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Woman of the Week: Maggie Habieda

Maggie Habieda has only one goal — to make her clients feel beautiful, like the “queens and kings of old.”

Habieda built Fotografia Boutique Inc., a photography studio that specializes in portraits, about six years ago during a time when photography studios were shutting down. It was one of her biggest challenges, but that didn’t deter her. Habieda isn’t the type of person to simply give up on a dream. With a certain amount of grace and charm, she fights, learns, and persists. She graduated with a Masters in Communication and Design from the Ontario College of Art and Design, but that didn’t include a lot of practical business experience, so she went to the library and took out every book she could find on finance and entrepreneurship.  Six months later, she hosted her grand opening.

Photo by Fotografia Boutique.

Habieda came to Canada from Poland at the age of 16. She knew she had the soul of an artist, but couldn’t get into any  art schools in her home country. She decided to move to a foreign country — Canada — despite the fact she didn’t know the national language, and proceeded to be accepted into art schools with a number of scholarships.

In college, Habieda painted and drew women – most of them as princesses. Eventually, she discovered a passion for photography and started her professional journey as a wedding photographer, capturing women on the happiest days of their lives. This type of photography changed how she viewed the term “princess.” She started to believe that every woman is a princess, and that’s something she wanted reflected in her work.

“I shifted away from weddings, I wanted my own environment where I could greet people and the whole place to be for them, to feel better for them. Where they could get their hair and makeup done and change clothes where no one is watching. Create their own world where they feel and look beautiful and walk away with something timeless.”

Photo by Fotografia Boutique.

What makes Habieda’s portraits so unique is her classic style, something she says she developed over the years to combat the “overdone” selfie craze. Her photographs are textured so that they don’t quite look like the traditional pictures you may keep on your phone. Instead, they look like classic paintings or drawings, something you may find in an old castle rather than a 21st century living room.

“In today’s world, everyone has a camera – there is sea of photographers taking photos and as soon as they are taken they are forgotten. I bring back the classics,” she says. “When I edit, I like it to be creative. I add textures, adding little elements, something that makes it more illustrative than just a photo itself.”

Habieda’s creativity and ability to focus on true beauty, rather than just point-and-shoot with a camera, is what separates her from others in the industry. She has been able to connect with high-profile celebrities, politicians, and community leaders, which has led to a very successful and thriving business.  She has won a number of prestigious awards for her work, including the Tiboor Horvath Award of Excellence, Wedding Portrait Best in Class, and Certified Glamour Photographer from the Professional Photographers of Canada.

And yet, she still hasn’t lost touch with her true vision — to capture, and inspire, beauty in others.

“Every day, I transform people’s lives. I spend time hearing people, their life stories. This is beyond capturing a portrait — its capturing people’s souls from the inside, how the world should see them.”

When she isn’t working in the studio, Habieda runs an annual concert called Colours of Love, which brings together six international artists to celebrate love, diversity, and the performing arts. This will be the third year Habieda organizes the concert, held at the Mississauga Life Centre, and hopes this year will be just as successful.

“Music is the universal language. I want to give and spread love with this world.”

To see more of Habieda’s portfolio, visit her website at fotografiaboutique.ca.

 

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Woman of the Week: Jo-Anne McArthur

Photography can be a tool for change — there is no limit to the difference a powerful image can make. Animal rights photographer Jo-Anne McArthur has taken this medium to a new level by using her DLSR camera to take astounding photographs of animals in various states of suffering. She has gained attention worldwide for her courageous work, and her investigative journey was also featured in Liz Marshall’s documentary The Ghosts in our Machine.

“It is unforgiving work. I am trying to make art out of the atrocities,” McArthur says. “If I produced shitty images, people aren’t going to look. How are you going to look and not get people to turn away?”

