My Friend Dawn
Dawn Shackelly
Dawn Shackelly and friend Steve Drynock at Thompson River ~ June 2012
We were on our way to a conference on June 23, 2012. We were headed from Vancouver to Kamloops, and part of the route took us along the Thompson River. The river was between ten and fifteen feet above normal levels. The rainstorms in the past few days, and even that day, flooded the TransCanada Highway so badly that segments were closed.
We were travelling in sunshine until we arrived at the Thompson River part. The sky grew dark, and the rain came down in sheets - it was a downpour. As we continued on our way, we came by a man and a woman fishing from the riverbank. Just then, the woman caught a fish and had the biggest smile on her face, all in the pouring rain. I wanted to capture that smile in that moment. We opened the window and asked them to pose. I wouldn’t even get out of the car, as I didn’t want to damage the camera or even get wet.
Once I took a couple of photos to capture the moment, we exchanged email addresses.
In less than three minutes of actual connection, we’ve stayed in touch on many occasions, thanks to Facebook. She will be featured in my upcoming book, “The Passion and Purpose of Ordinary People.”
In that short time, we were face-to-face, and she became influential in the way I think about things. Some people shelter from the rain, and I, included that day. Others, like Dawn, dance in the rain. When I asked her why, it was a simple answer, “ I love fishing, and this was the first time in a while that I could fish. A little rain was not going to stop us. I also love the excitement when I feel the tug on the line.”
Since then, I have been a fan of hers and have watched as she became interested in photography and has now become quite accomplished at it.
This is a temporary page until she has her site. You can reach her and order prints directly from Dawn. I cannot handle sales. Please reach out to her directly by email to order lilashackelly@gmail.com describe the image you want.
Dawn Shackelly, Photographer
Dawn Shackelly is of the Nlaka’pamux 1st Nations in British Columbia. Started in photography in 2017. Has entered three contests and won two of them.
Stay tuned for more stories about Dawn and her images.
Wild Style
Wild horse.
The Protector
This male Eagle was hovering around the nest protecting two babes
Winter Bliz
One of the first pictures Dawn took
Stay tuned and come back often to this page to see more of Dawn’s work.