Tributes
Shirley had an ability to easily connect with a large number of people. You are welcome to share your thoughts, stories, and photos of Shirley in this forum. Please see the help page for information on entering a tribute.
She captured who we are as a family
It is not very often in life you get to meet someone who, in the span of about 3 hours, can have such an impact on your life. But indeed, Shirley was one of those shining lights. She took our family pictures several years ago and not only did she capture the essence of who we were as a family, but she had this incredible gift of just making you feel at ease, natural. She also had a knack of almost becoming invisible when she was behind the lens, letting the moment take over and trusting her keen eye to pick out the most intimate of snapshots. I can still see her standing on the slippery wet rocks in the Ottawa River, her pants were rolled up to her knees, just to get that perfect angle.
We stayed in contact after our photo session, partly because I felt so strongly and so positively about her photography that I wanted her to do everyone's work (she subsequently did my photo for my flyers when I ran in a municipal election, and again when she came to Canadian Blood Services to shoot our executives), but also because my wife Lisa and I felt she had in a way become a part of our family. Hell, if you ever visited our house and came into the family room, our wall was adorned with family pictures, many of them shot by Shirley.
She touched so many lives through her passion, yet she was always humble about her talent. And while she was incredible at shooting people, her real passion was dogs. I remember her telling me that she'd always take her camera with her when she left the house, walking down the street and taking pictures of people's pooches. When I asked what she preferred to shoot the most, she said "Dogs. They never complain."
She documented her painful, often frustrating battle with cancer through Facebook and her blog. She didn't use it to hold what she would call a 'pity party' - but if she did, she'd quickly apologize and follow-up with something positive about life and living and to savour every moment. I was awestruck at her strength, which I believe came from her being brutally honest about herself and what she was going through. To me, that is strength - that is a characteristic we should all embrace.
We (Lisa and I) knew Shirley from a distance. There are many people who knew her far longer and more intimately than we did. But she left such an indeliable impression on our family, an undeniable positive presence. So few people have that impact on one's life, but she had that gift. So I guess this is really just an open letter to someone I'll always remember, admire, miss, and wish for just one more day to let her know what she meant to us. But something tells me, she knew. Artists like Shirley do.
All heart.
I have often received compliments on our family photos over recent years. Shirley is the one who captured so many of those special moments that will make us look back and smile for years to come. I will remember Shirley as a woman who captured more than just candid pictures... she captured life in it's truest moments. raw. beautiful. art in motion. Shirley, your beauty inside and out, as well as the many talents you shared with others will be remembered forever. An artist. A photographer. A beautiful spirit.
Shirley captured Anikin's personality, in a way only she could
I worked with Shirley at Cognos for a while, but kept up with her afterwards, because she was the kind of person toward whom you'd naturally gravitate. I ran into her and Dan on Elgin Street after a race once, and of course she was toting a camera and took a few shots of me with my medal.
Another time over coffee, she mentioned that she got out to Carp from time to time. I worked from home then, and mentioned that she should drop by for a coffee if she were ever in the 'hood. And of course, she did - with the camera. Being a dog lover, she took some candid shots of our Havanese (Anikin) - and sent them to me as a memento. One picture in particular (attached) is very special to me - Shirley captured Anikin's personality, in a way only she could.
It was a privilege to have Shirley as a friend
One of my favourite things about Shirley was her laugh.
I have known Shirley since 1995. She was dating Dan when I started dating Larry. One of my favourite things about Shirley was her laugh. She had a great giggle and found the same things funny that I do. She was a creative, energetic, giving, caring and impulsive person. Her photography passion blossomed over the years and she made everyday things so beautiful. She had an artistic eye that exposed the beauty in everything. She captured unconditional love and friendship (animal and human) through her camera lenses.
Shirley and Dan’s strength over the past two years has amazed me. They faced the cancer fight with dignity and one step at a time – forward, backward, sideways – every way that the fight took a turn. They were a team throughout. Brigitte was part of the team for the past year. As Brigitte told me in November this was the ‘silver lining’ to the cancer (if there can be one)....bringing them closer.
Last March Shirley and I spent a few hours together one afternoon. I loved her this day.....a little steroid ‘hyperness’ added to the mood. It was a cold day with lots of snow around and more in the forecast. Shirley was regaining strength and balance but was using a cane and needed new boots with a low heel. It was mid March but winter 2014 was not over for a while! The last time I had seen her was at the hospital – belted into a wheelchair. I arrived at the house and there she was in a beautiful red coat, blonde wig and a hat on, slim jeans and her cane....standing tall, ready to go. We drove to the Glebe. In about thirty minutes she had purchased two new beautiful pairs of boots. Now it was time to head over to Starbucks for a drink and a treat. We enjoyed some conversation in comfy chairs by the front window. Then off to say hello to Eva at Delilah. We considered a stop for Easter cards, but decided there was lots of time before Easter, so time to head home. She had a burst of energy for shopping but a rest was needed now. That’s how I remember Shirley – do it now, don’t wait, if you like it buy it, good conversation and some laughs along the way. Beautiful, tall, (I am on the shorter side), generous, funny and impulsive. Always a good story to tell.
