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La Guarida: A moment of stillness and gratitude

26/8/2018

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Some places just enrich your life and linger with you long after you leave them. Havana was one of those places for me.

I remember how calm I had to make myself while taking this photograph. My heart was pounding because I knew I was blessed with this scene in front of me. It was also pounding because it was extremely hot and I was starting to feel woozy from the sun, the car exhaust and other smells circling me. There were construction workers all around me in the tiny courtyard, with buckets and tools I had to maneuver between and step over. I also felt like I needed to hurry so as not to miss that perfectly positioned snoozing cat on the steps.

But you have to calm yourself down when you are behind the lens. Despite your fast heartbeat and the ticking clock, you have to relax your posture and your fingers to avoid any shake, and relax your mind so you can observe the details before you photograph them. Otherwise, the details will be lost, because the lens only sees what YOU see. I took about a dozen variations of this image, emphasizing different details each time, making sure the light looked exactly as I saw it.
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A week after I left Havana, I saw on Instagram that they painted over the mural and over Fidel Castro's words, so the cat was no longer the only element that made this print a limited edition!

I never would have thought that a year later, my Havana collection would decorate the colorful walls of Cafecito Montreal,
 an awesome new cafe in the Old Port of Montreal near Griffintown. You can find "Fidel" (11x14 inches in a gorgeous rustic frame) along with 25 of my Havana prints (framed and unframed) for purchase at the café. 
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Follow me on Instagram for more about the cafe and a full reveal of our gallery wall!
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From my heart to yours.
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Sospiri: One of my earliest photographs (in Venice)

26/8/2018

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Do you remember how you felt whenever you look back on your old photos?

This was one of the first ever digital photos I took, and it happened to be in my beloved Venice.

My new camera was only two weeks old, and I was still learning basic things like how not to get my finger to obscure the lens...

I remember sitting along the water of the Riva degli Schiavoni when the contrast between light (Palace) and dark (Prison) caught my eye. I knew right away it had to be a black and white shot. I also knew right away that it was destined to be one of my favorites. I look back on it now and smile, because my train of thought is frozen in that frame.

And, little did I know, hundreds of thousands of photos would follow it over the years, and I'd have a photography shop 7 years later...
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From my heart to yours.
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The Nova Scotia wall art collection

14/8/2018

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In case you missed it, I fell in love with beautiful Nova Scotia and Cape Breton this summer while traveling there for the first time. 
Now, after combing through thousands of photographs for weeks, tweaking my favorites and getting a sense of your reactions by sharing them on Instagram, I am excited to reveal the scenes that will be added to my art shop this fall.

​Why don't I add them right away? Because the Quebec City collection is still very new, and this way my VIP community members get first-pick of the new pieces at a special rate before the general public does! (Want to be a VIP? No problem, sign up here.)

Without further ado, meet the Nova Scotia Collection - a collection full of feeling, color and hope. The heartfelt captions beneath each photograph accompany the printed product, for an extra bit of inspiration.

The Immovable Sea

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Some places steal your heart with their colors, tales and moods.

Peggy of the Cove

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​It doesn't matter where you go, as long as you are happy to be there.

Never Really Still

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I love how boats are never really still, even when docked, as the tides and the winds always have a hold on them.

Hold On

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Life is a delicate balance of holding tight and letting go.

The Great Cape

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Make a wish, the ocean is waiting.

​Faith in Fair Weather

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When the skies threaten rain, have faith that the sun will shine soonafter.

Hot Summer Wind

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Because sometimes the purest of joys can be found in an afternoon light, on blades dancing in the hot summer wind.

Simplicity

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When the most evocative moments are the simplest ones.​

Low Tide at the Bay

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If we expect the sea to have changing tides, why should our lives be any different?

Just Be

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Now and then, be goalless and expectationless. Just be. 

The Day's Promise

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Without sharp bends and rugged edges, the day would not be as breathtaking.

Restlessness

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I swear I was a sailor in another life - a fisherman, a seafarer, a soul 
as restless as the sea.

Trust the Path

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Every step is a prerequisite for what comes next,
even if it doesn’t seem so at the time.

Tangled

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A beautiful mess of going and returning, catching and releasing.

On their Bellies

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The boats lay on their bellies, waiting for the tide to return. 

Rain on the Vineyard

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When everything is perfect, and calm, and still, and as promising as the vines that are to become a complex wine one day.

Navy Blue (Me & You)

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Every thought of you begins and ends with the ocean.
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The Nova Scotia collection is available as framed or unframed prints on fine-art paper, satin paper, as well as on canvas, wood, acrylic or metal. Become a VIP to shop the collection before its autumn release or stay tuned by following Veni Etiam! 

From my heart to yours.
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For more Nova Scotia and Cape Breton travel photography:
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Bicicletta: When souls meet

10/8/2018

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Tonight, I am both moved by life and mad at life at the same time.

​Last Christmas, I met a lovely young woman at one of my holiday shows. She fell in love with one of my prints almost immediately. She held it in her lap for a long while, and I watched as it made her face come alive. Her presence in my booth really touched me. It did not matter that she was in a wheelchair. It did not matter that we had to use signs to communicate. All that mattered was that there was a connection, and she was happy.
Her parents were with her. I remember her telling me, "I'll look around the market and if I'm still thinking of your photograph later on, I'll know that I have to come back to buy it." I laughed and told her that was very wise. But her father didn't want her to wait. "Never mind," he said, and he gestured me to wrap it up for her.
This evening, the father wrote to me to tell me that she passed away this week, that the awful degenerative neurological disorder she suffered from had taken her away. He wrote to me to tell me that he had taken the photograph back from her room and that he would keep it, in memory of her. He thanked me for the photograph, and I was moved to tears.

