going, going, gone

when i first moved to the market i couldn't wait for fall because i was excited to shoot ottawa's famous landmarks in all their golden splendor ... BUT as the leaves quickly changed i still hadn't grabbed my camera ... not really out of laziness, but it just happens soo fast you barely notice - kinda like when all of a sudden its dark out at 6pm ... by the time i went out to shoot there were only a few patches of leaves left on the trees and even though i still managed to get a few good pics, i didn't get everything i wanted - THAT I ONLY HAVE MYSELF TO BLAME ... i walk through major's hill park almost every day and clearly i'm not actually looking - really i walk everywhere all the time and too often never look up because i'm always lost in my thoughts ... so i make a new promise to myself - stop and enjoy because the good things come and go way too fast !

on second thought

when my friend first approached me to take pictures of her
dog, i flat out said 'no' ... i had never had any desire to do pet
photography and i didn't want them to come out looking like
poop ... BUT after seeing her cute new puppy's pics on FB,
i quickly e-mailed back and said bring him right over ... too bad
i forgot to ask if he knew any commands, because he sure didn't!
our visions of sweet puppy poses went right out the window as
soon as Hudson ran wildly into the studio ... his eyes lit up as bright
as my strobes and the bag of treats we used to trick him into facing
the camera were devoured in minutes ... luckily good ol' peanut butter
saved the day and after an hour of trying to get the perfect shot, we
decided the little man finally had enough ... his tummy had expanded
and he was now on the verge of throwing up.

abracadabra

the ability to create light is a world of magic ... a person
who can bend, shape and color light expertly in my opinion is right up there with David Copperfield ... there are many tricks and gadgets used, but one that i would have never expected is the speedlite ... last week i went to my food photography workshop armed with a box full of props and food items excited to be the next Penny De Los Santos (or for those who don't know her, to shoot like Food & Drink magazine) ... near the end of the course my instructor, actually magician is more like it, pulled an external flash from his hat and 'abracadabra', i finally saw through the smoke screen ... i was able to create the exact same shot with my external flash as i did with big professional gear, AND the house lights were still on ... now that's true MAGIC !

my inspiration - pennydelossantos.com
my instructor - adrienduey.com

nice lens, baby

i'm so excited about my new birthday present, a 'lensbaby composer'. it's a new little gadget to help add some creativity to my images or to just plain bend the rules. i took a walk around the market as if i was a tourist to test it out today and boy i'm a happy girl. i cannot wait to master it - plus buy the other new shooting toys they've come out with!

baby bumps - maternity photos

photographing Amy was quick and painless - most likely not how the birth will be. i have many girlfriends that tell horror stories of pregnancy & childbirth, but all have either got back on the horse and done it again or plan to do so. i myself have never had the urge OR as i get closer to 40 have never felt my clock ticking, but when i see someone like Amy so excited and happy, i can definitely understand their choices.

change of heart

i'm 36 and have never been married, never daydreamed of getting married, not even cared to be a bridesmaid for someone about to be married. in fact, i don't even like being a guest at a wedding. BUT all that has changed thanks to rob of pattersonimagery.com & lilipadcreative.ca. i now want to be the wedding photographer!