McArthur’s job is difficult, no doubt. She is forced to get up close and personal to each and every animal, and then has to walk away from the suffering in order to keep doing her job without legal litigation. Not to mention, many of the photos that McArthur take are in hard-to-reach places that often keep animals in terrible conditions.

“Most commonly, I am sneaking onto a property at night with a security team. We know when people are coming and going,” McArthur says. “I never break or touch anything. I will climb a fence if I have to and document — whether that takes half an hour or six hours.”

McArthur says her most difficult photography shoot was with minks held in cages, because of the low lighting and confined space. The cages were quite small and the mink are often trying to protect their young. Photoshoots like these make McArthur feel devastated, especially when she has to walk away without interfering. A photography shoot involving a lone elephant is one of her worst memories on the job. “The saddest thing I’ve seen was an elephant named Jeanna in France. She does fuck all except walking in circles and swaying back and forth,” McArthur says. “It was devastating to see this girl who has been alone for 15 years. They should re-home her, give her sanctuary, and give her enrichment. Seeing her once was bad enough, but then I come back the next day and she is doing the exact same thing. Why isn’t the world screaming about her being there? I take photos, but I feel inept.”

After years of working in the trenches of animal rights investigations, McArthur found herself suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  “I was doing too much time in the field. It is natural to need a recovery period from traumas. I felt I was invincible and I was not. My first thought when I woke up in the morning was mink or gestation crates,” McArthur says. “I had therapy to help me process what I had seen I was thinking of the utter sadness of animals in captivity all the time. I had to relearn the basics, eat well, and sleep well. I annoyingly tell activists to eat, sleep, and have sex. If we are not joyful, we are not healthy and we need to joy to advocate for animals. I got used to seeing the sadness. When people ask me if I’m desensitized, I want to say no. To go there emotionally, it is not productive.”

Along with being a leader in animal rights activism, McArthur is a huge supporter of women. She began an initiative called the ‘Unbound Project’ with Associate Professor of Visual Arts at Brock University, Keri Cronin that features women in animal rights activism around the world.  “Over many years of doing animal rights work, I saw that it was women on the front lines. There is often men at the top for optics, but women are really the dominant sex in this movement,” McArthur says. “I’m doing the Unbound Project because I see that it is women that lead the movement, and I want to celebrate that.”

McArthur has been fascinated by animals since she was a child. She says that many people get into animal rights to change the world, but for her it was a different story. “Even as a wee kid, I would feel sad for an animal. I took action because I was worried,” McArthur says. “My parents allowed me to express these concerns and act on them.”

An avid reader as well, McArthur is currently reading The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. She also recommends Aftershock by Patrice Jones for women going through PTSD. She has also published her own book, We Animals.

After having faced so many countless atrocities, it is a wonder that McArthur has hope in the future of the world we live in. She says that living with hope is the only way to stay positive. “I certainly have moments of despair, but that is not where I live. I live with a focus on change, and with every person I reach, that is a victory. I choose to live hopefully instead of despairingly or I wouldn’t be able to do this shitty work I do.”

Here is a sample of some of McArthur’s work and you can find more animal rights photographs here:

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”3″ gal_title=”Photos by Jo-Anne McArthur”]

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Living

Top exhibitions to check out at CONTACT photography festival

Do you love photography? Look no further! Women’s Post has found the best venues in the city for the annual CONTACT Photography festival.

CONTACT Photography Festival runs from May 1 to 31 and is the largest photography festival in the world. CONTACT is celebrating its 20th year with 20 primary exhibitions and 20 public installations. Most of the primary exhibitions are free except for the one at the Art Gallery of Ontario and the McMichael Museum, which are providing discounted tickets to exhibitions on certain days. Public installations feature photographic images on walls, billboards and subway platforms for the people of Toronto to enjoy. The festival explores a variety of topics through the lens of photography and is well worth checking out.

Here are some of the best spots for the festival, enjoy yourself and let us know what you think!

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Fashion

FAT fashion transcends gender and culture definitions

“Please be seated. The show will begin in five minutes.”

