Many moons ago my sister asked if I would take her portrait. I didn't consider myself a photographer, but loved taking pictures. We did the shoot and had a lot of fun. Then one night this January… she died. On a Tuesday evening in Montreal she suddenly passed away in her apartment. Gone. Just gone. In the weeks and months that followed the questions became... where are the photos? The memories? The ? I had no idea until that moment the value of a photograph. I realized no matter how stylized or no filter: to capture someone’s personality for one moment is a gift...

Heather did not like having her picture taken, and the last photos I have are from December 28th, 2011. It was a portrait session at Christmas time, with her cat Buster. At 43, her cause of death still remains a mystery, but she was here, and then she was gone. Not until her passing did I realize the gift of photography. Now I see the blessing from that moment many moons ago.