Swingin' and Teeterin'

Last weekend James, Cheyenne and I went for a nice walk around the neighbourhood. We stopped by the local park to let Cheyenne swing for a while. She just loves the swings and it was a gorgeous day outside. A win-win situation. We also put her on the Teeter Totter (is that how you spell it??) for the first time, but she wasn't as keen about that.

I just love the way this picture turned out.

My husband took this next one for me.

I'll be MIA for a little while but will try to get a few pictures posted whenever I get around to it. My husband's family is planning on taking advantage of me while we're visiting, but in a good way! =) They've got lots of photo shoots planned for me and I can't wait! There'll be a Newborn session (mind you, my nephew is already 2 months old so it'll be more of a baby session!), a Couples session, a Fashion session, a Re-Live the Dress session (that's what I'm calling shoots where women want to wear their wedding dresses again but not necessarily trash them!), and a bunch of other random pictures I'm sure!

Oh, I also purchased some new editing tools from Kubota Imaging Tools. I've been playing around with it tonight and am SO excited about what I can do with my pictures now. Nothing drastic, but just small enhancements that totally make them come out the way I want. I'm still working on perfecting my style and I think these tools will aid me in that direction. At least a little bit!

I've also learned a few more things about my camera and I'm looking forward to trying out a few different techniques and settings during my photo shoots this week.

Wishing you all a fabulous weekend!

List Obsession

I have a condition. Let's call it OCLD- Obsessive Compulsive List Disorder.

I need lists for everything. And then some. Anytime I go on a trip, or just an over-nighter somewhere, I have to make 'packing' lists and 'to-do' lists, and 'don't forget to add this to the list' lists. I'm going away next week so the lists are taking over my life at the moment. I have my Master List that lists every single item that I want to remember to pack, even the most obvious of things: wallet, underwear, sweater, carry-on bag, etc. Then I have my To-Do-Before-Leaving list which starts from a week before I actually leave, and it's broken down by days. Then there's my Carry-On-Baggage List which lists contents also found in the Master List but that I specifically want to have in on me for the flight. Then there's the Pack-The-Morning-Of-List which also contatins items found on the Master List but that I'll still be using up until we leave. And then there's the many random Don't-Forget-To-Put-These-On-The-Master-List Lists. They're all over my house. One in ever room probably. My Master List stays in my bedroom, but what if I'm in the kitchen and I remember "Oh yeah! Can't forget my blue shoes!" Well, who wants to run all the way upstairs to write it down only to come back downstairs and remember something else?! So I write it down on my mini list and collaborate all my lists together the day before I leave.

Yup. That's some pretty intense listing action going on. I used to think my condition was pretty severe, but tolerable. Now that I have a baby to pack for too... well, you don't want to know how many trees are being cut down to account for the amount of paper I use for my lists. =) But hey, at least I don't forget anything!

Another thing I've started doing is bringing my master list with me to wherever I'm going so I know what to bring back home with me! Sooo, another item to add to my Master List is: Master List!

Hope you're all having a great Thursday. I'm not at my computer so I have no pictures to add, but I'll make up for it when I get back from my trip. I promise. I've got a million (I also tend to exagerate) photo shoots lined up while I'm away and will try to get a few sneak peaks up on my blog when I get access to some high-speed internet.

Thanks for stopping by!

Information Overload

The system- is down. The system- is down.

That's what my brain felt like last night. My husband was working the evening shift so I spent a few hours after my daughter went to sleep reading and researching on the internet. By the time I went to bed I was so jam-packed with information that it took a long time to shut down mentally.

I love reading other photographer's blogs and hearing about how they started out in the business and how they got to where they are today. Along with all the helpful information/advice that they so openly share with their readers. My 2 most favourite photographers that I LOVE, and religiously follow their blogs, are Jasmine Star and Jaime Delaine.

Both of them are so inspiring to me, for so many reasons, but mostly because they started out just like me. They both had a passion for photography and wanted to start their own businesses. From what I've read on their blogs about how they started out, they did lots of practice shoots and pretty much taught themselves using the internet (reading other photographers blogs, watching tutorial videos, participating in photography forums, etc.), interacting with other photographers, and practicing!

So I've been catching up on their blogs, going through every FAQ post they've written and soaking in as much information as I can! I'm constantly learning new things and get excited for future photo shoots so I can put these new techiniques into practice.

Another thing I've read from other photographers is that blogging is a key factor to growing your business and attracting new clients. So, I'm going attempt to make this blog a more daily thing, as much as my 10 month old will allow! =)  I'll try to think of different ideas to spruce up my blog a bit but that'll take some thinking time.

On the subject of inspiration, I'm highly inspired by editorial shoots. I love looking through magazines for posing ideas and am drawn to the photos with a highly editorial/high fashion feel to them. I borrowed a bunch of magazines from the library today to get my creative juices flowing! I grabbed a couple Vogue's, Elle and Flare, and a few bridal magazines.

I'll end this post with some pictures of my cutie-patutie daughter. Because, really, what's a photography blog post without pictures, right?

COUPLE photo session

Saturday's photo session was a 2-in-1 special. Before the rest of the family arrived I had a quick photo shoot with one of the daughters and her boyfriend. I've only done two couples shoots now but I can say that they're probably my favourite type of shoot! I love how couples interact with each other and just the closeness and love that you can capture from their expressions. This couple was no exception. They were just too cute and made it easy to get some great shots! Here's just a few of my favourite photos from their session.

FAMILY photo session

Here's some more pictures from Saturday's session. Enjoy!

Sneak Peak

Why do I even bother going to bed the night before a photo shoot? Haha. I did eventually fall asleep, but it took awhile to turn off my brain!

This morning I had the pleasure of photographing a great family, full of energy and personality. There was lots of laughter, and I mean LOTS! I had such a good time and am so glad they asked me to take these pictures for them!

Here are a couple pictures that I managed to get edited yet before dinner!

Easter Extravaganza

Another Easter has come and gone. I'm so thankful and grateful for what Christ did for us so many years ago on that cross. Victory over death, once and for all. I love it. We are so blessed.

Easter is always jam-packed with family get togethers and lots and LOTS of food! Here's a taste of what our weekend looked like.

Cheyenne's gift from her Omi (Grandma)

Cheyenne's gift from her Tante (Aunt)

Easter isn't Easter without some Tulips in the house

Easter (or any other day, for that matter!) is also never complete without BBQ!

Or wine

The best toy for sucking, an empty beer bottle! Don't worry, she didn't drink what was inside! ;)

 If you ask her how big she is, she'll raise her arms above her head. Too cute.

Hope you all had a blessed Easter weekend!