Tag: Photographer

Zoë the Photographer 2

~ jeanrareselfacceptance ~ Leave a comment

April 2016 1920’s Gala Evening

Zoë had been invited to take individual photos of everyone at the 1920’s Gala Evening to celebrate 20 years of Outlook, the special group for those mildly affected by TS. Again, she felt apprehensive, but was welcomed at the Oxford hotel, by a founder Outlook member she had met the year before. Another founder member talked about how Outlook had changed her life by giving her a positive outlook, and how she had learned to accept herself for who she was, which made Zoë reflect on how she had been learning to accept herself too.

She was pleased that her dad went along in the evening to help her set up the equipment and act as her assistant, and before she started her session, he took a photo of her in front of the grand staircase backdrop. Everyone was pleased with their photos which appeared in the Summer 2016 Scan Magazine with the comment that ‘A fun photoshoot by volunteer photographer, Zoë Bull, added a spot of glamour to the proceedings’. She loved her own photo so much that she put it in a pretty pearl frame and kept it on her printer.

I was so proud of it that I showed it to my friend who had brought round some dolls she had crocheted. I asked her if she could possibly make a one like the picture for Zoë. It’s amazing that she did it just by taking a few photos as a guide.

Although I actually forgot to give it to Zoë on Christmas Day, she was really pleased when she opened it on Boxing Day. The only thing she wanted me to do was to embroider on a smile which I happily did. The 1920’s Gala Evening had been a great success for her and had helped her on her journey to self-acceptance.

Zoë the Photographer

~ jeanrareselfacceptance ~ Leave a comment

January 2015 Cover Girl!

In the last months of Zoë’s degree in Photography, she realised how much of her work was psychology related. She was beginning to be fascinated by the mind, and explored that in her coursework, images and essays. She couldn’t see herself as a business woman and saw herself more as someone who helped people with their problems. Her problem, though, was telling us! But we have always believed that our children should be encouraged to pursue what they wanted; not to be forced into anything, so she was surprised when we said it was all right not to become a photographer after all.

In 2014, just after her 21st birthday, she wrote her story of living with TS, and sent it in to Share Your Story on the TSA website. She wrote in her diary about how she hoped to use her normality to create a bridge between TS people and non-TS people. ‘I just hope it inspires’.

But the months went by with no response, and she considered becoming a TS volunteer instead. Perhaps she could make use of her photography skills there? Her first assignment was to take photos of all the staff on the TSA Staff Day to use in the TSA Scan Magazine. She wasn’t used to taking photos of new people, but when some said they didn’t usually like having their photos taken either, she realised that they had their insecurities too, and she felt better.

After several months coping with her first lung collapse, she was cheered by being asked to do a telephone interview about her story by Isobel, the TSA magazine editor, who also requested a photo of her for the front of the magazine!

Here it is. Her journey as a TSA Volunteer photographer had begun!