Wedding Reception - Jamie & Kyle

Recently I did a shoot for a young family, their toddler and newborn baby boy. I was thrilled that they liked the pictures and asked if I would photograph their upcoming wedding reception. I probably said "Sure" but what I actually said [with my inside voice] was more like "OMG ARE YOU KIDDING I WOULD LOVE TO!!!  Jamie and Kyle wanted to celebrate their recent nuptials with their family and friends with a relaxed and fun soiree. The evening reception was held on the top floor of the Crowne Plaza hotel with a panoramic night view of the Ottawa skyline. What was truly great was to see how much fun everyone had. I laughed so much I actually blurred some pictures. The night's lesson? Use my tripod!
Oh, and I think Uncle Jim might have proposed to me?? 

Thank you Kyle & Jamie for allowing me to be there for your really fabulous night! I hope you like the pictures.

...and ALSO important (because everyone else did) I would especially like to thank Marianne *smile*

Feasting My Eyes

Delicious autumn!  My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.  ~George Eliot~

Oh Dear! Oh D-d-d-dear.

It seems there is a shortage of blogs about baby pigs lately. I'm not sure why that is. 

Having Fun.

I was busy this past Thanksgiving weekend with a wedding to photograph and a family portrait session but we still had time to get together with our families and celebrate. I took some pictures for our family and did a little fun shoot to keep the momentum going. Hopefully I'll have the wedding and family pics finished and posted soon. 

How I See It - Don, Glenn, Timothy & Joe.

Like their song says "I Can't Tell You Why" but I love them. I love their respect and dedication for musical precision and harmony. Their album "Hell Freezes Over" is a testament to overcoming obstacles and moving forward. They're probably #1 on my [non family/friend/health or normal grateful things] list but I didn't want to appear too groupie stalker-ish on the first day.

I took this with my Panasonic Lumix - Summer 2010

Summer 2010

How I See It - Lots and lots of Magazines.

Yup! It's a problem. We got an IPad recently so I'm  converting to online subscriptions for all my renewals. There MUST be studies where they've identified magazine buying as an addiction but I'm afraid to know. My basement is filled with old issues that I've read several times and go back to year after year. I've even scanned through old bookstores for vintage copies that I had when I was younger. I repeat: Yup! It's a problem.

How I See It - My Phone

As far as technology goes, I do OK. I'm not sitting in the basement playing COD late at night or anything like that *wink* but I do love that in some random moment I can get an unexpected "hey! how r u"? or "lunch or coffee sometime?" text ...or that make-me-laugh-out-loud email from a friend and it can make my day. Gold star to that.  

How I See It - Going Home

I couldn't wait to leave. I still can't at times. I begin to miss the hustle of the city too much. It's tiny and rural and as unpretentious as a town could possibly be but it's home. It's also where old friends converge each summer, coming back to reconnect and reminisce about the 'good ol' days'. Geez...we're not THAT old!



Taken with my IPhone - Summer 2010

 That being said, everytime I head to Canada's East Coast I fall more in love with the countryside. It's so beautiful. And I'm grateful I get to see it again and again.  

How I See It - The Week Ahead.

 It's going to be a busy week ahead. I have a wedding and a family portrait session and my daughter turns 13! Then there is the part about 'giving thanks' (which I do every day anyway) so I don't really need a special day for that except I get to eat amazing food that other people have made so of course I'm thankful for that.

 The next few years are going to be so fun, in between teenage angst and well... just about everything else. At least I have some idea what I'm in for. Sort of. 

So back to giving thanks. This week I thought I would post really random photos of things I am thankful for [not including] family, friends and the expected roof over my head, bed to lie in.. etcetera.
                             Behold the beloved potato chip. *enter choir of angels here*

The Look.

Over the last year of my schooling I've met such a fabulous bunch of people who share a common interest in creating images that inspire, excite and move their audience.  We all have different points of inspiration that become more or less a genre that you become recognized for and I noticed that I was being referred to by my colleagues specifically as a 'landscape photographer'. Although I was happy people liked the images I was creating and I do feel a real connection with landscape I wasn't sure I thought of myself as specifically a landscape photographer.  Because of that,  I've been working to expand my portfolio to include several different genres. I am drawn to certain looks of portrait photography but I'm still  learning and changing at this point.  This morning I was looking through my albums and found this picture I took about 6 months ago of my son. He is in 4th year university and always seems to have this look to him that is pretty accurate to his life, like he's been hitting the books late into the night, serious, pensive, analytical.  It's that look he has that makes me say " WHAT???" and this is what it looks like... exactly! But it's not everything he is, or will be.