June 21st Summer is here!!!

It's been quite the week this week.  I have had Strep Throat but at the same time still took tons of photos!!! Had to cancel 2 photo sessions because of it but, managed to get 4 others done :)  I think one of the biggest things I learned this week is how much a nice photo of yourself can really build your self-esteem!  I took some photos of a lady who is "over 40" and looks fantastic!! As well of some girls and boys in Grade 6. Just on the edge of starting to get their confidence and realize who they are and what they want to be.  It is amazing how one photo can truly change how you feel about yourself! Who doesn't like a nice photo?
Here are a few of my favourites from the week!

Father's Day

So it is my first Father's Day without my Dad.  It has started to be a year of "firsts". First Christmas, first birthday, and now Father's Day.  For those of you who do not know, my Dad passed away Sept. 27th. I had my Mom and my sister sleep over last night, hoping it would help keep my Mom busy so it would make the day easier for her. I hope it did.  That being said, we went to a trail near my house to take some photos. Nothing better to keep yourself from being sad then getting yourself busy!

I think my point to this post is most importantly, life changes, life changes very fast.  I feel so very lucky that I have some really great family photos to keep the memories of good times and precious family moments close to my heart.  Make sure you get your photos! You really will cherish them once you are unable to have them.

Here are a couple of my favourites from today!

My Birthday!!! ;D

 When you are little you look forward to it for months and truly count down the sleeps till your special day. For most it is among their most favourite days of the year. Until, you reach certain numbers... then it isn't something you really WANT to remember. ;)

What do I want for my Birthday.  I don't think I am a particularly hard person to buy for.  I readily tell my husband what I would like to get "next" once he buys me something.  I am always ready and willing to wait for the next Birthday or Anniversary or Christmas Holiday to receive it. (Just giving him a "head's up")

I thought this was cute....  BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR:

               A woman's husband asked her what she wanted for her Birthday. She thought for a moment and said,  "This year I just want cold hard cash for a change!" The next day the husband fulfilled her request. He put $40 in nickles, dimes and quarters into a Quart jar then filled it with water and placed it in the freezer.

                On her Birthday he handed his wife a solidly frozen bottle of change.

Clearly, wisher BEWARE!! :)  Too many Husbands just waiting for the opportunity to jump at a request like that!!


Getting back to my Birthday request. 


 I had a client ask me to do some scenery shots of a place where her and her husband had their "first kiss".  Very Romantic! 

So for my Birthday I asked for a Wide Angle Lens, the Canon L series... mhmmm  You can get SOOO much into a photo!! :D

Here are some of my first pics with it!  The last picture is of a Robin "stealing" grass from a nest I found on the ground after a wind storm and put on the table top as a decoration.... darn Robin.... I bet he was thinking... "How, did MY nest get down here?!?!?!"

Family Photos

I was asked to do some Belly Shots this week, and we threw in some family ones while we were at it.  I love little kids! They are always so much fun! Having the patience to wait for the right moment to snap off the perfect photo! And you do need patience.  Get out and play with your kids and the camera! You will truly get some GREAT shots!! :)

Engagement Photos

I did some Engagement Shots earlier this week. It was a great couple, very easy to get along with and they were lots of fun!

I cannot stress the importance of feeling comfortable with your Photographer. The ability to let them know you are comfortable with a certain pose is so very important.  It WILL show up later in the photos that you were uncomfortable and your smile or body language is "forced".  Definitely NOT what you want for your Wedding Day!

Make sure you meet with and discuss with your Photographer ALL of the details of your Wedding prior to the day.  The sooner the better. Ensure that they know the photos you would like to have and the list of people whom you want to make sure you have a photo with.

It is always a great time to do family shots as it is so rare everyone is all dressed up so nicely and together. :)

That being said, I hope you all enjoy the Weddings you will attend this summer!

Here is my "Photo of the Week" not your typical Engagement Shot... we did get lots of those this session... but one that shows the FUN they have, when they are together!