​That day at the market, her presence had made me feel connection and purpose. We are so focused on numbers nowadays, but I had felt grateful that I could impact ONE life. Tonight, I am thinking of that one life, and am grateful to have been useful for a brief micromoment within it.

Here's to her, that stranger, that happy girl. Her favorite: "Bicicletta" 
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Nova Scotia wonders: Sneak peek of my latest travels

5/8/2018

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It doesn't matter where you go or how far it is - it's often simply the act of going that rejuvenates the mind, body and spirit. 

This summer's travels took me to the Atlantic coast of Canada. I kept it local, for a change. The arguments for Nova Scotia were simple yet compelling. For one, I've always hated that I have explored less of my home country than foreign countries. As I regularly do, I was craving the ocean - its power, its sensations and the savory fruits it generously provides. I also felt like something familiar, knowing that I was still "home" while "away", with the ability to disconnect from my surroundings without being overwhelmed by novelty. Finally, you have been asking me for Halifax and Nova Scotia photos for about two months straight, at every event I have done since spring. I listened to you last year with Havana, didn't I? So, I followed your recommendations again this summer and, before I knew it, I had travel plans for a road trip around Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island.
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What I loved most about my time on the coast was how it awakened my senses. The dreamy blues, the vibrant greens, the heartstoppingly cold ocean waters, the salt-infused sea breeze, the mouth-watering oysters, scallops and lobster, the feel of the soft rocks and shells I would collect at low tide... My stay in Nova Scotia was everything I dreamed of and more.

I reconnected with nature, with the ocean, with myself. I walked long stretches of beach along beautiful sand dunes, along docks where boats lay on their bellies waiting for the high tide to return so they could float again. I tasted local fish, local beers and local wines from the lovely Annapolis valley. I leaned into the slower pace of the maritimes, my head quieting down to let words surface, finally, after weeks of construction noise and traffic in Montreal. I enjoyed the friendliness of residents and travelers. Nova Scotia is an enchanting place, and I was already conjuring up dreams to return before even having left. 
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If you know me a little, you can imagine that I came back home with something close to 1800 photographs. ​It has been painstaking but delightful to revisit them all, to sort them into "yes"es, "maybe"s and "no"s, and to gather the absolute "wow" scenes to add them to my art shop. 

Here is a sneak peek of some of my favorite places and moments in Nova Scotia. From the moody and mystical shores of the Bay of Fundy, to the awe-inspiring coastal road winding around Cape Breton Island, and all the inspiring, colorful places in between. 
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Tell me: Have you been to Nova Scotia and Cape Breton? What was your favorite spot? Leave me a comment, I would love to know!

Stay tuned for my tips on planning your Nova Scotia trip on the blog, as well as for my Nova Scotia collection coming soon to my shop and to Etsy!

If you'd like to be the FIRST to get your hands on the collection with a special launch coupon, be sure to subscribe to my newsletter today!
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From my heart to yours.
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On restlessness: How I've always had a sense of wanderlust and discovery

5/8/2018

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Restlessness is something I have experienced in some form or another since I was a toddler. I’d want to discover, to go, and to know - before that discovery had even ended - what was coming next. My mom would try to instill patience in me, to teach me to be in the moment and not to ask what’s next. But there was always an impetus, a momentum that pulled me along. When we traveled as a family, I never wanted to return home. I loved my home, but I loved being away. I would ask my mom whether we could call our hotel or villa “home” during our stay. She would humor me, but remind me that we were only traveling.
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I could not understand friends who didn’t want to travel or why kids I knew didn’t throw a fit when it came time to leave. In my teens, I discovered Italy (though I am convinced that that discovery had been made in my soul somehow already!) and it got way worse. I was never homesick while away, yet always homesick as soon as I landed back in town. I would burst into tears when my family would meet me at the gate. It made them feel awful!
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I moved to Europe for my studies and my scientific research, and there travelling became a routine, an addiction. The restlessness grew. It became a deep part of my identity and my happiness. I loved it when friends could not keep track of me online. "Where are you now?", they would ask, "Are you back in town?". 
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As I grew older, life happened. Periods between travels got slightly longer even though I still made a point of going - somewhere, anywhere - a few times a year. But, I also began to learn to appreciate home, quietude, balance and, to a certain extent, routine.

​The restlessness and spontaneity is still in me. And Veni Etiam gives me a great excuse to keep it alive.
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Are you a restless traveler too? Do you get antsy when you haven't packed a bag in a while? Leave me a comment below. I love to hear from you!
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    Kristina Kasparian

    Thanks for stopping by! #OnTheBlog are the stories behind my prints, posts about my travels, glimpses into my daily life, news about my shop, events in the Montreal community and tips on travel, home and photography. 

    Merci de visiter mon blogue! Vous y trouverez les histoires qui ont donné naissance à mes photographies, mes chroniques de voyage, un aperçu de ma vie quotidienne, des nouvelles sur ma boutique et mes conseils sur les voyages, sur la déco maison et sur la photographie. 

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