Many times a day, the people you see crossing the street or meet in your travels make you smile and wonder, “What is their life like? What is their story?” A photographer is compelled to capture these individuals’ image to communicate their unique stories—to take a portrait that reflects their personality and the world they live in. For me (@tallulahphoto), this evolved into a passion to photograph these everyday people, whose unique souls reflect not only the zeitgeist but the joy and colour that comes from living on the West Coast.
Portraits from the Vancouver People Project will be featured in Vancouver Is Awesome as a precursor to a future photographic exhibit featuring the wonderful characters who contribute to the fabric of Vancouver.
Lindsay Coulter
Age: Born April 1976
Born: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
How long have you lived in Vancouver? Since 2005
Occupations: In the 1990s I was the “Weasel Woman;” I caught and tagged weasels in the boreal forest and learned to identify birds by song. From there I became the “Owl Lady;” I worked with farmers and ranchers is southern Alberta to protect habitat for endangered species like the burrowing owl. I even had my own burrowing owl called MJ who accompanied me. Currently I am the “Queen of Green” for the David Suzuki Foundation where I show people how to live a greener, less toxic lifestyle. I am also a mother and have incorporated my baby into a green lifestyle. The most exciting revelation has been having the baby use the potty since he was 12 days old. That saves a lot on buying diapers — a particularly thorny issue.
Passions and Interests: I love horseback riding, although it’s hard to keep a horse in Kitsilano. My daily interests include: yoga, hiking, crafting, DIY, cooking and baking.
What do people know you for? Talking a lot, telling stories, sharing and teaching.
Thoughts on Vancouver? ? I love living in a “green city.” It is gorgeous and oozes healthy living. Vancouver is a big city in the rainforest. I can walk everywhere and it’s easy to escape to nearby parks, which makes it hard to believe you actually live in a city. I wish my mom lived here.
Tallulah’s Musings
I had been following the advice of the Queen of Green for ages, and it was while I was doing photographs for the Vancouver Fruit Tree Project that I met her in person. She was volunteering — perched up a long ladder gathering apples. I enjoyed talking with Lindsay and she mentioned that as little girl she had watched, fascinated, David Suzuki on television in the family home. As fate would have it, years later she’s working for his foundation. For this portrait I talked with Lindsay and we decided on Jericho Beach for the location. I had a vision, I collected an old chair for a throne and shells and I asked my friend GG to help style this, as I wanted a regal look with a flowing green gown and we found an owl too. We went in the very early morning when the light is soft and gorgeous.
Styling kindly provided by Gerry Gail Endean
