beautiful georgie

This morning I spent an hour or so with Georgie and her mommy Mary Jane. What a pleasure! Georgie was all smiles and so well behaved. I love this picture because she looks so calm and chill... Hey, I'm just checkin' out yer camera, wearin' an adorable toque. Yep, this is me. :)

Stay tuned for more beautiful images of this beautiful little girl.

peek-a-boo!

I keep threatening to edit the last (gulp) seven shoots and tonight I'm finally tucking into them. As the photos were uploading this little guy caught my attention. We piled all the paper lanterns in the middle of the floor before hanging them for Cooper's wedding. Next thing I see are these two yellow eyes peering back at me. So cute.

ansel {awesome} adams

Isn't it funny sometimes how someone else's words can express so succinctly exactly what you're feeling?

I stumbled upon these nuggets of wisdom from Ansel Adams tonight and for each of them, my heart jumped and went, "Yes! Exactly!"

So for the photo enthusiasts who read my blog here are a few thoughts to make you smile (or at least, think).

"Some photographers take reality... and impose the domination of their own thought and spirit. Others come before reality more tenderly and a photograph to them is an instrument of love and revelation." [Yes please. More revealing, less domination].

"Sometimes I do get to places just when God's ready to have somebody click the shutter." [This one is my favourite!].

"There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs." [I think this is aka: rules are meant to be broken].

"When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence." [I find this interesting because I wholeheartedly agree. But it also causes a bit of dissonance, due to my fascination with putting words in images].

"The only thing in my life that compatibly exists with this grand universe is the creative work of the human spirit. " [I think that's because creativity and this beautiful world are both born of the same thing - an incomprehensible, higher level of Love].

lucky monkey

Yes, I am a lucky monkey! So many amazing friends, an awesome family, the discovery of a passion and just a beautiful life in general. I guess that's why I loved this little guy as soon as I laid eyes on him. How can you not be happy with a monkey keeping you company? Sorry folks, he was the last one in the store, and I shall not reveal my sources. >:)

I also went to Wal-Mart (yeah... stinky monopolizing multinational corporation... fun craft aisle... it's a moral toss-up) with my Mom today and got some pretty paper (on which the lucky monkey is laying at the moment) and alphabet stamps. oooOOOOooo... stamps. YES! Stay tuned for some stamping awesomeness!

And for you all people anxiously awaiting photos: I don't know if it's the direction of the wind, the alignment of the planets or my creative energy asking for room to breathe - I just can't seem to tie myself to the laptop this week. But watch out. I have the weekend off and will be labouring (with love) over all the shoots from the past two weeks. And that's a promise!

procrastination

This is what photographer's do while procrastinating...


And this too. (Yep, that's my bedroom door... happiness bursting out of a wooden heart that was lovingly hand painted by my friend Merrick). I'm not gonna lie... I love it. :)

this guy makes me lol

Meet my friend Shawn. He's funny. Not funny weird, funny ha-ha. He performs at Yuk Yuks on Wednesday nights and boy, what a well spent five bucks. There are a few awkward moments watching comedian hopefuls gain their footing... but mainly it's awesome because you get to laugh until your face hurts. And in all seriousness - we can judge but really and truly, who has the talent (and courage!) to get up there themselves? Total respect.

Shawn is definitely the funniest guy on stage. He rocks it every time and I'm super proud. I hope you like the photos I snapped Shawn! It was very quick turn-around time because I only took ten. (I was too busy being entertained!). xo.


PS: This is where I must reiterate how in love I am with my new 80-200 lens. OoooOOOOOOooo it's so niiiiiice.

what can i say? i'm slow

Today I'm slow. I don't know if it's the overcast day or if the simple pleasure of being wrapped up in a fuzzy blanket, sipping tea and listening to my favourite music is short-circuiting my brain and slowing my ability to edit efficiently.

So here's one of my favourites from Dawson & Jessica's photo shoot. I switched my screensaver to a slideshow of all the photos in my wonkyeye folder. Now I catch myself sitting back and watching my screensaver rather than working. But it's great because I get to see images that for whatever reason, didn't make the blog the first time 'round but have somehow climbed up the ladder of awesome since then.

