52 Weeks - Week 24 : : Kitchener Photographer

Okay, I have to admit this right off the top:  This is not an image from this week. I took it when I was at the cottage a couple of weeks ago, enjoying a relaxing weekend with my family. One of my favourite things about summer is wildflowers.  I love seeing them bloom at the side of the road, in fallow fields, in parks, on trails and in my own backyard.  There is something so quintessentially summer about a bouquet of wildflowers and I can never resist collecting a bunch when I am out walking.  I even keep a small pair of scissors in my car in case I drive past a particulary beautiful cluster (okay, that sounds WAY more kooky when I write it down!).  A bouquet of wildflowers on my table makes my heart smile, what can I say?

I entitled this image Summer Blooms.

One Hour Photo # 2 : : Kitchener Children's Photographer

I really loved the challenge of One Hour Photo the last time I tried it out.  It is a great way to force myself be creative and organized in a short span of time.  This time around, I had a bit of extra time, so I decided that I would attempt to imclude my post-processing time in the hour! My girls had been at the sitter's and were running through the sprinkler nearly all day long.  They were soaked, in their undies (because I forgot to send swimsuits), covered in grass and other undetermined debris,  and I sent them straight to the bathtub when they stepped through the door.  I decided it was the perfect chance to get some images, since usually they are in the tub at night and the light is atrocious.  Every time I try to get pictures of them in the tub they are too grainy and blurry to even try to process.  This is because we have an older home and our tub is not a lovely reflective white.  Oh no, it is urine yellow with black accents, as are the walls, counter, toilet, sink.  It even has a lovely tropical flamingo mural to enjoy while you are sudsing-up!  Not the easiest environment to get nice images.  But that is a whole other post...

I really wanted to get a candid shot of the girls together in the tub, but my little darlings, who I can't usually convince to look directly at the camera, insisted on posing and mugging like crazy.  Sigh.  Finally I decided I was going to have to take what I could get and just let them look at me.  The resulting image was my favourite of the whole shoot.  I just love the angle, the framing and their expressions.  I think I might even enlarge it and put it in the hall outside the bathroom (because the bathroom walls are covered in huge, impenetrable,  formica tiles).

Here is the image, entitled Tub Time.

After I got the girls out of the tub, dried and into fresh clothes.  I went to let out the water in the tub.  They had left their toys  behind and I couldn't resist snapping a shot.  I have entitled this image Secret Synchro Practice.

Just for the record, I completed this round of One Hour Photo in exactly 53 minutes and 13 seconds, including processing for both images! Ta-da!!!

52 Weeks - Week 24 : : Kitchener Photographer

Okay, I finally got back to the heart of this project, which was originally devised as a self-portrait portfolio.  I must admit, it has been harder to get in front of the camera than I thought.  I am just so used to being behind the lens that I am not always sure how to go about photographing myself.  Plus, I am still waiting for the remote shutter release that I ordered (darn Canada Post Strike), so every time I want to take a "true" self-portrait, I have to race againt the timer and borrow test subjects to help me with focus!  Inevitably, I end up looking more serious than happy, because I am concentrating so hard on getting everything right. Sigh.  I really am happy and smiling usually.  Really, I am! This image was taken with a new hat I picked up to add to my props collection.  It is a fun vintage sunhat that looks good on everyone, and I have the photo to prove it! LOL  I managed to find a spot in the forest where the light was only slightly dappled (miraculously) and coaxed my hubby into helping me get my focus. It only took 15 tries to get the one I wanted!

Here is the image, entitled Mandy at Midday.

Canada Day at the Cottage : : Tobermory Family Photographer

My family is the kind of family who actually like to vacation together.  Weird, right?  We enjoy each other's company, we love to play games and cards and we cherish every moment we spend creating new memories. Tobermory, on the tip of the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario, has long been our destination of choice for a summer getaway.  In fact, my mom has been going since she was a child and my parents honeymooned there!  About 14 years ago my parents invested in a cottage and we have spent countless summer hours enjoying the peace and breathtaking beauty of our little log cabin.  Purchased from a retired school marm, it was sold to us fillled to the brim with furniture, dishes, decor and various oddities and art.  We kept much of the kitsch, just to maintain the cottage atmosphere...we are firm believers that a cottage should be the bare essentials and tacky decor , not a second home!

