There has been a spring baby boom around here! I love seeing all these new little babes born in the spring, as the world blossoms around them. My session with Miss Paula was an eventful one, with lots of stubborn eye-opening and squirming, peeing and nursing, but I managed to get a few precious shots of her, and even a couple of her proud new big brother (though not together, unfortunately!).
Thanks Julia, Gerry and Declan for letting me capture (and snuggle) your new little princess.
Just wanted to share this image of the lovely tulips my mom gave me for Easter. I love fresh flowers, especially spring blooms and just had to capture these gorgeous buds as they began to open. Hope you all had a wonderful Easter with family and friends!
I love board games. I grew up in a house where we had family game night most Sunday nights, and we are a competitive bunch who love to win. I must admit, while I love most games, I am not a fan of Monopoly or any other money-lending or simulation-type game. My creative brain cannot concentrate on all the mundane minutiae that goes into strategizing. I much prefer word games that stimulate my brain cells in a creative way. A perfect example of such a game is Boggle. Trying to makes words out of a senseless jumble of letters just floats my boat (I know, kind of geeky). Recently, my lifelong friend casually mentioned during a visit that she loves to play Boggle but her hubby won't play because he thinks it is boring (the nerve!). Right then and there we decided to have a weekly Boggle night. So, every Tuesday, once our kids are asleep, we set up the classic Boggle set (that her kind friend hunted down for her as a gift), drink wine, and Boggle until our brains fail. Ahhh, such bliss. Nothing better than a good friend, good wine and a great game.
Here are some images from our most recent Boggle night, which I have entitled, as a group, Boggle-rific. I can't wait 'til next week!
This week I put together a little collage of one of my favourite activites with my girls - pedicure night. About once a month I set up a mini-pedicure at home, where I soak and massage their feet and then trim and paint their nails. They love it (of course) and it gives me a reason and chance to do some nail care without any argument. Sometime I do their fingernails too, but with one nail-biter and one who sucks her fingers occasionally, I prefer to keep the nail polish out of their bellies! This time, I went a step further, with a mini-studio set-up, including a book rack with a selection of their faves, lemonade (sugar-free) to sip, and new Webkinz puppies waiting to be their spa companions. I just felt like after a long winter, they needed a little extra special pampering in readiness for spring and flip-flop season!
As you can imagine, it is pretty trick to get shots while massaging, polishing and keeping them still, but I snapped a couple and put them together for this week's post. Here is the image, entitled Pampered Princesses.
Now, if only I could get them to do this for me! LOL
This week , rather than a self-portrait, I decided to take some images that represented the part of my day that is my favourite - supper time. When I was growing up, my dad worked long hours, but my mom was always home to serve us supper and to sit at the table with us each night. It was the time of the day when we talked about what was going on, in our individual lives and as a family. I have very fond memories of these conversations, and of course, the food that was at the centre of them. I come from a long line of fantastic cooks, and my own recipe box is overflowing with handwritten recipes from my grandmas. I love to cook and I love to prepare meals for my family every night.
However, I realized a while ago that the tradition of the family meal had gotten lost in our home. With my husband and I working, the girls' after-school activites and just life in general, our mealtime had become totallydisjointed, with the kids eating in front of the TV, me scarfing down my meal alone, after the kids were done and my hubby eating whenever he got home. I made the decision that this had to change!
So now we make the effort to sit down every night and having our meal TOGETHER! I ask the girls about their day, talk about the food we are eating and just generally have a nice family meal. It is amazing how many more stories I hear about their day when I am listening (LOL)! My girls also love to help prepare the meal and I let them get in on the action whenever I can...but I stay well clear of my 6-year-old when she is wielding a paring knife!
So here is my image for the week , of a meal that we had earlier this week. I got the corn on the cob as a treat, since it is not yet in season and we added ice cream to the strawberries for dessert! Yum....
This is a quick abstract collage I put together, just for fun. The cool part is that all the images were taken in McDonalds! We had stopped in for a quick, not-so-healthy snack after attempting some family photos (that is a whole other post!), and I snapped a few quick shots of things that I found interesting. From the top left and moving clockwise: the lamp over our table, another light fixture, the blind cord and finally the exterior light under the awning. I think lights are cool, what can I say. Anyway, here is the image, which is entitled McBeauty (because you know how they have to name everything with a "Mc" at the start...).
This is an image I took of myself on my iPhone while I was laying out in the grass, enjoying the first warm, sunny day in a long time! My pup was by my side and my youngest daughter was off happily making mud pies and getting as dirty as possible. I am on a time-crunch today, planning for upcoming sessions and then off to work, so here is the image, which I have entitled True Blue. And yes, my eyes are that blue, at least they are today. Sometimes they are grey and other times they are blue. My husband says it depends on my mood. My oldest daughter's are the same and we have the same personality traits, so maybe he's right. At least he knows not to cross me when they are grey!