Tonight I'm taking a Wedding Photography Workshop at Aperture Studio downtown and I'm very excited! It's about the business of wedding photography and I'm hoping to learn a lot.

mary jane & corey {part two}

I have a massive amount of editing to catch up on so over the course of the next few days, I'm going to be posting a lot. Yay!

Remember Mary Jane & Corey? I have a few more images to share from their lovely backyard wedding. I absolutely adore the first one of Mary Jane, it's so romantic and fairy-tale-ish. And the last one of the little boy makes me smile - just look at that face! How could you not burst into a grin?!

Also, it appears I am on a black & white kick tonight...

what makes me happy

Today I woke up and cleaned. And I don't mean swiffle clean (sweeping dust under rugs and straightening crooked frames). No, I took the shelves out of my fridge and washed out the crisper drawers.

Four hours later I found myself sipping a well-deserved cup of tea and rifling through my favourite blogs and websites. I did nothing photo related today and I have to admit, it's been a nice break before settling into a week of intense editing.

I want to share with you the things that make me happy. As of this afternoon, it's these four things that make me feel giddy and so pleased to be alive.

This painting by Penelope Dullaghan.


This cartoon from xkcd.


The Wall Street Journal's photo blog that features the best photos behind today's breaking news. There are some absolutely breathtaking images, like this one here.


And finally, the National Filmboard of Canada. This is a collection of Canadiana at it's absolute finest. Even the site's tagline gives me goosebumps: "The world changes: Our stories live on."

This website is a treasure trove of memories from childhood, amazing pieces from independant Canadian artists, documentaries, short films. Be careful, you could get lost here for hours. I adored this short when I was a kid.

cooper's wedding {the eve of}

I. AM. SO. EXCITED! Cooper's getting married tomorrow! YAY YAY YAY YAY!

It has been an absolute privilege to watch everything fall into place over the past few months. I almost said "magically fall into place" but that would be doing a great disservice to Cooper, who's meticulous attention to detail and organizational skills are beyond compare. And that's an understatement.

As a wedding guest book Sarah is having all the guests sign a square of fabric with fabric markers. Then, after the wedding, her Mom is going to sew all the squares together into a wedding quilt. I know - an immensely touching, beautiful idea.

So you know I was thrilled (and honoured) when she asked me to design the center square for her quilt. OMG... I DO! :)

My idea was to create something with a homemade arts & crafts sort of feel... cute but not overly so, simple but not stick man simple. And of course, it had to be wool because it's soft and awesome.

I'm over the moon with how her center square turned out. I hope you can see all the love I poured into it. I love you Sarah and Robert! As I said before and will say again, it will be an honour to witness the linking of two perfectly matched souls. I'm wishing you lots of love, laughter, peace and happiness tomorrow and forever. Enjoy your special day! xo.

ain't life grand?

You know what's so amazing about taking pictures? You get to be a part of people's happiness and share in their most intimate moments and experiences.

Today I did a family portrait session and tonight a pre-wedding party. When I got home I put a bunch of prints up on my bedroom wall. (Ironically, my walls were totally bare until 10 minutes ago... now they're looking much better). As I was sticky-puddying images to my wall, the most incredible feeling of humility and gratefulness washed over me.

I love taking pictures. I don't even know how to begin explaining it without sounding cliche - but the thrill of capturing the perfect combination of emotion and light is beyond compare. The fact that people are now starting to invite me into their lives to document their special moments is absolutely incredible.

As I travel along this path, I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. The love between two people and the strength of a family unit are the most precious gifts we've been given - and here I am freezing these moments for all time! Wow! I don't know how I've landed in this space but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it lasts for a long, long time.

denise & trevor {say i do}

This Sunday I was invited to tag along with Eric as a second shooter for Denise & Trevor's beautiful backyard wedding.

Working as a second shooter is great because there is essentially no pressure. I don't have to worry about missing the perfect shot of the bride and groom kissing or even blowing the exposure on the bride's dress. Nope. I just had to take pictures of people enjoying themselves and try my best to capture those little moments that the couple might miss during the whirlwind of their wedding, but are grateful to see afterward.