We’ll miss you so much but will never forget you and your stories.
She Gave a Neighbourhood Her Photographic Gift
Eva Cooper will never forget her first encounter with Shirley Bittner.
Three years ago, Bittner “bounced” into Delilah, Cooper’s new fashion store for women in the Glebe, with her blonde curls and a camera around her neck.
“She said, ‘Hey, put this scarf on. I need to take a picture of you,” Cooper recalled. Bittner proceeded to photograph items in the store, and two hours later, Cooper had the pictures in hand. It was the beginning of a professional partnership and a special friendship.
“She was instrumental in creating a Delilah look,” said Cooper.
That ‘look’ was Bittner’s signature style. She and Cooper used real people, not models, for the store’s punchy ads. In fact, Bittner was known to grab customers trying on clothing and take them outside to be photographed. She preferred natural settings to studios. Her photos captured the play of light, with a strong focus on detail and a touch of whimsy.
“She would embody the quality and the beautifulness of the product,” said Cooper. “It’s a huge loss.”
Shirley Bittner, who lived on Mutchmor Road in Old Ottawa East, died Nov. 14 at the Hospice at May Court, after a nearly two-year battle with a rare form of cancer . She was 49. After her diagnosis in January 2013, she wrote in her blog, called My Everyday Life, that it had become her full-time job to kick cancer’s butt.
“We’re having a battle, that’s for sure,” she wrote.
Vanessa Thomas was along for the fight.
“We’ve been savouring our time,“ said Thomas, who met Bittner in 2007, when she photographed her newborn son Dawson. The pair, who lived less than a block apart, quickly became inseparable.
“We were opposites,” said Thomas of their friendship. “I was the business-type, she was the artist.”
For the past year, Thomas said, they had been quietly crossing items off their bucket list.
Bittner, who loved to travel, had already visited Nepal, Australia, Costa Rica, Argentina, Chile and Mexico. But there was one place still outstanding.
“Shirley wanted to go to Italy, so we watched Under the Tuscan Sky and Letters to Juliet,” said Thomas.
Other times, the pair would take day trips to Merrickville and “shop like girls do,” or go for walks in Gatineau Park.
Thomas, along with Bittner’s partner Dan and her two siblings, were by her side at the end. Thomas even played Bittner’s favourite song on the ukulele.
Thomas said she will miss her friend’s spontaneity and her special talent for capturing life through her lens.
Her house is filled with Bittner’s artwork and she treasures the 9,000 images of her two boys that Bittner captured over the years.
“She was constantly sneaking up on moments,” Thomas said. “She could see what was under your nose that you take for granted every day.”
Shirley Bittner was born in Elliot Lake, Ontario. She moved to Ottawa in the late ’80s and moved into Old Ottawa East in 1999. She worked as a graphic designer at Cognos, where she became known for her exceptional Power Point presentations. Executives at Cognos even coined the term “Bittnerized” when referring to her work.
“Meaning it hadn’t gone through Shirley, it hadn’t been made beautiful yet,” said Jane Baird, the former Vice-President of Marketing at Cognos. Bittner left Cognos in 2004 to start her own graphic artist business called Bittner Designs. About two years later, she started her photography business.
Bittner photographed many families in the neighbourhood, but was probably best known for her pictures of dogs. Having two of her own, Tika and Sam, Bittner was a fixture at area dog parks. She almost always had her camera in hand, snapping candid moments of pooches jumping into the river, or frolicking in the grass. She gave each dog its own post on her blog. Chica. Joey. Sampson. Riley. Moose. Margo and Tucker, to name
a few.
As Bittner’s cancer progressed, taking photos became more difficult. She suffered from numbness in her legs and hands.
But she persevered. She even bought a camera with a lighter lens so she could continue her craft. In late August, Cooper said Bittner came to Delilah for an impromptu photo shoot, her curls now replaced by a colourful head scarf. By chance, Bittner met a young girl and her mother outside the store and asked to photograph them.
Cooper said the single mother was overjoyed, as she had no professional photos of her daughter.
Days later, Bittner was back at Delilah with three of the photos, blown up to poster size and printed on canvas. She was hoping Cooper could help her track down the mom.
“She was always very giving,“ Cooper said. “Her photography was a really big gift to everyone.”
To see more of Bittner’s photography, go to http://shirleybittner.blogspot.ca