Most Indigenous and First Nations peoples around the globe observe the lunar New Year. Winter Solstice, which usually happens on or near December 21st, is when the "light returns" meaning the shortening of sunlight hours that began at Summer Solstice has ended and the days start getting longer and warmer. Since colonisation, many Indigenous communities have adopted the Colonial New Year on January 1st. In some parts of Canada, the Colonial New Year is nicknamed "handshake" day, as one travels from house to house or gathers with family and friends in a central place to share gratitude for the past year and wish each other good luck for the coming year. As we say farewell to 2022, this week's #seventhings is an invitation to spend some time reflecting on the year that has passed instead of making resolutions (which are usually unrealistic goals most of us can't keep anyway.) Celebrate the return warmth and light by (re)connecting with friends. Take some time t...

WINNER!!! Stacy Scandrett is a Niagara, CA-based (Mississauga; Niagara Purchase Treaty 381) photographer who seems to be ruling the roost with a second (and consecutive!) win of the 50/50! Not one to colour between the lines, she continues pressing upwards and outwards on her journey as a creative professional, mother, and woman. Here's what she had to say about her winning image entitled  A Shade of Cora : I originally brainstormed some epic shots of leading people into the woods in robes from my client closet, dipping toes into Lake Ontario, or maybe even scaling down a cliff to one of Niagara's many waterfalls. The more I pushed this idea of how I could show slowness and environment, the more complicated I made things and I realized I was defeating the purpose of this challenge.  I ultimately decided to take my camera to the park with my littles. Countless hours we've spent there, especially during the pandemic when it was all we could do with a lack of a backyard. This ...

This Boxing Day, Rare Earth welcomes those playing on The Shooting Range to think about thinking OUTSIDE the Proverbial Box as we welcome to the Guest Judge whose work is often called "whimsical" and "inspirational' but above all should be synonymous with FUN!!! First noticed for his creative chops by a major multinational brand and since featured across several major platforms, our January Guest Judge's journey as a photographer began (as many do) as an experiment. By taking the time to explore something outside the box, he stumbled upon something that is downright magical. To ring in 2023, we are extraordinarily pleased to introduce: Joel Robison! ~~~ Robison hails from Cranbrook, BC (Ktunaxa ɁamakɁis) and made the achingly difficult choice to walk away from one career that kept his boat afloat to another. While that career trajectory is not uncommon, the leap Joel made is hard to define. It sits in what many may call a "niche"genre, and the most inte...

Whether you celebrate something at this time of year or just enjoy a few moments of connection during the collective pause granted at this time of year, there's no reason to be on the internet today. If you happen to be online and see this, the #seventhings you can do this week are: FOLLOW your heart to wherever it will be welcomed and loved DISCOVER new recipes to try out with (or on!) your company LISTEN to amazing music, 24-7 READ a book you haven't had time to read LEARN something new about your family's history WATCH the joy on the faces of your loved ones while you spend time together SUPPORT the people who have supported you in 2022, in whatever way you can Rare Earth and The Shooting Range wish you happy holidays, a very Merry Christmas, a Prosperous Kwanzaa, a Blessed Hanukkah, a Festive Yule, a B*itchin' Boxing Day, a Fabulous Zarathosht Diso, and above all, many peaceful reunions with cherished and loved ones filled with laughter, love, and light.

Winter Solstice usually occurs or or about the 21st of December and is sometimes referred to as the darkest day of the year. But for many people, including Indigenous, Métis, and Inuit peoples, it signals a time when we reflect on the positives and celebrate the world getting a little brighter. With that in mind, we are dedicating this week's #seventhings to LAUGHTER!!! First, if you have not yet taken the time to LISTEN to Thomson Highway's 2022 Massey Lecture "Laughing with the Trickster: Sex, Death, and Accordions" yet, we HIGHLY recommend it. You will both laugh until you cry, and be moved to tears, by this incredible series. Trickster. Heyoka. Ha Hawken. Kachinas and koshares. The court jester. The Joker.  DISCOVER the world of holy idiots and sacred clowns that exist to provide social satire across cultures and around the world. And now that you've learned that holy idiots and sacred clowns exist, it's time to  LEARN  about the role these characters t...

This week's #seventhings is a little bit of something for everyone - science, technology, history, law, visual and performing arts, geneology, and weird history. Watch Jaat Sdiihltl’lxa: Woman Who Returns Heather didn't know she was Haida until she was 16. After visiting Haida Gwaii many times over the next twenty years, Heather realized she wanted to join her clan and receive her Haida name. This film follows her journey home. Follow  Meryl McMaster, an award-winning photographer of nêhiyaw (Plains Cree), British and Dutch descent. Haunting, ethereal, beautiful.  Her website is here. Go give Meryl some love and if you happen to be in the Ottawa area, be sure to catch her exhibit at the Karsh Masson Gallery before her latest show, Entanglements, closes on January 15, 2023. Entanglements Nov 17, 2022 - Jan 15, 2023 Karsh Masson Gallery Ottawa, Ontario Karsh Masson Gallery Learn about Lillian Eva Dyck (Cree; Chinese). She was a badass who grew up in small town Saskat...

Rare Earth Photographic Arts Outreach Foundation was started in May 2022, and we wanted to take a few minutes to let you know what we've been working on in our first six months. But before we tell you what we've been doing, you may be wondering... What is EDI?   and what does it have to do with the photographic arts community?   To explain that, we have a (non- TSR ) challenge for you:  Think of an industry that does not directly or indirectly rely in some way on the photographic arts community. And if you think of one, please let us know, because we've yet to think of any. Governments, schools, small and local businesses, multinational corporations, private citizens, and (of course) the media all use images - still or moving - to communicate, but by and large content creation is driven by complex socioeconomic and systemic biases that go beyond who gets "representation." They determine who has access to resources like training and technology, who decides what the...

Inspired by sweater weather turning to parka weather, this week's #seventhings is all about cold weather and snow. The night sky in winter holds no shortage of beauty for those willing to brave the cold and stare up (and point cameras!) at the heavens.  Listen to this episode of the CBC Unreserved podcast with Rosanna Deerchild called We Come From the Stars. Winter is a time for storytelling, and according to Tsimshian legend it was winter hunters that caused teeny tiny summer mosquitoes. Read The Winter Hunters and the Mosquito. Mosquito Mask Coast Tsimshian British Columbia Before 1925 Wood and paint Canadian Museum of Civilization, VII-C-1188, CD98-20-015 Watch this old-school NFB documentary on how igloos are traditionally made... Did you know protective winter eyewear was invented by the Inuit people? You might be surprised to  Learn what else was invented here long before before Europeans arrived on Turtle Island! Discover this incredible series of Warrior: Fire ...

DECEMBER 2022 50/50 MATCH BRIEF “His knowledge of place was the kind that lives in the body and ripens to understanding only with time. As he walked along the mountain's whispering flanks, the pines became his bones, the summer wind, his breath, and his boots, the grizzly's step. Gradually and finally, over the years, demarcation between man and land faded away.” ~excerpt from, “ Talking With Bears: Conversations with Charlie Russell ” by G A Bradshaw   Life in the Slow Lane with Viktoria Haack Prior to the pandemic, people accustomed to (or obsessed with) instant gratification found the idea of slowing down foreign if not terrifying. Unable to carry on with busy-ness, people downshifted, engaging in things they previously didn’t take or make time to enjoy. The internet was briefly flooded with images of plants and gardens, sourdough recipes, playful recreations of famous works of art, and links to socially-distant places to enjoy nature. As the world has re-opened, however, m...