Who is Candace?
Born, adopted, and raised in northern Utah, Candace Tarkeshian is a 28 year old lasagna enthusiast with 2 kids, 2 dogs, an adoring husband, and a piano. Her nail polish is chipped more often than not and her hobbies include being a roller derby official, vocal coach, and former PTA President.
An avid believer in volunteerism, she has led her team to gold medal victory as an assistant coach for Salt Lake Special Olympics, has held several positions with the Sundance Film Festival, and donates her time in bulk to local and national anime, video game, and art conventions. She believes that Final Fantasy VI reigns far superior over Final Fantasy VII and that Persona 3 will never be as good as Persona 4, regardless of how many re-releases and added scenes come along. She stands at the ready, waiting for the next person to challenge these beliefs.
Candace believes there are not enough photographs of sloths on the internet and has vowed to do her part to right this wrong. Her photography comes from a unique perspective; as she has spent equal time behind and in front of the camera over the past two years. The entire "Anything but Slothful" team is pleased to be involved in a project with so much potential to aid in the conservation education of poachers and students alike in Costa Rica, and around the world.
This will be her first photographic exploration of this scale, dwarfing by comparison her explorations of such scenic areas as Utah's Hogle Zoo, the Living Planet Aquarium, and her own backyard. Though photography has been her passion since childhood (there are many photo albums filled to bursting with polaroids of the family dog and her favorite vacation spots) it wasn't until recently that she started exploring the world with a professional grade camera: A Nikon D5000. As a result, her always creative editing techniques have taken a backseat to her evolving creative shooting techniques. Throughout the months of February and March 2012, she is determined to photograph a different living creature every day. She is spending much of her time collaborating with other local photographers; learning their tricks, tips, and favorite techniques. Candace sees the sloths of Costa Rica as a beautiful challenge and opportunity to learn, grow, and share as an artist. Her greatest fear regarding the upcoming expedition is that, being only one person, she may miss a once in a lifetime shot because she can't be in two places at once. Her plans to address this fear include setting up cameras (both still and video) on tripods to run in the nursery and slothpital when she can't be there. Our team looks forward to diving into the mysteries captured by these cameras upon her return. We plan to take what we learn from this expedition and apply it to the next, continuing our work for as long as we can afford to.
Candace's friends and family are extremely excited to support her throughout this journey. Her dogs, notably, are not.
Q: Where did you come up with this idea?
A: I've always loved travel and animals. When Animal Planet began airing a short special on the Sloth Sanctuary in December 2011, I became obsessed. The Sanctuary's website recently posted details on their new Artist in Residency program and I took that as a sign. I applied the same day and was accepted almost as quickly.
Q: Are you nervous?
A: Not terribly. I attended an alternative high school for my freshman year. Part of that meant living out of a van in Mexico for 3 weeks. We slept on the van, in the van, or near the van. We were exposed to the elements. I remember becoming quite frustrated with a particularly determined scorpion that had taken a liking to my sleeping pack. It is my understanding that being in the rain forest will likely lead me face to face with other determined insects. This time I'm just as determined to photograph them as they are to creep and crawl all around me. As for the temperatures and humidity: I can't wait! Living in Utah means very cold winters. I'm not a fan of the cold. I thrive in places like Oahu, Hawaii and Lake Taupo, New Zealand.
Q: Of the two varieties of sloth you'll be working with, which is your favorite?
A: Having never interacted directly with a sloth, I'd say I'm partial to the choloepus. I'm eager to find out if that holds true after my stay at the Sanctuary. The choloepus remind me a bit of ewoks. Since I'm a big time geek, the idea of spending 17 days photographing and hanging out with ewoks is a dream come true! That said, the Sanctuary matriarch, Buttercup, is pretty close to my age and she's a Bradypus. Who knows what could happen?
Q: What's most exciting about going to Costa Rica?
A: It really is the sloths. Given the 3 hour drive each way to the nearest city from the sanctuary and my perpetual dislike of driving in countries other than my own, I can't imagine I'll be leaving the Sanctuary much during my stay. If I have to pick something besides the sloths and the chance to build my photography portfolio, I'll say that I'm most excited for some warm weather and the chance to make new friends. I also hope there are some cool musical instruments that I can shop for in the city before I leave. I play the piano, flute, oboe, guitar, and a little ukulele. I enjoy picking up instruments when I travel. Flying home from Hawaii with a ukulele on my lap for the duration of the flight wasn't my finest experience, but having that ukulele has proven to be well worth the effort.
Q: Have you seen the clip of Kristen Bell on the Ellen show freaking out about meeting a sloth?
