"Our Lady of Medjugorje" Project

We are proud to offer for the FIRST time, very high quality reproductions of the "Our Lady of Medjugorje" painting which hangs in the yellow conference hall building behind the main chuch of St. James. The original 76" x 109" oil on canvas painting was created in 1998 by the famous Italian artist Carmelo Puzzolo. His rendition of Our Lady is claimed to be the closest yet according to the visionaries in Medjugorje. A percentage of every sale goes directly to the parish in Medjugorje, and this painting is reproduced with their permission.

Our Canvases and Prints are made using Giclée Print Technology, which is a Hi Resolution Digital Ink Jet Printing process on large format for the purposes of fine art reproduction. The special UltraChrome Ink used is a high vibrancy pigmented ink developed by Epson. This ink, used in conjunction with specially engineered Epson fine art Canvas and Paper, creates "Fine Art" quality prints, which have an exceptional life span.

THE ORIGINAL MISSION
Our mission was to capture a high quality image of this painting so we could reproduce the image in an ever ongoing mission to spread the word of Our Lady of Medjugorje. To 'take a picture' is a relatively simple concept, but the prep work to capture a high quality image is a lot more involved and amazingly time consuming, particularly when dealing with high end camera & delicate lighting equipment, the logistics of hall bookings, the minor misunderstandings of language differences, the moving of hundreds of chairs, and one very large majestic painting. Such circumstances provided an exciting and challenging project for an early Tuesday morning in February on location in Medjugorje.

DETAILS OF THE SHOOT
Steve and I arrived at the agreed time of 8:15 am with all the necessary gear, though the key to the hall didn't arrive until an hour later. Knowing we would have only a limited time in this one morning, I referred to my checklist and quickly settled into the prep work, directing the muscle of the group to prepare they way for the painting. Taking the painting off the wall was actually simpler than I anticipated, and within moments the work was underway. Curious onlookers no doubt were wondering... "All this for one picture"? I directed as many as I could to work moving chairs, measuring distances, supporting the painting, calculating angles and generally keeping them engaged. Everyone was participating and things went smoothly. Back to my checklist.... Finally we are ready to click away. Aside from the occasional misfire on the lights, this part went quickly, and soon, it was time for tear down. It really was a 'hit reverse on the video' moment, as the chairs were moved back, the painting re-hung, tape ripped off the walls, the lights and camera equipment dismantled and put back into the cases.

CONVERSION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHER'S HEART
In the beginning, I was engaged to capture a high quality image of this marvelous painting. Over the course of my time in Medjugorje, I also experienced the peacefulness and wonder of this miraculous place. The people, the prayer life, the camaraderie and the laughter, along with the unbelievable rocky landscape which is a parallel to the hardiness of the people touched my heart in immediate, profound and lasting ways.

THE PHOTOGRAPHER: Where did she come from?
I began my professional career as a photographer in an elementary school classroom in Canada over a decade ago. At a loss for a Mother's Day project for my energetic First Graders, I brought my camera to school and clicked away. The individual portraits that went home on the homemade construction paper cards were a hit, and soon the parents of my students asked me to do family portraits. It was the beginning of a new career for me, one that that engaged my spirit and stimulated my passion each time I looked through the lens. I shoot from the heart, and with every image I capture, I am thankful for the gift of seeing God's world in such a unique manner. Ten years later, I have left full time teaching and am now working full time as a photographer. Each day, each image is a gift, and I am so thankful, particularly when this new career has afforded opportunities for travel to such places as Medjugorje!!

You are invited to explore Monique's own website at: http://www.uniqueperspectives.ca

Taking Pictures of the Painting

Monique and Damir	Our Gang of Helpers	I Know Its Here Somewhere	See I Told You So	Not As Easy As It Looks!
We Are Ready to Shoot	Ok Give Me the Scoop	Lets Get it Right	Attention Everyone!	I Want a Perfect Picture!