'Her whole future ahead of her': Sask. photographer captures Manitoba graduate posing on iceberg
Some say a photograph is simply a memory frozen in time – and a high school graduation photo taken in Churchill, Man. takes that adage to a completely new level.
Photographer Brandy Bloxom captured Emily Dingwall, a graduate of Duke Marlborough School, posing on an iceberg near picturesque Hudson Bay Beach on Sunday, July 7.
Bloxom, a self-taught photographer who lives in Denare Beach, Sask., travelled to Churchill for an Indigenous women’s conference and took the opportunity to fulfill a photography dream.
She put out a call on social media looking for a subject and said Dingwall jumped at the chance.
“I said, ‘Would you like to step on an iceberg? It’ll take two seconds if you want – this would be epic,’” Bloxom told CTV News. “She was game for it and she was just thrilled.”
While the photo makes Dingwall seem like she’s floating in the middle of nowhere, Bloxom said the chunk of ice was only about 15 feet away from the shoreline.
“[The water] was basically up to her mid-calf,” Bloxom explained. “But the angles and lighting… make it look like she’s way out in the middle of Hudson Bay – but it’s the tricks.”
Bloxom said the water was calm during the photo shoot, which helped create the glassy, mirrored image. She said she wanted to depict what it’s like to grow up in a place like Churchill.
“It shows the difficulties, the coldness, and the hardships,” Bloxom said. “But yet... she has her whole future ahead of her – she’s got this background of solid people and a solid community.”
Bloxom grew up in Leaf Rapids, Man., though her roots trace back to York Factory First Nation southeast of Churchill. She described the trip to Churchill as a learning experience and a way to connect her family’s past.
“What you see in books and everything is polar bears and whales, but there’s so much more to it,” she explained. “The people are amazing. The landscape over at the Churchill Flats looks like the east coast of Newfoundland. It’s just beautiful.”
Bloxom said her next dream is to photograph Inuit communities in the Arctic.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Israel intensifies bombardment of Gaza and southern Lebanon on the eve of Oct. 7 anniversary
A new round of airstrikes hit Beirut suburbs late Sunday as Israel intensified its bombardment of northern Gaza and southern Lebanon in a widening war with Iran-allied militant groups across the region. Palestinian officials said a strike on a mosque in Gaza killed at least 19 people.
Rare cloud formations ripple the sky over Ottawa
A unique form of clouds made an appearance over the skies of Ottawa on Sunday evening.
The cooking method you need to learn to get excited about vegetables this fall, expert says
'Eat more vegetables,' doctors and dietitians say over and over. But for many people, it’s hard to do, because they aren’t excited about veggies or just don’t like them.
Hurricane Milton is growing stronger as it blows toward Florida's Tampa Bay region
People across Florida were given notice Sunday that Hurricane Milton is intensifying rapidly and will likely be a major hurricane before slamming midweek into the storm-ravaged Gulf Coast.
New Far North hospital moves closer to being built after $1.8B design, build contract awarded
Weeneebayko Area Health Authority and the Government of Ontario have awarded a $1.8 billion fixed-price contract to design, build and finance a new Far North hospital.
Inmate dies following assault at Toronto jail, another prisoner charged
A 54-year-old inmate at the Toronto South Detention Centre has been charged in connection with a deadly jail beating late last week that claimed the life of a 69-year-old prisoner.
Madonna's brother, Christopher Ciccone, dead at 63
Christopher Ciccone, a multihyphenate artist, dancer, designer and younger brother of Madonna, has died. He was 63.
'Environmental racism': First Nations leaders claim cancer-causing contamination was covered up
The people of Fort Chipewyan believe the federal government knew its water was contaminated and hid the issue for years. Now the chief of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation is leading the call for immediate action.
Frequent drinking of fizzy beverages and fruit juice linked to an increased risk of stroke: research
New data raises questions about the drinks people consume and the potential risks associated with them, according to researchers at Galway University in Ireland, in partnership with Hamilton’s McMaster University.