Jesse (Niger)
- Aperture: f/2
- ISO: 2500
- Shutter Speed: 1/80 s
- Focal Length: 50mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Born in Niamey, Niger | Jesse first came to Canada as a United World College scholar to study at Pearson College in Victoria, BC. He subsequently was granted scholarships to complete his undergraduate and graduate studies in Ontario. After he completed a master’s degree in Economics at the University of Guelph Jesse came to…
Zuwaina (Oman)
- Aperture: f/3.5
- ISO: 100
- Shutter Speed: 1/2500 s
- Focal Length: 50mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Born in Muscat, Oman | When she was only five, Zuwaina and her family left Oman. After spending time in the Netherlands because of her father’s work, they decided to move to Canada with the hope of giving Zuwaina and her two sisters better future opportunities. Zuwaina felt a lot of “cultural confusion” as…
Peter (Zambia)
- Aperture: f/3.2
- ISO: 1600
- Shutter Speed: 1/160 s
- Focal Length: 50mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Born in Mansa, Zambia | After studying in Windsor for several years, Peter came to Toronto to further his education at Ryerson University. He grew up on Pelee Island, his parents both worked in the NGO sector, so they were always moving around, and it wasn’t until high school that he was living back…
Eileen (United Kingdom)
- Aperture: f/2.5
- ISO: 800
- Shutter Speed: 1/125 s
- Focal Length: 50mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Born in Stoke on Trent, United Kingdom | Both Eileen and her husband John longed to live in a Spanish speaking country, so they started looking in the newspaper for jobs abroad. John applied for an attractive job in Colombia, not realizing that the job he was applying for was actually in British Columbia,…
Christopher (Seychelles)
- Aperture: f/3.5
- ISO: 400
- Shutter Speed: 1/8000 s
- Focal Length: 50mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Born in Victoria, Seychelles | Looking to escape a military coup, and provide better education for their children, Christopher’s family left Seychelles when he was eight. He then lived in Montreal, but started to feel like something was missing. When on a trip to Toronto to visit his siblings after the end of a…
Monique (Dominica)
- Aperture: f/5.6
- ISO: 640
- Shutter Speed: 1/1250 s
- Focal Length: 50mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Roseau, Dominica | When Monique was twelve, her family migrated to Toronto, a city her parents had lived in during the 1970’s. In Toronto Monique completed high school, and went on to study Sociology and Health Sciences at the University of Toronto. She explains how many of her childhood friends from Dominica and Grenada…
Walton (Saint Lucia)
- Aperture: f/2.2
- ISO: 2000
- Shutter Speed: 1/400 s
- Focal Length: 50mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Born in Castries, Saint Lucia | Walton left St. Lucia to follow his dream of becoming a pilot. Although English is the official language of aviation, Toronto’s diversity appealed to him and he thought he might get the chance to learn new languages. Although he recognizes St. Lucia as a “paradise”, he is always…
Madina (Kyrgyzstan)
- Aperture: f/1.6
- ISO: 2500
- Shutter Speed: 1/125 s
- Focal Length: 50mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Born in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan | Along with seeking better opportunities and a stable political situation, Madina and her husband moved here because of Canada’s well-developed health care system. They had lost their first son in Kyrgyzstan due to what Madina describes as “a mistake by the doctors.” It was after this tragedy that they decided to…
Diego (Paraguay)
- Aperture: f/2.5
- ISO: 125
- Shutter Speed: 1/640 s
- Focal Length: 50mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Born in Asunción, Paraguay | Diego looked all over the world for a suitable college computer animation program, and the only one he could find with a program lasting more than one year was in Canada. After attending Durham College in Oshawa for four years he graduated, and was permitted to stay in Canada…
Esther (Papua New Guinea)
- Aperture: f/3.5
- ISO: 100
- Shutter Speed: 1/500 s
- Focal Length: 50mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Born in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea | After seeing Canadian scenery on television, Esther dreamed of coming to what she called “Snow Land”. In Papua New Guinea Esther was a social worker, involved with helping women who had been subjected to violence. She felt that there, her freedom of speech was restricted, the…