As the years have passed, we have made it a family tradition for everybody to load into the car for the three hour drive up Highway 6 to our little haven to celebrate Canada Day.  Some years we had up to 21 people and 4 dogs, all crammed into a cottage (with a separate "bunkie") that sleeps a maximum of 7 at best!  It was not unusual to have to step over numerous bodies on the way to the bathroom in the morning.

However, now that my parents are getting older and the family is growing as more babies are born, there is an unspoken understanding that the Canada Day weekend is now reserved for only my parents, me, my girls and hubby and my brother.  Sometimes my Grandma joins us too.  It feels so good to have our little group together, enjoying books, swimming (if you are crazy enough to jump in when it's only 56 degrees Fahrenheit!) and eating.  We love watching from our front deck as fireworks explode in the sky, holding our collective breath as my girls scramble over the rocks with expert balance and coordination, the dog swimming and chasing ducks that stray too close, breakfast cooked solely on the BBQ and talking and reading late into the night, with a sure promise of an afternoon nap the next day.  Cottage life is the best!

Here is a collection of images from this past Canada weekend that represent my family and our cottage.  Here's to many happy memories yet to be made!

1.  Wildflower bouquet  2. Kitschy lamps  3.  My girlies  4.  Mom  5. Dad  6.  Fire for roasting marshmallows  7.  Nightly rituals  8. Ben  9.  Old School doors  10.  Photos of the cottage from the '70s  11. Carl and Brielle  12. Fireworks!  13.  My favourite seagull mobile (they are two!)  14. Rustic chairs with well-used cushions  15. Games cupboard  16. My favourite painting, love the mood  17. Bathroom sign...classy  18.  Cottage clutter creates atmosphere  19. The official name of our cottage  20. The bunkie  21. Grandma 22. Emery making pancakes  23. Me!  24.  My favourite view when reading  25.  Happy Canada Day!

52 Weeks - Week 23

Well, I am a bit behind on this project (again), but I do have an image I would like to share. This week's image is one that I took during their first night at the family cottage this summer.  It may not be the most technically sound or creatively composed, but it makes my heart happy.  For me this image represents two thing: sisterhood and growth.

My girls have always been close and while there are days that I think they may acutally kill each other, more often than not they can be found snuggled togther on the couch or off playing some game they have devised to pass the time.  I am so happy that they cry when they are apart, laugh when they are together and are each other's best friend.

And every day, the inevitable march of time creates growth in their minds and bodies, which I love and detest at the same time.  I want them to slow down and stay small so I don't miss a thing and at the same time to grow and learn and become the people they are destined to be...ahh, the trials and triumphs of motherhood.  In particular, this photo expresses growth as it shows my oldest daughter reading to her younger sister.  How I love to see them curled together, Brielle sounding out the words, more confident each day, while Emery listens raptly, adoration in her eyes. I am glad my girls will always have each other.  Wow, this is a super sappy post.  I guess I need them now and again, right?

Here is my image, entitled First Night at the Cottage.

One Hour Photo

One of my favourite photographers to check out for inspiration and new ideas is Brandy Anderson of Fresh Sugar Photography.   She is based in Calgary and creates stunning child and family portraits.  She recently posted on her blog that she was going to attempt to complete an image (including brainstorming, model-rangling, light-finding and image-snapping) in just one hour and included her first attempts, which are some gorgeous images of her girls. I thought it would be fun to try this little challenge, if for no other reason than my only willing (well, mostly willing but mainly bribed) subjects are my own girls, and getting an hour of shoot time out of them is a miracle!  Not straying too far from Brandy's idea, I headed out to the backyard with my girls and gave myself an hour from start to finish.  As usual, the first five minutes were fine, and then chaos began to reign.

