Nova Scotia photo project aims to be 'an honest depiction of everyday life'

A Bedford, N.S., photographer will soon be launching a project in which about 25 Nova Scotians will take turns with a point-and-shoot camera and take photos of what's important in their lives and neighbourhoods.

"It's not meant to be sweeping landscapes or anything profound, it's meant to be just an honest depiction of everyday life," said Jon Nicholls.

Using an Olympus camera, participants will be asked to take up to 10 pictures and then send the camera to the next participant on the list.

Nichollsfound the people through We Love Nova Scotia, a Facebook group with more than 50,000 members where people post photos they've taken that are set in the province.

This isn't Nicholls' first time doing a project like this. When he was previously living in Kingston, Ont., he did a similar project, except the participants were spread out worldwide in places such as Argentina, Ukraine, England, Malaysia, Australia and the U.S.

Nichollsfound people through Flickr for thatproject, which began in 2010 and took almost three years to complete.

For that project, participants were tasked with taking four photos one of themselves, a picture of their local environment and two photos of whatever they chose.

One of Nicholls favourite photos was taken during the London 2012 Olympics because he's originally from the U.K.

"It took a while to get there, but it was just pure coincidence that the next person in line happened to get it just as the Olympics were in town," he said.

There's a reason why Nichollshas used apoint-and-shoot camera for the projects.

"I do like film because I think it slows people down, it's not an immediate return on that picture," he said. "It's on the back of the camera, you're focused on the moment and what you're looking at through your eyes, not an LCD screen, so it's a different way of working."

Nichollssaid people will be allowed to have the camera for a maximum of two weeks, which should mean the project will take about a year to complete.

He hopes to have an exhibit once the project is complete, which would also serve as an opportunity for the participants to meet in person.

Nicholls, who moved here in March from Kingston, thinks the project will be a good way for him to see Nova Scotia.

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