I had an amazing weekend and give all glory to my Creator who made it possible. As I am a 60s scoop (History is that many Natives from the 60-70s were taken and placed in white foster homes for various reasons) With this came my years of identity crisis as I struggled with my Swiss citizenship but being brown and obviously native. Fortunately my town of Medicine hat had little natives so I was not prone to discrimination. I felt normal for the most part, except the times I scrubbed my skin hard to turn white like my 3 siblings. As I grew older, I dated and didn't want to tell the girls I dated my nationality when they asked because of shame. I attended Choices program by Thelma Box and this helped me to start my healing and love of my self.This weekend I shot a wedding at the Fort Ed park and loved it. I don't normally advertise for weddings because I love my small summer weekends and hate shooting in them big crowds of other photographers and wedding parties. If I do them, I would prefer Friday and week day weddings, as this one was. It was also a smaller wedding with less attention, which I loved. So I was done by 5pm and was able to attend the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards.
I was looking at finding ways to attend this national award ceremony at the Jubilee Auditorium, but stopped when I learned the prices were 350 dollars a ticket. I emailed Ontario and offered my services as an event photographer. God works in funny ways, because that afternoon, my friend Leona Carter from the City of Edmonton asked me if I wanted to get some photos of the mayor and have a ticket. Well I said sure and was stunned to be attending. Well , in the end, I didn't have to take photos but got 2 tickets for my wife and I. I had a fun evening of capturing one of the most beautiful race of humble people I have seen. Remember, I have not been raised around natives until I moved to my place of birth - Edmonton a few years ago. I was no longer ashamed as I seen so many beautiful native women and men. They were not the stereotypical type we see all the time. I held my head up high as I wanted to be like these. Please see my photos in Facebook under Trevor Boller Photography for the gallery for this evening.Something happened this weekend as I attended church and was learning to forgive my birth mother who lost me as a child. I learned it was her that I was ashamed of and projected it towards all native people. I go forward now with pride and a desire to work harder and sell harder. I am going to be fierce at my photography and lose any fears. I am thankful for who I am - an original. After all, I'm probably one of the only treating carrying cards with Swiss nationality in the world? Should I call Guinness?
The photo with a model was in TVs Canada's top model one year.