Okay, so I am WAAAYYYY behind on posting these images. Life sometimes tends to get away from me, with two jobs, school, two kids and a household to manage, blogging is not always the priority! These images, you may notice, are not self-portraits. I really have been trying to make it all about me (harder than I thought it would be!), but I have a natural inclination to photograph the world around me. That world is my girls and hubby, my Charlie boy, my jobs, and my social activities. So these image represent a glimpse into my world over the last month or so. I have included some images that I have taken with my new iPhone 4, since it is my fun new toy! So, without further ado, here they are!
Week 11 - Snow From the last winter storm we are going to have (fingers crossed).
Week 12 - Charlie Boy Goes Retro My handsome pup posing during a break from ball-retrieving.
Week 13 - Tricycle Brielle riding to the store to get groceries.
Week 14 - Sulking Emery, my sensitive soul, sulking after being scolded for touching "dangerous" wires.
I know, I know, I'm behind on my posts again! I really do try to get them out on time, but alas, sometimes life just takes over. This is an image that I took one day when I had a rare free moment, hanging out on the couch. I was playing around with angles, just messing around for fun. I though this one was funny, and yet also brilliant because it only shows one of my chins! I have entitled it Inversion. I have to try to remember to be less serious in these images. I have fun, I really do!
Spring has sprung around here and what better way to get out and enjoy the warmer weather and light breezes than with a little kite-flying. I grabbed my girls and headed for the huge parking lot down the street to test our kite skills. The first day (when I left my camera home, of course) was a smashing success, with both girls getting their kites up and away, at least for a few minutes. We had such a blast that we decided to head out againg the next evening, with the neighbour's son in tow, and this time I came armed and ready to capture our glorious feats of aerodynamic prowess. However, we quickly discovered that the strong wind gusts were causing the the kites to nose dive recklessly at break-neck speed, scattering the child spectators in every direction as I tried mightily to keep it airborne long enough to pass off. I did manage to succeed a couple of times, but then I would have to spend ten minutes getting it flying again before the next attempt. Obviously, they quickly lost interest and I had to resort to getting them to run with the kite on a short string. Oh well, not the beautiful images I conceptualized, but better than nothing, right?
This image depicts my most frequent hairstyle. By nature, my hair is really curly, and I mean that out-of-control, frizzy, unmanageable type of curl that requires a lot of effort to make even slightly presentable. As a child, I had many variations of an afro, but as I grew (and after two straightening treatments) I was finally able to get it long enough to pull back. And thus, the bun was born. In all its' glory, it is a messy, curl-strewn disaster, barely contained by the straining elastic. It is me. Here is the image, which I entitled The Bun.
By the way, by true definition this was not a self-portrait, as I left my tripod at my parents and it is impossible to take a shot of the back of your own head unless you have extra-long arms (I do not). So, my wonderful 6-year-old volunteered to help me. Thanks Brielle!
This is an image that I took with my point-and-shoot as I worked alongside my classmates to finish my composite project. See how hard we were concentrating? No one even looked up for the photo except me. We worked hard girls, now hoepfully it pays off with great marks! It is titled Dedication.
(Please excuse the quality, it was more about the moment than the image!)
Okay, I know I am behind, but it has been crazy at my house the last couple of weeks. While I did actually take the week 6 image during week 6, I haven't had the time to blog it until now. My week 6 image is entitled Shadow Toque, for obvious reasons. We have been having lovely, sunny winter days around here and I thought I would try to capture my shadow. It was not as long and funky as I wanted it to be, but alas the only free time I had to get out and take it was during midday, when the sun was high in the sky. I will have to try it again someday.
For my week 7 image, I wanted to capture one of my most common evening activities, playing apps. I have an iPod Touch and and iPad, and I love them both! I love playing all sorts of games and the fact that I can take boredom-beaters wherever I go is a huge bonus. My favourites are puzzle games, like Cut the Rope or Pictureka, or trivia games like Jeopardy! or Movie Cat. Anyway, it is not uncommon to find my husband and I curled up on the couch together, each playing games with obsessive concentration. Don't worry, we talk and cuddle beforehand!!! ;) So here is my image, entitled App-solute Concentration.
Winter has officially set in and we are all huddled inside, marvelling at the height of the snowbanks. I personally love winter and its storms and snow. There is nothing that makes me more excited than the prospect of a nice big blizzard that shuts down the whole city. Maybe it's a bit twisted, but I just find it very relaxing. Anyway, being that we have been driven inside by the weather, I thought I would try some fun things with an actual light this week, rather than natural light. I took an interesting lighting workshop recently and I was eager to try something new. Well, I didn't get as creative as I had hoped, because just as I was brainstorming, the skies opened and the snow started to fly! My hubby had to get outside and fire up the snowblower, leaving me with two litle girls who wanted to "help" Mommy with her set-up. So I ended up with only one kinda usable image, which I have entitled Monogram.
See you next week!
I just thought I would share this image of my daughter Brielle enjoying some "inside sunshine". It was -9 degrees outside but the sun was shining bright. The next thing I knew there was a towel spread, a bikini and sunglasses donned and a plate of snacks being nibbled. Nothing like a indoor winter picnic to make your summer dreams come true!