A: Of course! I love it. If you haven't seen it yet and find yourself wondering what this question is all about; here. Have you seen the auto tuned version?
An avid believer in volunteerism, she has led her team to gold medal victory as an assistant coach for Salt Lake Special Olympics, has held several positions with the Sundance Film Festival, and donates her time in bulk to local and national anime, video game, and art conventions. She believes that Final Fantasy VI reigns far superior over Final Fantasy VII and that Persona 3 will never be as good as Persona 4, regardless of how many re-releases and added scenes come along. She stands at the ready, waiting for the next person to challenge these beliefs.
Candace believes there are not enough photographs of sloths on the internet and has vowed to do her part to right this wrong. Her photography comes from a unique perspective; as she has spent equal time behind and in front of the camera over the past two years. The entire "Anything but Slothful" team is pleased to be involved in a project with so much potential to aid in the conservation education of poachers and students alike in Costa Rica, and around the world.
This will be her first photographic exploration of this scale, dwarfing by comparison her explorations of such scenic areas as Utah's Hogle Zoo, the Living Planet Aquarium, and her own backyard. Though photography has been her passion since childhood (there are many photo albums filled to bursting with polaroids of the family dog and her favorite vacation spots) it wasn't until recently that she started exploring the world with a professional grade camera: A Nikon D5000. As a result, her always creative editing techniques have taken a backseat to her evolving creative shooting techniques. Throughout the months of February and March 2012, she is determined to photograph a different living creature every day. She is spending much of her time collaborating with other local photographers; learning their tricks, tips, and favorite techniques. Candace sees the sloths of Costa Rica as a beautiful challenge and opportunity to learn, grow, and share as an artist. Her greatest fear regarding the upcoming expedition is that, being only one person, she may miss a once in a lifetime shot because she can't be in two places at once. Her plans to address this fear include setting up cameras (both still and video) on tripods to run in the nursery and slothpital when she can't be there. Our team looks forward to diving into the mysteries captured by these cameras upon her return. We plan to take what we learn from this expedition and apply it to the next, continuing our work for as long as we can afford to.
Candace's friends and family are extremely excited to support her throughout this journey. Her dogs, notably, are not.
Q: Where did you come up with this idea?
A: I've always loved travel and animals. When Animal Planet began airing a short special on the Sloth Sanctuary in December 2011, I became obsessed. The Sanctuary's website recently posted details on their new Artist in Residency program and I took that as a sign. I applied the same day and was accepted almost as quickly.
Q: Are you nervous?
A: Not terribly. I attended an alternative high school for my freshman year. Part of that meant living out of a van in Mexico for 3 weeks. We slept on the van, in the van, or near the van. We were exposed to the elements. I remember becoming quite frustrated with a particularly determined scorpion that had taken a liking to my sleeping pack. It is my understanding that being in the rain forest will likely lead me face to face with other determined insects. This time I'm just as determined to photograph them as they are to creep and crawl all around me. As for the temperatures and humidity: I can't wait! Living in Utah means very cold winters. I'm not a fan of the cold. I thrive in places like Oahu, Hawaii and Lake Taupo, New Zealand.
Q: Of the two varieties of sloth you'll be working with, which is your favorite?
A: Having never interacted directly with a sloth, I'd say I'm partial to the choloepus. I'm eager to find out if that holds true after my stay at the Sanctuary. The choloepus remind me a bit of ewoks. Since I'm a big time geek, the idea of spending 17 days photographing and hanging out with ewoks is a dream come true! That said, the Sanctuary matriarch, Buttercup, is pretty close to my age and she's a Bradypus. Who knows what could happen?
Q: What's most exciting about going to Costa Rica?
A: It really is the sloths. Given the 3 hour drive each way to the nearest city from the sanctuary and my perpetual dislike of driving in countries other than my own, I can't imagine I'll be leaving the Sanctuary much during my stay. If I have to pick something besides the sloths and the chance to build my photography portfolio, I'll say that I'm most excited for some warm weather and the chance to make new friends. I also hope there are some cool musical instruments that I can shop for in the city before I leave. I play the piano, flute, oboe, guitar, and a little ukulele. I enjoy picking up instruments when I travel. Flying home from Hawaii with a ukulele on my lap for the duration of the flight wasn't my finest experience, but having that ukulele has proven to be well worth the effort.
Q: Have you seen the clip of Kristen Bell on the Ellen show freaking out about meeting a sloth?
A: Of course! I love it. If you haven't seen it yet and find yourself wondering what this question is all about; here. Have you seen the auto tuned version?