NZPhotographer Issue 21, July 2019
As of December 2022, NZPhotographer magazine is only available when you purchase an annual or monthly subscription via the NZP website. Find out more: www.nzphotographer.nz
As of December 2022, NZPhotographer magazine is only available when you purchase an annual or monthly subscription via the NZP website. Find out more: www.nzphotographer.nz
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Life Through<br />
My Lens<br />
From childhood cancer to cows and now clothes,<br />
this is the story of one women’s photographic<br />
journey spanning 18 years.<br />
I describe my photography as “Life through my lens”.<br />
My style is quite varied, as has been my own life’s<br />
journey, but agriculture, animals and nature have<br />
played a very big part in my photography world.<br />
Being outdoors is just 100% me – To wander around<br />
outdoors with my camera and take it all in is the<br />
happiest place I can be and the ability to then<br />
by Vicky O’Connor<br />
share that with others, especially those who may<br />
not be able to have the same opportunities, is truly<br />
rewarding.<br />
I discovered I could use photography to connect<br />
to others to help them to slow down, to stop long<br />
enough to firstly look then to see and experience the<br />
little things we all miss in our rushed daily lives. I have<br />
used my photography to raise money for Children’s<br />
Cancer Research to try to help in any way I can to<br />
lessen some heartache.<br />
Life threw my family, like many others, a few curve<br />
balls. My eldest daughter was diagnosed with a heart<br />
condition so underwent open-heart surgery at the<br />
age of eight. Her little sister by this stage was nearly<br />
a year into her treatment for an Ependemoma Brain<br />
Tumor diagnosed as a two year old. Then my second<br />
eldest was diagnosed with a Spinal Tumor.<br />
Making the journey through Childhood Cancer<br />
with your children is something that will change you<br />
and your family forever. How you choose to react<br />
is an individual reaction born from your personality,<br />
support network, geographical location, and financial<br />
situation. But the biggest impact is the diagnosis and<br />
outcome for your child. Considering the treatment<br />
endured I am the very proud mother of four beautiful<br />
grown up daughters that I am privileged to have in<br />
my life as many of the families we journeyed with<br />
tragically lost their children.<br />
One very special little girl was Renee Tomasi who<br />
would have celebrated her <strong>21</strong>st birthday this year.<br />
Tragically, Renee died at the age of three after a<br />
courageous battle but her memory lives on.<br />
<strong>July</strong> <strong>2019</strong><br />
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