Doreen Jung: View Through The Lens Of Photographer Ruby Jaggernath

By Doreen Jung. Abandoned and rusting, the derelict car sits in the field. Despite missing windows and headlights, it seemed to be peering out from behind a gossamer shield of tall weeds and wildflowers. [Click On Image For Full Story]

Most people would have passed on by without a second glance but Ruby Jaggernath saw something that made her stop and pull out her camera.
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As the old saying goes, ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholde.’ In her image “Abandoned”,Ruby enables us to see the beauty captured through her lens.
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Photographer and writer, Ruby Jaggernath brings into focus breath-taking landscapes, wildlife and urban scenes, as well as abstract images. She also loves macro photography; getting up close and personal with pond life, insects, and wild flowers.
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Ruby feels that she has had three lives in photography. When she was a teenager, her parents bought her a camera and she was introduced to the wonderful world of film photography. After she got married, she learned to use the single lens reflex camera and took many pictures, developing her skills in photographic techniques.
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Taking a break from photography until her children grew up, Ruby then made the transition from film to digital photography.
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After her children grew up, Ruby began to do freelance writing, incorporating her photography into her work.
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Her first article with photos was sold to the BCAA Magazine. After that Ruby contributed to trade magazines and Horizon Magazine.
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Locally, Ruby is a volunteer writer for the Bradner Barker, where she writes travel columns illustrated with her photography.
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Her pictures have also been used by KVOS TV, on the Fraser Valley Life website, and in the Presbyterian Church of Canada bulletins.
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Ruby has written two children’s books, ‘“Fly, Dragonfly, Fly”, and ‘“Milking Time Suzy gets Lost”. Incorporating her writing and photography into stories for young children to enjoy, Ruby’s work has reached a broad spectrum of ages.
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She has created prints and photo art cards from her pictures and her work has been exhibited at Kariton Art Gallery, Abbotsford Hospice, and Infusions Cafe. Ruby’s photography has enabled her to take part in community events such as the Abbotsford Arts Council’s Christmas Craft Fair and Campbell’s Gold “Art in the Barn”.
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Ruby has participated in national and local photographic competitions. Her “Newborn” received an Honorable Mention from CAPA (Canadian Association for Photographic Arts). Her passion for photography has opened many other doors for Ruby. “Photography gets me walking and traveling.
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“It also gets me to slow down to look at things more,” says Ruby. She has met many people through her photography. “They say you meet a lot of people when you walk the dog. I’ve found that when you are lying on the ground trying to take a picture, people will stop and ask if you are all right. It can be a good start to a conversation.”
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One of the things Ruby enjoys most about her photography is teaching it. She has taught intermediate photography with film and interchangeable lenses. Currently she teaches basic digital photography.
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Through her photography, Ruby would like people to learn more about their environment and to look at it more closely. She would like people to recognize that photography is an art form. “When light is your paint and the print is your canvas, photography is an art.”
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For more information about her photography and her classes, Ruby can be contacted at juggert@uniserve.com

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Editor’s Note: Doreen Jung is a member of the Abbotsford Arts Council and former Arts Administrator. Her column on The Arts in Abbotsford appears here regularly.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on Abbotsford Today 07/02/10