Cut 'n Paste

Brandon | Delta BC newborn photographer

Have I told you yet how in love I am with newborn photography? I have always been drawn drawn to classic, newborn images and have had in the back of my mind that someday I would persue it. Well, someday has arrived. I have decided to take this seriously and have actively begun to take courses, seek out models to begin building a portfolio, and grow my talent.

This little guy was my most recent model, he and his parents, were a delight to work with. He was a pretty great sleeper so we were able to get some great poses.

If you know of anyone in the lower mainland of Vancouver who is expecting a little one in the coming months, please feel free to drop me an email and I can let you know details.

Back to Nature

In British Columbia, where I live, the first weekend in August is BC Day weekend, a holiday long weekend. So Rick and I joined my extended family for a weekend up at Sun Peaks Resort, a beautiful mountainside resort which is great for hiking, biking and lounging in the summer. We had a lovely time and the weather couldn't have been better. I didn't snap too many pictures, but loved these flowers which were in abundance beside the trail during one of our hikes. What beauty!

Home

Today I am travelling home from Chicago where I have been at a trade show for the past few days. I love shows so much. It is always a treat to visit with friends and customers while getting to see what's new in the paper crafting industry.

As we head into the weekend, please enjoy this lavender bouquet - I picked it just for you!

Baby Isaac | Langley Newborn Photographer

One of the families at our church welcomed a baby while we were on holiday, and within a few days of coming back home, I was delighted to do a newborn photo shoot for the little guy. He was SO precious!

Sofia - Langley newborn photographer

One of my friends recently gave birth to her first baby, and she and her husband graciously allowed me to practice my skills with their precious little one yesterday. Little Sofia is 11 days old here and oh my gosh, she was cute as a button. Here are a few of my favorites. I'm really diggin' the warm mocha tinting, I think it has the timelessness of traditional black and white, but is a tad softer.

A few sweet faces...

 
 
Now that Christmas is done I can finally share these photos I took of my nephews in the late fall. They were gifts for my brother and his wife, so had to stay under wraps until given.

I hope that each of you had a very Merry Christmas. Rick and I had a great time with both sides of the family, and despite Rick coming down with a doozy of a cold and me doing my best not to catch it from him, we've had a good break.  My man spoiled me with a camera lens that I've had on my wish list for 2 years :)

Considering that Photography was on my mind this break, I thought I would share a few new-to-me blogs belonging to some gals who offer lots of inspiration:

• Laura Farris Photography: I linked to a specific post on this blog as the top image just kills me, it's perfection! 
• Peek A Book Photos: Beautiful, colorful images and some inventive post processing on this fab site.
• Skye Johansen: Skye features images which seem to jump off the screen with energy. 

Today I will need to shift my focus from thinking about photography and jump back into work, as there are a million things to wrap up before I leave for China on Friday!

I hope that Santa was good to you too!

Inspiration on the Web {No. 10}

 
 (Photo taken in Rome, Italy in May 2007)

"When you follow your bliss...doors will open where you would not have thought there would be doors." - Joseph Campbell

As we wrap up another week I am feeling thankful for friends, family and a job that keeps challenging me creatively.

Here are some of my favorite links from around the blog world this week:

• 365 Days of Slow Cooking - I am not ashamed to admit that I love my crock pot! I found this blog by chance a few weeks ago, and have already made the Orange Chicken recipe from the site. It ended up being a tad too orange-ish for us. But it was yummy enough that I'd make it again after tweaking the recipe a tad.
• Florabella Collection - This blog, while mainly a site to promote the awesome photo textures the author sells, features some amazing photography. Many of the images will be especially appealing to those of you who love the shabby-chic or romantic cottage look.
• Rachelle Anne Miller - Rachelle's illustrations spark something deep inside me. An appreciation I think for the small, whimsical, childlike spirit that often gets beat down in real life.  She has a fabulous collection of stamps through Stampavie, and it sounds like she will soon be opening a store selling digital elements as well!
• The Lettered Cottage - I'm sure this site is not new to many of you. It is the home of a super handy, DIY husband-wife team who share their own projects in addition to highlighting noteworthy projects by others. Some serious good stuff on there!

I hope that you each have a wonderful weekend. We're gearing up to spend time with family as it is Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada. Peace & Joy!

An Artful Blogging Hello!

 

Waiting for me this week when I went to check my US post office box was the AUG-OCT issue of Artful Blogging. It was many months ago when I first received an email from the editor asking to share my blogging story in the magazine. As an avid reader of Stampington publications I was bursting my buttons that they thought my blog was publication worthy and would be of interest to their readers.  I was even more thrilled upon receiving my copy of the issue to discover that one of my photos graces the cover! Can you guess which one is mine? 

A big hello to those of you who have discovered my blog through this issue. Please take a moment to say hi, introduce yourself and share your blogs with me, so that I, in turn, can visit your little corner of the internet.

Cherry Blossoms

 

Today was the perfect spring day. Mild, sunny and perfect for a mini road trip. I decided to bring my camera and seek out some Cherry Blossom trees to photograph. I knew exactly what kind of photo I wanted to take. One lone branch against the sky. I found the perfect tree and took my photos.

This evening while watching game number four of the Canucks vs. Blues hockey series I played around with the image in photoshop. It still isn't exactly what I saw in my head, but I realized that the texture and post processing action I had in mind to use are loaded on my other computer. oh well :)

I hope you've enjoyed this little piece of Spring from the Northwest!

Photography Workshop

As I shared with you on Friday, I attended a photography course this weekend in Tacoma, WA. The workshop was a Beginning Course taught by Me Ra Koh and her husband Brian. To say that it was a fabulous learning and growth experience for me is an understatement. I really had so much to learn, and felt throughout the workshop like I was finally, finally beginning to understand my camera. By the end of the weekend, for the first time ever, I felt like I understood the correlation and functions of Aperture, ISO and Shutter Speed. Eureka! I know I still have a ton to learn, but I no longer feel intimidated and now feel like I am on the road to seeing improvements in my technical skills. 

We were given the opportunity to practice our newfound knowledge with a Baby photoshoot, and I wanted to share a few of my favorite images with you. These photos were shot in manual mode (Yeay!) and, if you'll excuse the bragging,  I'm so stinkin' proud of myself! This is sweet baby Sophia, who was a delight to photograph and is 8 months old.

Enjoy!