My oldest, Brielle is usually pretty good at taking some direction and listening, but she had a case of the giggles, so I just kept snapping away, hoping for something where her face wasn't completely goofy.  I was standing awkwardly on the top of the playcentre, which she found hysterical and kept asking if I was going to slide down the fireman's pole to get down (the answer is NO.)

Meanwhile, my youngest, Emery managed to strip herself naked and was careening around the driveway at a pace that would surely result in the eventual need for several Band-Aids.  I had to abandon my giggle girl to get control of my little exhibitionist before my hour ended in tears or a hospital visit.

I managed to corral her in the garage (Brandy was right, great light in there) where she got her underwear back on (backwards, of course) and let me brush the grass out of her hair (not sure where it came from) and we got situated.  I'm not gonna lie, the idea for the image of Emery is exactly the same concept as Brandy used, but I used a different angle for a new perspective, and to try to get a shot of her great lashes (they must be from my hubby, my eyelids are practically bald!).

So, here is my first attempt at One Hour Photo.  Thanks again Brandy for the great idea!

52 Weeks - Week 22

Here are a couple of images from this week that I took of my girls.  They only cooperate for so long and rewards don't seem to be working as well as they used to...I guess they have finally wised up to my games.  Oh well, at least they will never be able to say that there are no pictures them when they grow up!

52 Weeks - Week 21 - Vegas

I just returned from a much-needed vacation in fabulous Las Vegas!  This is my second time visiting Sin City, so I had a wish list of places that I wanted to visit, and of course, photograph.  I didn't make it to half of the spots I wanted to shoot, but that is the perfect excuse to go again next year! I decided that this year, I would leave my pro equipment behind and just do low-tech, especially after lugging my big camera up and down the Strip last year and paying for it with a stiff neck and aching shoulders.  So I used my Polaroid 300, my point-and-shoot, my newly-acquired Holga 135 and of course, my beloved iPhone.

I had a chance today, in between squeezing my girls and doing laundry, to throw the iPhone images into some semblance of order, so here they are!  All images were taken using the Hipstamatic App, my favourite vintage photo app.  Stay tuned for the images from my other cameras ( hopefully sooner than later!).

Sophia

This little miss was very cooperative during her session, sleeping the whole time and never fussing as I positioned and repositioned her.  Her only form of protest was to poop on every backdrop blanket I brought!  Oh well, just add it to the other piles of laundry at my house! Thanks to Don, Kathy and Nathalie for letting me photograph your precious angel.

52 Weeks - Week 20

I love flowers, and green leaves and water droplets on long grass, but seriously, the rain needs to stop!  I am all for building up the watershed as much as anyone else, but I am going a bit stir crazy! I decided I might as well have some fun, since Mother Nature thinks she can stop me from shooting by making it rain.  I foiled her plan with a plastic bag, a wide awning and a pair of sturdy rain boots.  Ha, take that!!

I am pretty sure the neighbours think I am crazy, jumping alone in a puddle in the driveway while running between the puddle and the camera, but they are just as crazy, and with much less creative ambition.

Here is the week's image, entitled Not Just For Kids. The water droplets are kind of opaque because I had lots of my on my boots from a recent camping trip.  Now they are sparkling clean.  Me: 2  Mother Nature: 0

52 Weeks - Week 19

Nearly five years ago, I decided that my little girl, who was nine months old at the time, needed to grow up loving a pet.  My husband had both a cat and a dog growing up, and I had two loving, loyal dogs.  My hubby thought a cat might be easier to manage with our busy schedule, and I advocated for a dog, so naturally, we got a dog! LOL Once we decided to go forward, I immediately got down to business.  Within a few days we had a puppy picked from a litter and were ready to pick her up in a couple of weeks.  Long story short, we had the puppy for about a week, realized we couldn't care for a puppy and a baby, and we ended up giving her to a family friend who had recently lost her dog and was looking for a puppy.  From what I hear, she is now a healthy, happy pup who lives out in the country and runs around like a maniac!

