The definition of claustrophobia is an irrational fear of confined places. I have not been diagnosed with claustrophobia, but I do often feel trapped to a level that is beyond common. I'm very sensitive to space and I require breathing room in all aspects of my life. This is evident in my photography, my personal life and even my choices in interior design. There are moments in my life (as I'm sure you can identify with) that are simply too much to wrap my head around and leave me feeling overly confined. Even my "to do list" can sometimes leave me feeling like there's little to no oxygen left in the room. Whenever I hit a moment of anxiety such as this, I look to my wall where a framed print from my series entitled "Irrational Fear of Confined Spaces" hangs. One glance and it's like somebody has thrown me an oxygen mask.

Flipping through the entire series is like taking a tropical vacation on a tiny island full of fresh air and warm breezes. The visual space in this series can calm me down in any situation and has become quite therapeutic in my life.

I'm not sure what word is the exact opposite of claustrophobia, but if it could be summed up in a location, the majestic glacier waters of Banff National Park's Lake Louise would definitely be at the top of the list. My first opportunity to visit Lake Louise became the location for the "Irrational Fear of Confined Spaces" series. The Drive from Calgary to Vancouver is normally 12 hours, but I managed to make it over 24 hours as I was simply too distracted by the beauty along the way. I must have pulled over 20 times on that trip to capture the landscape of the Canadian prairies and the Rocky Mountains, but nothing was more spectacular than Lake Louise.

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