Mother's Day

So it's Mother's Day......

I have had two "children" wish me "Happy Mother's Day" already...  please note, these were not my own children.  One was my niece whom I spent most of the day driving around in a car with yesterday.  And the other was my "tri-daughter".  She is a great kid!!! :)

Where you ask, are my own children? Why no breakfast in bed? Well, my son has moved out.... if he actually remembers in his joy of "freedom at last" that I was his Mother....  it will be a Miracle!!!

My daughter who worked until 2am.... is probably expecting "Breakfast in Bed".......

This is how things change, when your kids are no longer small and cute.....  no cards anymore...  no breakfast... a tea would have been nice but.... she.... is still asleep.

Sometimes a girl gets really lucky and her husband actually will do something nice for her even though she is not his Mother..... mine on the other hand has gone away for the week with his Brother no less....  golfing...  (he did call and ask if he should have flowers delivered to his Mom....)

I recall years of not really caring about Birthdays and Anniversaries.... years of Valentines Days without feeling the need to go out.  How did this all change? It must be an age thing?!?!?!?

 Yes, on my birthday it would be nice to have a cake and have someone sing "Happy Birthday" to me.....  even if it is just my Husband.  I was down in my basement yesterday looking for boxes.  (While my husband is away we sold our cottage and had 7 days to empty it... 5 of those he is away and so I am emptying out the cottage with my son, daughter, and my 68 yr old Mom)  back to my story...

I found a small white cake box.

On it was written,      To Francie:  "Happy Birthday"

This is NO ordinary Cake Box.

On my birthday 2 yrs ago my day started quite normally, everyone was out and I was cleaning the house.  As I was vacuuming I saw out of the corner of my eye a rather large figure outside my kitchen French Doors..... I was startled at first but then realized it was my Dad.

He was all decked out in his motorcycle gear.  He had ridden all the way from Acton to bring me a Birthday Cake in this little white cake box on the back of his motorcycle. Literally strapped on with bungies!!!  That visual, is something I WILL NEVER FORGET!

I guess the "moral of my story" is;  It isn't always important to do something BIG in order to make someone feel special.... sometimes it is the small things like... just remembering their birthday or saying "Happy Mother's Day" to them.

I certainly hope everyone reading this has a Wonderful Mother's Day....

on that note, I have a photo to share.  This week was my daughter's 3 Month Anniversary and she wanted pictures done with her boyfriend.  Here is my favourite photo:

Retro 1910 Wedding

What a cool idea! The guys were all in top hats and the women with Fascinators! A wedding at the very beautiful Queens Landing it was the perfect compliment to the old decor.  I felt I was thrown back in time.

Retro is in, a lot of young people love the look of old photos.  This is where photo editing, my favourite thing to do comes in very handy!  The job of a photographer to ensure they always have the "standard" wedding shots and then to have some fun and give their clients something unique. It is very easy to pose people and take photos, what will set your photographer apart is how they interact with you and if they make you feel at ease.  They should take the types of photos that you are looking for.  If you want posed photos or prefer candid shots. Most photographers are very "old school" and follow the wedding photo train of thought, they set up the wedding party in a nice place and rearrange them to get different shots. Some are slowly breaking out of this tradition and starting to think outside the box.

When looking for a Photographer make sure you find someone who knows what type of photos you are looking for.  They should plan the wedding photos based on what type of photos you would like in your album after the wedding is complete.  Everyone wants the photos of the Aunts/Uncles/Grandma's etc. But think of the shots you would like when you are putting your album together and make sure your photographer gets these shots! If you want a "collage" page, you will need shots of the assorted objects from your wedding.  Shoes, rings, flowers, place cards etc.

I loved the uniqueness of the wedding this past weekend. It showed that the couple thought through all of the details very carefully to ensure it was the day THEY wanted.

That being said, here is your photo of the week for my 52 week project. :) With a little bit of editing I think it really does look like it might have been taken in 1910!!