Crushed after this tough decision, we stepped back to re-evaluate the pet situation.  We gave it some time and finally several months later agreed we would look into adopting an adult dog.  I contacted a local animal rescue group and signed up as foster caregiver. This was right around the time of Hurricane Katrina and there were dozens of animals arriving weekly form all over the US.  I scoured their site daily, watching for any dogs that caught my eye, hoping that if we found the right match, we could move right into adoption, rather than just fostering.

The one day, I found a handsome, golden-red lab mix named Charlie.  He was in an Ohio shelter and was due to come to Ontario in a few days.  I made the call, only to be told that I could not choose my foster, I would have to take whichever animal was given to me.  Diappointed, I resolved to be open and excited for any animal.  A few days later, when the rescue team got to our door, Charlie bounded out of the van to greet us.  What can I say, the universe knew that he was right for us.  Gotta love happy endings!

Needless to say, he quickly became the most adored dog in the world, a loving patient companion to my girls, a ball-retrieving dynamo with my dad, and generally my waking shadow.  He is unquestionably my dog, and my husband often jokes that Charlie is only happy when his nose is glued to my butt.

As he gets older, I begin to dread the coming years and his decline.  Right now he is getting lots of white hair and taking longer naps, but still has enough energy to go for a bike ride and play fetch for hours.  I love him to pieces and cherish his place in our family.  He is best dog I have ever known (okay, maybe I am a bit biased).  Here is an image of my Charlie-boy, which I have entitled Companion.

Baby K

This adorable little man is the baby brother of my daughter's best friend.  He was only 8 days old when I had the chance to do a little session with him.  He was sound asleep when I arrived, but I promptly riled him up by forcing him to disrobe and pose adorably for some photos.  He absolutely loved my space heater and would stop fussing immediately when I held it close to him.  Unfortunately, I do not have enough hands to hold a heater and take shots, so we only got a few gems.  Better than nothing though, right?

Tulips in Blossom

Just wanted to give you a follow-up image of my tulips, to show how much they have opened!  I love the hidden surprise of the rich darknes at the base of each petal as it opens, in contrast to the yellow-orange stamen with its delicate pollen.  Wow, I know way more about tulips than I rightly should.... Anyway, this image was taken about 5 days after the previous. There have already been a couple of casualties, with petals raining down on my table, leaving a bald stem behind.  Cheers to the survivors!

Little Miss Paula

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.

Tulips

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! 

52 Weeks - Week 18

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!

52 Weeks - Week 17

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

 

Mr. Roan

Here are few of my favourites from a recent newborn session.  Mr. Roan is nearly three weeks old and absolutely squishable!  His mom is a friend of a friend and was kind enough to let me come over and snap some shots of Roan for my newborn portfolio.  This little guy was so great, wide awake for the whole  two hours I was there, and totally relaxed while I swaddled, posed and snuggled him.  It was nice to get some wide-eyed shots, since they can be a rare commodity with newborns.  He was great at making eye contact (already!) which made for some really cute images.  Of course, he fell sound asleep five minutes before I walked out the door, but such is the life of a newborn!   

Thanks again Dawn (and Mahesh) for letting me capture some beautiful images of your little man!

52 Weeks - Week 16

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.... 

Manulife Family Day at KWAG

Manulife is currently sponsoring an exhibit at the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, and to encourage more culture among its employees (whom they force to sit in grey cubicles in a grey building staring at grey computers all day, and thus are going slowly colour blind), they offered a free family day at the gallery.  My hubby got the invite at work and we signed up to take the girls for an art adventure. We had a fantastic time, making clay bugs, painting portraits (well, the girls were more abstract, but fun nonetheless), designing buttons and creating finger puppets.  In the end, we had a large collection of colourful art and lots of great memories.  I took some shots as we made our way through the different galleries and activities, though not as many as usual, since I was busy feeding another creative outlet with art! 

Here is a collage of images from the day.  I realized, as I put it together, that I once again managed to forget put myself  in the photos, but as I said, I was too busy having fun and making art!