Okay. I know I am a bit late posting this week, but it has been a crazy one! Firstly, it is my lovely in-laws' last week with us before they jet back home. They have been here since the start of December and we are going to miss them dearly. I am actually going to have to cook, do laundry and make school lunches again....I have been so spoiled.
Secondly, my oldest daughter turned six this week, so I have been up to my eyeballs in balloons, craft supplies, decorations and cake. And after no less than 3 different birthday celebrations (we love parties around here), I am totally exhausted. I also took her out for her mandatory birthday photo session, which was freezing but so much fun.
After all the things I have had to accomplish this week, please excuse the tardiness of this post. I took this picture a few days ago, but haven't had time to do anything with it until now. It is a little different than my last couple of posts, since it includes my daughters as well. My oldest daughter has taken a sudden liking to yoga and I decided that it would be a great activity to do as a family. So, every afternoon, we line up our mats and we huff and puff and fall all over the place, trying desperately to "calm" our breathing. The kids tend to lose focus after about 10 minutes, but at least we are together, right? I actually like yoga a lot more than I thought I would... except when I can't move the next day!
Here is this week's image, entitled Posers. Trust me when I say it was the best of the bunch. You don't know how hard it is to take a self-timed portrait while you are doing yoga until you try it! Not to mention that the kids kept running over to see the pictures before the timer even finished beeping! I am pretty sure it is counterproductive to be yelling "Get on your mats!" while doing yoga.
Flexibility, here I come!
Well, since my last 52 Weeks post, it has been pretty busy. I am back in class for my photography program, which I ABSOLUTELY LOVE! I know it may sound a little geeky to be so excited about school, but I think that when you love what you're learning, it makes all the difference to your commitment and level of enthusiasm. On the flip side, as a college-level instructor, I see everyday how passion for your studies affects your daily learning. Anyway, enough philosophical ranting. Of course, since things have been going so well, I thought I might as well throw a wrench in to keep it interesting. This past weekend, when toboganning with my beautiful girls, I managed to blow out my knee. It seems that I have severely injured the ligaments and joint surfaces of my left knee, on the inside aspect. Sigh. After a trip to the hospital, I have crutches, a brace, and anti-imflammatories.
Fortunately, it wasn't as bad as it could have been, since my dad (a chiropractor, naturopath and acupuncturist) started treating me within seconds after it happened (I wanted to hit him at the time, but now I am glad he did). For the last couple of days I have been hobbling around and releasing the occasional torrent of expletives (they come out before I even know what is happening, I'm sure to the moritfication of my in-laws!). I have been having acupuncture fairly regularly, to keep the pain and inflammation down, so I have felt a bit like a battered pincushion. All in the name of getting healthy again.
Here is this week's image, which I have titled Torture or Treatment.
I can't wait until I can bend and straighten my knee again. Until then, it makes life interesting!
So, this week has been a busy one. Everyone at my house is back in the routine with school, work and play. Sometimes between working, playing with the kids, walking the dog and micromanaging everyone's schedule, I just need to unwind. I am lucky enough, a couple of days a week, to have some alone time (well, the dog is usually here but passed out on his pillow). Usually, I use this time to catch up on my shows while I fold laundry (or don't fold laundry). But today, I decided to just grab a cup of tea and my favourite re-read, The Secret.
I have read this book at least thirty times already, mostly by picking out little sections here and there that are applicable to my life at that moment. Today I read "The Secret to Success". It was the first thing I opened up to, and it was just what I needed. I am really trying this year to build not only my client-base (in both my careers), but also my skills and knowledge. So I guess tips for leading a more successful life are a good place to start!
Anyway, I am going back to my cup of (now cold) peppermint tea to finish my reflective time, before I have to go and brush my car off for the third time today. Ahhh, I love quiet, snowy days.
I have been a bit lazy about getting out and just taking pictures for the sake of taking them. I decided that with school starting this week and my first shoot of the year next weekend, I had better get in gear! The last couple of days have been beautiful and sunny and the snow is powdery and light, so I coudn't pass up the opportunity to get out and practice. I actually had a willing participant (she is trying to earn "good girl stickers" to get a new video game), so I grabbed my gear before she changed her mind.
I have recently joined a new photography discussion forum and have been reading up on all sorts of tips and tricks and I was eager to try and use what I had learned. In the end though I just ended up working purely on focus and exposure, which still need work! Oh well, if nothing else I had a wonderful little session with my big girl and a few great smapshots for the family album!
Lots of black and white...seems I got so caught up watching histograms and trying to get my focus just right that my colours went right out the window! LOL
Oh well, one day it will all come together!
So, in the name of expanding my creativity and honing my craft, I have decided to take on a couple of personal projects. The first is a challenge to take a self-portrait every week. I really wanted something that would take me out of my comfort zone and challenge me to get in front of the lens a bit more often. My goal is to try and capture my mood or environment every week, as a permanent reminder of this year of my life. I had originally thought of trying Project 365, but hey, with two jobs, school, a husband, two kids and a dog, who am I kidding? It would have sunk by day 8!
Here is this week's portrait, which I have titled Bare.
Two words: exhaustion and focus.
As for the other challenges for this year, they are:
So wish me luck. It is a lot to take on, but all in the name of love!