When the leaves turned a beautiful colour in October, I had the opportunity to photograph the wonderful Paan family in Orangeville. They were referred to me by Tanya, whose lovely family I have photographed a couple of years ago.
“Home” has always been a fascinating concept to me. There is the saying that “home is where the heart is”, and amazingly (as it usually is with language), there is a similar saying in Chinese (and probably in other languages as well). It means different things to different people. Perhaps it’s a small but modern apartment in a metropolitan city; perhaps it’s a 50L backpack filled with only the essential things you need to survive and travelling the world; perhaps you only feel at home with your parents who you know will always love you unconditionally.
For the Paan’s, I think home is a full house in the country, with two furry friends in tow and space to roam & explore. Maybe because I’m an only child and most of my family have always been far away, but I always thought I wouldn’t necessarily want a big family. Then I met the Paan’s, and thought, “hey, this isn’t so bad”. I know what I saw was only a small slice of their life, and that there must be days that feel hard and challenging (but isn’t it like that with all families regardless of the size?) But still, seeing how happy, loving, and harmonious they are within their family, I couldn’t help but think that all the hard days must be so worth it.
Thank you, the Paan family! For opening up to me and letting me document a little slice of your home.