It's so fascinating to be on the peripheral of such an intimate day. I had never met anyone, but yet there I was - thrown into a mixture of family and friends who were sharing such a beautiful celebration of love and happiness. I wanted to jump up and down and congratulate Denise and Trevor too. I'm not gonna lie and say a tear or two didn't escape during their very touching ceremony.

So the results of my day are pretty much images of people. But I think wedding snapshots are unique in that everyone looks their very best (and let me tell you, this was one group of goooood lookin' people!) and everyone is happy. I had a lot of fun and am grateful to Eric for giving me the opportunity to practice! xo.

Waiting patiently for things to get started. This guy was so cool and relaxed.

The love was contagious! Sharing a special moment...

Giving the nod to start the music.

Making sure there are pictures for the family photo album...

And keeping kids entertained during the ceremony...

I loved all the hugging and crying... it's wonderful to see such uninhibited celebration!

The toast to the bride and groom... and a shot of something that may have gone unnoticed perhaps... :)

And lastly, what's a wedding without adorable children!?

one more time

I woke up on the melancholy side of bed this morning. I don't know why - the mood strikes once in a blue moon where I lay there thinking and re-thinking everything. But as usual, the universe conspires to blow positivity through my cobwebby brain and I can't help but fall in love with life all over again.

The upswing started when I read these words: "Use your life for something you really believe in." A command, not a suggestion or a good idea. A simple do-this statement that made me think how obvious.

I know what I believe in: truth, beauty, love and peace. And I believe in celebrating each of them every day. And this train of thought led me to an image I took yesterday that absolutely defines true contentment. So as I opened up the file and set about editing it, I could feel light creeping in.


Then I read these glorious words from Pitchfork describing Daft Punk's "One More Time."

"A pool filled with cotton candy Jelly Belly's at a 10-year-old's birthday bash. The most drunk-uncle moment at your cousin's wedding. A dozen cartoon kittens flipping their tails double-time with the boom. Winning both "The $10,000 Pyramid" and "Jeopardy!" on the same day. Aliens touching down on earth only to give every man, woman, and child their own ghettoblaster. This song sounds like many things. It is not prudent. But it is wise. Because-- remember-- it's called "One More Time". Not "Forever" or "Infinity" or "17 More Times". This is it. There is an end. The feelings will wear off. But not before the beautifully faceless Romanthony gurgles his way into your chest, knees, brain. Not before Daft Punk distill 25 years of pop and house into five and a half minutes of first-time joy. Not before you lose any and all sense, breath, scream, beg, cry, break, heal, pump, kick, and beam wider than your mouth knows. So keep repeating because you won't last. "One More Time", of course, will."

The imagery in that paragraph combined with the song's infectious beat makes me positively giddy. I can't help but relish not only where I've been and where I'm going, but exactly where I am, right now.

Happy Labour Day!

dawson & jessica {in love}

I met Dawson this winter at work. He was bartending and I was serving. We had an easy rapport and an instant friendship (or so I like to think!).

So when I told Dawson that I'm trying to beef up my portfolio, he happily offered Jessica and himself as models. In fact, the first thing he said was how he would love to have pictures of Jessica on the Citadel doing cartwheels along with lots of other cool shots.

Well Dawson, you got your cartwheel and hopefully, lots of other cool shots too. I want to thank you two for being such amazing sports and trusting that my directions would ultimately make sense in the end result. You guys are so fantastic that I can't even begrudge all your kissiness and lovey-dovey ways. :) I hope these images make you as happy as they make me. Thanks for coming out to play! xo.

dawson & jessica {a teaser}

I had a lot of fun working with Dawson and Jessica on Wednesday afternoon. We had a gorgeous sunny day and nothing but time... so we got to three different locations and tried lots of different poses. These two were such great sports: fun, creative and in love - a perfect combination! :)

I haven't had a chance to get their entire session edited so for now I will post this teaser. Click it to see more detail.