue Art Walk. Colleen finds the Club’s 'giving back' or 'community support' philosophy to be very rewarding. She has volunteered to take photos for charity fundraising events, the ITU marathon and Heritage Day Festival. She has also started taking stark red dress photos for the ReDress Project to raise awareness about missing and murdered Indigenous women. By taking part in Club activities she’s “learning and growing with inspiring company.” In return, she has inspired us with her showcase of striking pictures. 
© Colleen Sayer: Underwater Flowers Workshop
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© Colleen Sayer: ReDress Project (Giving Back)
© Colleen Sayer: Blue Stone (Learning from a Colleague)
© Colleen Sayer: Camrose Outing
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