Look Ma, I'm in the Toronto Star!

When I went searching for news on Hazel McCallion's funeral, I did not expect to come up with an image I had taken in 2019.

At the time I worked for a non-profit organization in Peel Region. It is a small organization and I was, for all intents and purposes, a one person marketing department

Part of my role included taking photographs of their cornerstone events, including their annual award ceremonies and golf tournament. At this particular event Mohammed Fakih was receiving the Hazel McCallion Power of Giving Award from Hazel McCallion herself. When photographing events, I look for the emotion. A photo of Patrick Brown at a podium, no matter how heartfelt his speech, isn't nearly as compelling as capturing an emotional connection. Nor a photo of Hazel herself giving a speech at the event. But when two people come together, it can be magic. As Mr. Fakih held his award, he hugged Hazel, and I got the shot. I would say, out of all of the photos I took that night, this one is my favourite.

After the event, I submitted the photo to the Brampton Guardian, along with a story about the award recipients. Fast forward to 4 years later, searching for images from Hazel's funeral, my own photo came up in the search results. Unbeknownst to me, the Star had used my photo in a piece written by Mohammed Fakih. A pleasant and unexpected surprise. Sometimes It pays to search for funeral photos after all!