This month’s creative exercise was definitely a challenge for me since shooting through glass is not something that I have done a lot of. It was a lot of fun though and I certainly learned a couple of very important things. The first being that if it is too bright outside, there is too much glare and reflection in the glass. The second, and I think the most important, is that manual focus is a must. It allows you to focus on exactly what you are intending to.  This month’s challenge has definitely opened up a whole new creative area for me and I look forward to incorporating this into my images more often.

For more images on shooting through glass, please visit Carrie’s blog @ Carrie Ayn Photography.

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This month’s creative exercise has been my favourite so far. On a recent family vacation, I had the opportunity to photograph a very friendly pelican. In the first image my boys were about to start their Snuba lesson, which is a mix between scuba diving and snorkelling. While they were waiting, a pelican landed on a post nearby. It was probably in search of the fish-filled cooler a few feet away. While the boys had their lesson, I photographed the pelican. And yes, I was thrilled! Perspective is “the art of representing three-dimensional objects on a two-dimensional surface so as to give the right impression of their height, width, depth, and position in relation to each other.” Check out this sweet bird.

For more images on perspective, please visit Carrie’s blog @ Carrie Ayn Photography.

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This months Creative Exercise on Food Photography was definitely more challenging than I initially thought.  How hard can it be to photograph food when you are used to photographing children? Well, it’s not as easy as it looks. My biggest challenge was the light. Since it has been so gloomy & grey here lately, my first few attempts brought less than appetizing photographs. Finally though, we had a nice afternoon with some beautiful light. For this exercise I chose to document the process of making one of our family favourites, Lemon Blueberry Muffins. If you are a blueberry muffin fan, this recipe is fantastic!

If you are interested, you can find the recipe here.  I usually double this recipe and it results in 2 dozen good sized muffins. I also substitute the white flour with whole wheat. And even though I attempt to hide the extras in the freezer, they are usually discovered and eaten within a few days. For more Food Photography, please visit the talented Carrie Ayn at Carrie Ayn Photography.

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I am very excited to be participating in this year’s CM Monthly Blog Challenge along with some amazing photographers from all over the world.  This months theme, Close-Up Portraiture, features my youngest child in his new room, which I have discovered has some pretty wonderful light. It wasn’t until I started editing this set of images that I became a little emotional. I could see in these “close-ups” of my son that he is not so little anymore and I was overwhelmed by how much he has changed in the last few years.

I love you my sweet boy, and I am thankful for many things: that you still hold my hand (even if it’s when no ones around), that you greet me with a hug every morning, that you can instantly “crack me up”, and that you let me pretend you still believe in the tooth fairy.

For more Close Up Portraiture, please visit the talented Carrie Ayn @ Carrie Ayn Photography.

Over the past couple of years I have had the incredible opportunity to photograph some wonderful babies, children, & families. It has truly been a dream come true for me. This post is bittersweet since after pursuing photography as a business, I have made the difficult decision to close my doors for now. While I love photography, I don’t necessarily enjoy the business aspect of it. I also was not fully prepared for the amount of time it would take away from my family and I have struggled to find a happy balance. So, for 2013, I am looking forward  to getting back to where I began in photography and just shooting & learning for the pure enjoyment of it.  I will also be involved in a few photography projects & workshops this year with some amazing fellow photographers. I am super excited about this.

I am forever thankful and grateful to all of my clients over the past couple of years. I have learned so much about photography from photographing your babies, children, and families. I am also grateful to my husband & children who supported me in this journey and I love you all like crazy.

I will continue to keep my website/blog up and active and will continue to share projects & images that inspire me. So, without further adieu, my top 10 of 2012.

It is always a bonus when you have enthusiastic clients and these two showed up for their session eager and ready.  These girls were so much fun to photograph and, as you can see, they pretty much danced through their whole session. They even had some posing suggestions for me which was absolutely adorable. Check out these sweet & beautiful sisters.

Thanks for another great session girls!

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This was my third time photographing this wonderful family, and we thought it would be fun to start our session at the site they are building their new house.  The kids were eager to give me a tour of their rooms and there was much excitement over the prospect of a new place to call home.  Afterwards, we moved outside and despite the bright sun, these kids were incredibly patient and absolutely adorable.  I would also love to take this mom along with me on every session. She had a special song and dance as soon as one of her children were getting tired. She made us all smile.

Thanks “K’ family for a great evening and best wishes in your new home.

One of my favourite ways to unwind & de-stress is to pack up my camera & go out into nature. Like most busy mothers, I often crave time to myself, so this is my perfect escape. There is so much beauty in our surroundings that is often overlooked.  These are a just a few examples from my most recent escape.

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We had the wonderful opportunity to have our niece, Paige, join us on a recent family getaway. Since Paige lives in a different province, we don’t see her as often as we’d like.  I loved having the extra female energy around as did my daughter, who sometimes feels outnumbered by her brothers. I was also very happy that we had the chance to sneak away into this amazing landscape to take some photos.

Thanks for spending the week with us Paige. You are gorgeous!

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The weather has not been on my side for the last couple of months and this session was a very good example. We had to reschedule three times due to the rain. Finally though, we were presented with an incredibly beautiful summer evening and this time, we had it all: a gorgeous graduate, a beautiful location and amazing light.  The only thing we didn’t count on were the swarms of mosquitos! I included an outtake for a visual of what was happening between shots.  Delaney was extremely patient amongst the bugs though and was a natural in front of the camera.

This session was also very special to me since this beautiful graduate is the oldest daughter to my best friend.  I had the incredible opportunity to be in the delivery room to welcome Delaney into the world. Now, fast forward 17 years, she has grown into a beautiful young woman.

Congratulations Delaney! Thanks for asking me to capture this special time in your life. I hope you have long forgotten all of those mosquito bites!

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