1. July 14: This photo of 26-year-old Jennifer Michell is my favourite picture of the year along with my entire photo essay and slideshow on the Michell family that ran in the July 25, 2010, Monitor section. I especially admired this young woman and her love for the farm, and I think this photo captured the essence of a new generation of farmers. For years, I had thought about doing a project on young farmers, but what I thought the story would be, and what it turned out to be, were very different. The young grandchildren of Vern Michell that I had photographed eating strawberries in his berry patch years ago, were now young adults working on the farm along with five other generations of the family. For this shoot, Jennifer picked me up at 6:30 a.m. at the barn, and for most of the morning I was driven around the farm in her dusty pickup, photographing the rest of her family. Jennifer said the farm was where her heart was and she even had a tattoo on her arm of the farm. She seemed so content riding on a hot, dusty day with her dog, Baxter, and some raspberries she was going to take to her great-grandmother. And the end of my day, which began at 5 a.m., I was hot, dusty and tired, but I loved every second of that shoot on the farm.
2. Feb. 24: I was driving by the Terry Fox statue on Dallas Road late in the afternoon one day, just as the rain had stopped and the sun started to shine through the dark clouds. I noticed someone had placed daffodils on the statue, which I thought looked interesting. Then, just as I stopped my car to take a photo, the rainbow appeared and I had a better picture than I expected. The positive response I received from readers confirmed this.
3. March 16: I had been assigned to take a photo of retired University of Victoria professor David Chuenyan Lai, but after photographing him there, and speaking with him, I knew that this intelligent, humorous and humble scholar had to be photographed in Chinatown, a place that he has dedicated his life to researching. So, he took me and reporter Cindy Harnett on an enthusiastic tour of places most people never get see or experience. He knew every nook, cranny and secret door that was either still standing or used to be. But it wasn't good enough to be an observer, he graciously insisted we sample some authentic Chinese dishes including shiu mai and har gow. I was thrilled! However, when we arrived and Cindy saw the boiled chicken feet, she conveniently announced she was a vegetarian. Out of deep respect for Mr. Lai, I took my first bite. It will be my last.