William (Palau)
- Aperture: f/4
- ISO: 500
- Shutter Speed: 1/1250 s
- Focal Length: 50mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Born in Koror, Palau | When William was nine years old his family moved from Palau to Texas, where he would finish his schooling, meet his wife Catherine and become a father to twins. After living in several locations throughout the Pacific and the United States, William desired to live in a place that…
Fatima (Mauritania)
- Aperture: f/3.2
- ISO: 200
- Shutter Speed: 1/800 s
- Focal Length: 50mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Born in Nouakchott, Mauritania | Fatima’s father works for the World Health Organization so, at only nineteen years of age, she has already travelled and lived in many European and African countries. After graduating from high school in the Burkina Faso, Fatima knew she wanted to study in a place she had never been…
Gebhard (Liechtenstein)
- Aperture: f/2.2
- ISO: 1250
- Shutter Speed: 1/200 s
- Focal Length: 50mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Born in Vaduz, Liechtenstein| Gebhard’s older sister had moved to England, married and, in 1956, decided to move to Canada with her husband. Gebhard, still in high school at the time, waited until he graduated and moved to Toronto to join her in 1959. “Canada was a wonderful destination for a young man.” In…
Enriqueta (Equatorial Guinea)
- Aperture: f/4
- ISO: 1250
- Shutter Speed: 1/400 s
- Focal Length: 50mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Born in Bata, Equatorial Guinea | When Enriqueta’s husband was transferred to Toronto for work she came along, and when he left the country she decided to stay. Today, she works as a personal support worker and feels free and well connected. Her friends and family here are very close to her heart and…
Yasser (Maldives)
- Aperture: f/2.2
- ISO: 1250
- Shutter Speed: 1/400 s
- Focal Length: 50mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Born in Male’, Maldives | Yasser left Maldives at the age of sixteen and, after a brief stint in Metchosin, arrived in Vancouver. While living there, Yasser never truly fell in love with the city, but he did fall in love with someone. During the final year of his Master’s degree, he had his…
Rafael (Puerto Rico)
- Aperture: f/2.8
- ISO: 1000
- Shutter Speed: 1/100 s
- Focal Length: 50mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Born in Caguas, Puerto Rico (USA) | Rafael first came to Toronto after his mother and Canadian stepfather married. Leaving a tropical island with beautiful warm weather wasn’t easy for Rafael, but opportunities and safety were more promising in Canada. He arrived the same year Mel Lastman called on the army because of the…
Tsheltrim (Bhutan)
- Aperture: f/2.8
- ISO: 100
- Shutter Speed: 1/1000 s
- Focal Length: 50mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Born in Thimphu, Bhutan | Thirteen years ago Tsheltrim’s mother came to Canada alone in search of better opportunities. Without much of a plan, she managed to find a job at a pizza restaurant. After being apart for more than a decade, she was finally able to bring Tsheltrim and his brother to Toronto to live with her. Tsheltrim’s brother…
Elisaia (Tuvalu)
- Aperture: f/3.5
- ISO: 125
- Shutter Speed: 1/2500 s
- Focal Length: 50mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Born in Funafuti, Tuvalu | Elisaia is a follower of the Bahá’í faith, and in 2005 he went to Haifa, Israel to volunteer at the religion’s holy sites. It was there that he met his wife Enas, who is from Whitby, Ontario. In 2007 they married in Israel and immigrated to Canada. Since arriving, Elisaia has studied computer networking and communications and now has…
Khaoula (Kashmir)
- Aperture: f/1.2
- ISO: 3200
- Shutter Speed: 1/100 s
- Focal Length: 50mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Born in Baramulla, Kashmir (India) | Khaoula lived in Kashmir during the peak of the armed insurgency and remembers the situation as dire. Her father was involved in separatist politics, and as a child she recalls visiting him in an interrogation centre, where he had been held as a political prisoner. She witnessed first-hand why…
Khydup (Tibet)
- Aperture: f/2.2
- ISO: 2000
- Shutter Speed: 1/200 s
- Focal Length: 50mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Born in Amdo Ngawa, Tibet (China) | Khydup met Julie while he was still living in India, and they were teaching each other their respective languages. Soon after, they fell in love and left for Toronto. Canadian citizenship provided Khydup with something he calls a “rebirth,” with the ability to serve humanity according to…
Winnie (Macau)
- Aperture: f/2
- ISO: 1000
- Shutter Speed: 1/40 s
- Focal Length: 50mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Born in Macau (China) | When Macau, a former Portuguese colony, was transferred back to China in 1999, Winnie’s parents were afraid of the new Chinese leadership and the impact that might have on their personal freedoms. She remembers arriving in Canada and being welcomed by her first snowfall – something she had never…
Sandra (Toronto)
- Aperture: f/3.5
- ISO: 640
- Shutter Speed: 1/1600 s
- Focal Length: 50mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Born in Toronto, Canada | Sandra is a sixth generation Canadian and a retired elementary school teacher (specializing in Computer Education and Learning Disabilities). Other than ten years she spent in Montreal, she has lived in Toronto for her entire life. Sandra can trace her roots back to both Germany and Britain. In 1776…
Charlene (Antigua and Barbuda)
- Aperture: f/5.6
- ISO: 400
- Shutter Speed: 1/250 s
- Focal Length: 50mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Born in Liberta Village, Antigua and Barbuda | Charlene describes Toronto as “the first home I ever knew,” having arrived in the city the day after her first birthday. When she was four, her family moved back to Liberta Village, Antigua for her to start school. She remembers being called a foreigner by the…
Calum (Scotland)
- Aperture: f/2.8
- ISO: 640
- Shutter Speed: 1/125 s
- Focal Length: 50mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Born in Alexandria, Scotland (U.K.) | Calum first visited Toronto in the summer of 2001, traveling with a school friend and staying with the friend’s aunt and uncle. “I spent three amazing weeks here, and on the last day someone asked if I could see myself living here. The answer was yes, and that…
Graciella (Burundi)
- Aperture: f/3.5
- ISO: 100
- Shutter Speed: 1/1600 s
- Focal Length: 50mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Born in Bujumbura, Burundi | Graciella came here alone, two and half years ago, as a refugee – leaving her family behind. Burundi was, and still is, suffering from a civil war, one with both ethnicity and religion as focal points. Graciella appreciates that as a woman in Canada she can pursue a career…