2023 Newsletter Reboot

Hello!

Jean-Marc here.  It has been a while since I've made a newsletter.  If we haven't seen you lately, I hope you've been well! If you're new to our mailing list, don't be a stranger and send us an update or introduction, or if there's anything you want to read or learn about in any upcoming newsletter (a photography tip, connection, or help of some kind, or even better an event or promotion you'd like to share), send us an email.

What's up today, you may ask?

This time around, all we have for you are fun announcements of cool things!

• Empathy Week 2023: A week of events promoting empathy in our communities
• USAY IndigiTrails: Echoes of the Past Launch Event - Learning about indigenous history at Nose Hill Park
• The Lumenarium: Studio Lumen Rentals

Have a read, and if you see something that interests you, we hope to hear from you!

Gratefully yours,
Studio Lumen

Empathy Week is a 7 day festival, proclaimed by the City of Calgary, where people come together to celebrate human connection and foster empathy. The events take place online, as well as in the city of Calgary and area. The festival features events, discussions, workshops and exhibitions, which discuss or promote empathy, diversity, inclusion, and our shared humanity.

Already running for 6 years, it has amplified the voices of hundreds of artists, changemakers, and people who experience systemic barriers. Thousands of Calgarians have already attended 42 days of programming with over 130 daily events, and we can't wait for what 2023 has in store.

Some of the events that we have are:

• Children's Art Therapy class with CRATE Art Therapy
• Panel discussions and book readings on important issues
• Puppet shows
• A fireside chat and BBQ with Indigenous Elders

Check out the program below.

How can you get involved?

By participating in Empathy Week, you will be supporting efforts to reduce silos of misunderstanding and barriers between people, to increase connection and understanding, and to create communities where everyone belongs.

• Follow our social media channels on Facebook and Instagram to learn more about each event
• Attend one of our events!  Register at the link or the button below.
• Volunteer!! Any event like this needs help to run.  We would love your help! To join us by, send us an email here and we'll send you the volunteer signup form.
• Sponsor Empathy Week!  This is a labour of love, and we have expenses.  Any little bit helps.  Donate what you can or become a title sponsor.  Just contact us from the link above to get started.

We're looking forward to seeing you!

June 23rd, 2-4PM: IndigiTrails - Echoes of the Past

The Urban Society for Aboriginal Youth (USAY) is a charity whose mission is to enrich the lives of all urban Indigenous youth by nurturing self-empowerment and fostering healthy collaboration and communication to ensure healthy future generations. We have been so, so fortunate to work with them on numerous documentaries and photoshoots, and are excited to share one of their events with you - and hey you may just see us there.

They are always creating new and unique things to empower their youth to envision and attain a healthy sustainable future while upholding traditional Indigenous values.

They have developed the IndigiTRAILS app, which is a GPS Augmented Reality experience to help us learn and experience indigenous issues. On June 23rd from 2-4 they are hosting a launch event for their newest trail, Echoes of the Past. Echoes of the Past takes you on a journey through time to specific moments in history that impacted Indigenous people. Immerse yourself in the past and witness historical events as if you were there.

You can learn more about IndigiTRAILS at their site.  Send us a note and we'll update you when there's a registration link.

The Lumenarium: Simple Studio Rental

Now that we have our own space (yes, we moved!), we are able to rent it out to other photographers and videographers.  It's not huge, but it is really well suited to certain kinds of shoots like:

• Headshots
• Portraits of any kind
• Formal group portraits on a simple backdrop
• Product Photography
• Talking Heads Video Shoots

The nice thing is, it comes with most of the lighting equipment you would need to actually light your shoot!  And someone to explain to you how to use it so you can get on your way creating.

We have tried to price it in proportion to its size and scope of work, that is, it is affordable!

So you may ask, who might want to use this?

• A lifestyle photographer who doesn't have a studio and is looking to try some studio things out
• A portrait photographer who knows what they need but just don't have the space or gear
• A hobbyist portrait photographer who'd like to experiment with some studio lighting and posing

If you know anyone who fits those descriptions, send them to our landing page, or even better introduce us by email.