Women’s Creativity – a Photography Retreat in Nova Scotia

I spent three days last weekend in Nova Scotia attending a photography retreat for women hosted by #SylvieMazerolle. Sylvie is a talented photographer who loves to share her enthusiasm and philosophy of photography with others. Her attention to detail and creative insights inspired us all.

If you’ve been considering attending a workshop retreat like this, watch for next year’s offering. Sylvie’s events fill up quickly and she takes a limited number of participants to have time for each individual.
Don’t miss out!

This year’s event was held in Parrsboro centrally located in the Cliffs of Fundy Geopark. We were guided safely through several sites by the enthusiastic and knowledgeable #AnnaHergert, owner of the Tide Rollers & Mudlarkers tour operation. Despite rain punctuated with occasional downpours, and wind that was so loud at times it set off my “noise alert” on my watch (e.g. greater than 90dB), after nearly blowing us all over, the group of 8 intrepid women happily followed Anna from site to site. She kept us spellbound with her encyclopedic knowledge of the area – both its geological significance and its history. Under her careful guidance we were able to create images at several amazing sites in the area.

To see the photographs more clearly, just double click on any of interest to enlarge them.

With Anna leading, we attempted a perilous drive down a 14km long narrow dirt road, but on reaching our destination, it was determined that the situation was too miserable (torrential rain) and potentially dangerous, so we turned around. Still, the drive through the autumn leaf-strewn scenery inspired us to hop out periodically and brave the downpour to document the quintessential ‘autumn in the Maritimes’ experience.

We saw the site at Spencer’s Island where the infamous ghost ship, the Marie Celeste, was built before embarking on her perilous journeys. Anna pointed out where the 50′ high tide mark is. These amazing tides are created by the shape of the Bay of Fundy as it narrows and huge volumes of water seek a peak.

We found ways to show the diversity of the coastline, ocean floor, water and fauna. Some of us knelt on the ground to find a different perspective. Some stood tall to capture the grander vistas. We collectively used as many techniques as possible to celebrate the area in our images.

Our next stop was the Cap d’Or lighthouse. The power of the wind and waves was amazing, at times making it difficult to retain one’s balance and hang on to camera gear – but we persevered.

After a lunch stop (to dry off and warm up), Anna gave a brief talk about a style of photography called “Nalanda Miksang” which encourages more introspection and emotional response to creating images of ‘what is’ rather than what we ‘think’ it is. I think the members of our group were intuitively doing a lot of that as we roamed about.

Then it was on to Driftwood Beach (aptly named, I might add) where we experience the full force of the wind and waves as the crests rolled in to the beach. The tide approached slowly at first but building momentum for a dramatic race to cover the beach and rock breakwater behind it.

Our day ended at the Wild Caraway Restaurant and Café in Advocate Harbour where we were treated to a taste tempting multi-course dinner. The squash soup was to DIE for!

Then we returned to our home base for the night, the charming Gillespie House Inn. The accommodations were cozy and comfortable and we enjoyed tasty breakfasts after our morning yoga sessions in the on-site studio with the lovely yogi, Wendy Queen. She gently guided us through stretching and centering movements to prepare us for the day ahead both physically and mentally.

The Inn is tastefully decorated by its new owners to be a respite from the world outside. We enjoyed our meals in the intimate dining room and gathered in one of the lounges for discussions and sharing our experiences.