dino love

(click to enlarge image)

delicious cookies (and camera)

I got new gears! A fancy pants new lens and a new camera body. Yes sir, freedom from serving is so close I can practically smell it!

Here's a picture of the cookies Norm made Saturday night. He might be little but he's a whiz in the kitchen. I think it's his magic toque.

For the bakers out there, this is a super easy recipe and is oh-so-delicious. Click here ---> Martha does it again!

For the camera nerds, this is f/4.5 at 1/30 so maybe not tack sharp (handheld) but get this. GET THIS! 3200 ISO!! Can I hear a whoop whoop?! This is less noisy than my D70 at 400.

*swoon*

*double swoon*

I might not be able to get up off the floor.

the parkers

It feels like ages ago since Deb and I first chatted about getting together to do some photos. Exactly one swine flu and some Christmas craziness later, we finally met on Saturday morning.

I'm always nervous before a shoot because I never know exactly what I'm walking into, and I'm always scared I'm going to let people down. It's my genuine desire to create images that people will cherish forever so I put a lot of pressure on myself to get it right. Lately, luck has been on my side as I've snapped a few awesome pictures.

Deb and Frank's little guy Joey is beyond amazing. He was so serious and curious checking me out, trying to figure out just what the heck was going on. As you can see, he wasn't necessarily the biggest fan of the Santa hat, even though he looked adorable in it. Deb and Frank: thank you for being so kind, patient, encouraging and fun. I look forward to hanging out with you all again soon!

wayne et al

At first, I had no idea how I was going to take pictures of a family with five kids. You look at "family portraits" on other photographer's blogs for ideas and you mainly see Mommy, Daddy and Baby. If the family count is more than four, you get to see a whole lot of sitting on logs with white t-shirts and hands on shoulders... I knew that kind of photo was not going to fly for Wayne, Melissa and their kids. So, I was a little nervous.

But I soon learned there was no need to be. This group was so.much.fun. and up for anything! At first I think they were a tad skeptical when I told them to line up and hold hands but very quickly they caught on and were thinking up awesome poses on their own. What fun!

We got so many good shots from their session that I had a really hard time narrowing it down, so here are ten (yes, ten!!) of my absolute favourites. Can you see how much love there is in this family? It was a beautiful thing to capture.

a december beach day

Have I mentioned before that Rhianna is my favourite seven year old in the whole wide world? And that I love taking her picture? Yesterday we went to Fisherman's Cove. It was cold and I only snapped a few, but she's a natural in front of the camera and a few was all I needed! Thanks for a fun afternoon Rhianna! xo.

family portraits

I love this picture of Luke, Meaghan & Ella. Picture perfect family? I'd say so!


What a special moment to have 4 generations side by side. I love how Ella's grandmother is holding her hand. There's so much love in this picture, even though everyone isn't looking at the camera!


I feel like this image is timeless, with Luke's suit looking like a throwback to the 40s or 50s. Life is so magical and it's awesome to be there, capturing these tender moments.

blur & grain

The other day I was out taking pictures and snapped a single photo of this dog. Normally I would be upset about missing the focus but for this image, I really think the blur works. I have a fascination with Diana cameras and their cheap, light-leaking bodies and plastic lenses (example) and I think this picture has some of the same qualities. I think I need to put on my photoshop hat and learn how to Diana-ize my pictures!


And here's an example of grain working for me instead of against me. I love all the love in this photo!!

sugar & spice

... and all things nice. That's what little girls are made of!

i love being an aunt...

...because I get to take pictures of the most gorgeous kids alive! I wish I could lay claim to these cuties but alas, they're Stephen (my brother) & Kelly's beautiful creations.

I'm glad JW is (finally!) here because he's going to give me tons and tons of practice of taking pictures of itty bitty ones. I had no idea how difficult it is taking photos of newborns. You would think something so cute would be a cinch. Nope. Hopefully with time, I'll have it mastered!

cooper's wedding

Here are two awesome images from an absolutely awesome day. xo.

cooper's wedding {engagement session}

If you know me at all, or read this blog, you don't need me to tell you how thrilled I was to be a part of Robert & Sarah's wedding. Nor do I have to tell you how much I absolutely adore Sarah. Or how I think these two are a match made in heaven. xo.

hannah's 1st birthday

Have I mentioned lately how much pressure I've been feeling due to my enormous backlog of photos? I've been doing a little bit of editing but it's been fairly willy-nilly. So today I decided to start at the very beginning (it's a very good place to start!) and will continue chipping away at my pile every day. This way, nothing will get missed.

So... that means I start with September 5th - Miss Hannah Marie's first birthday. Isn't she just a doll?

I love this series of photos of Dad playing peek-a-boo. They both look so happy! (Click to make the image bigger)

on the upswing

This past week has been a rollercoaster of feeling well, not-so-well, horribly ill and everything in between. But all was not lost. I managed to drink a lot of this.


And finally finish this.


And even learn how to do this! (Yay french knots!).

button button who's got the button

Apparently this is what one does in my house, when one is suffering from the flu.

"I feel sick and weak"

"I know... I will pile buttons on the counter!"

Not as helpful as Tylenol, but certainly a distraction.