I sat down in my front-row seats — which I sneaked into after certain sponsors decided not to show up — excited to experience the world of high-fashion. The blaring bass pounded as the music started up and the models started to walk down the runway in their high heels and strategically placed outfits. The confidence these men and women exuded while on the runway was varied — there may have been some amateur models in the mix, but everyone did well and there were no falls. Each day was different, with various performers gracing the stage and designers showcasing their beautiful pieces of art.

Fashion Art Week (FAT) is a week-long annual event that features live performances, art installations, and, of course, fashion shows and film. I attended three of the five nights and was incredibly impressed. Some of the outfits were not my taste, but it was fascinating to see how each designer interpreted this year’s theme: “Dress Codes.”

The theme was meant to express how fashion plays a role in a person’s identity and culture. The models strutting down the runway were both male and female, wearing an assortment of outfits that may, or may not, have met the stereotypical definition of what a man and a woman should be wearing. The designs transcended these gender definitions, and this proved quite refreshing. Men walked down the runway in heels, women went barefoot, and everyone modelled the lingerie.

Tuesday night’s ode to Bowie was especially memorable. The collection was designed by Evan Biddell, a Saskatoon-born designer and entitled “Rebel”, a fitting label for the show. Now, I call it a show because with the lights and background music (a compilation of Bowie’s greatest hits), full makeup and ziggy-esque outfits, it was quite the remembrance. There was no better way to represent this year’s theme then to acknowledge Bowie’s brave and iconic representation of sexuality.

Some of my favourite designers displayed a more casual collection. Designer Sun Sun, for example, used the slogan “Custom Androgynous Comfortable Clothing for anyone” to describe her collection. The designs were much more urban and the fabrics chosen were patterned black and white. Above everything else, the models had fun walking down the runway. Most smiled, struck poses, and literally bounced to the beat as they strutted. It probably helped that they were all wearing flat shoes. Friday night featured Padina Bondar, a Toronto-based designer whose work centers around the female reproduction system. It sounds a bit disturbing, but it was actually quite beautiful. The dresses were absolutely breathtaking, and I found myself sitting at the edge of my seat to see how they would make pregnancy and menstruation into such a work of art.

Every designer showcased something quite different and unique, which ultimately was what this year’s theme was all about: fashion isn’t gendered, rather it’s expressive of personality, creativity, and individuality.

Despite the long wait between shows, I enjoyed my time at FAT. What I loved most was the creative atmosphere. Guests would walk up to each other and compliment their outfits (most said they made them themselves), asking what colour of lipstick they were sporting, and cheering loudly after each performance. After speaking with some of the designers and guests, most said this was the biggest difference between FAT and Toronto Fashion Week — the atmosphere and the focus on art and photography as an element of fashion.

What about the fashion trends? Here are some of the observations from the night:

  • Pastels are just as popular as bold colours: About half of the designers chose to use light-coloured fabrics or pastel themes. There were a lot of whites, pinks, and light blues. There was an understated elegance in these collections. In contrast, most of the lingerie was darker and bolder.
  • Short in the front, long in the back: Many of the skirts and dresses had a flowing silhouette or a sheer train that followed the “short in the front and longer in the back” mantra. Personally, I loved the movement this type of design created.
  • Texture is our friend: Bold jewellery and chunky designs was a recurring motif throughout the week. Crinoline was used to give the shorter dresses some pouf while bows, flowers, and belts were used to provide texture on seemingly normal black dresses. It’s all about the accessories ladies.

To be honest, my favourite part about covering FAT was dressing up myself. As someone who works in an office most of the day, my typical office-wear includes a nice pair of pants and a light top/cardigan combination. This gave me the opportunity to test some of the lesser-used tops in my closet, including a flowing butterfly shawl with tassel and my dark purple lipstick.

 

What do you think of these designs? Let us know in the comments below!

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