As the first day of 2012 draws to a close, I find myself looking back at 2011 and thinking about all the wonderful people who invited me into their lives to share their special moments with me.   I have photographed boudoir and engagement sessions, weddings, newborns and families, a fundraiser for the Dawson Peace Garden and patients at the Lakeshore General Hospital for the annual campaign.  I participated in photography workshops and taught my very first one over the summer.  I was published in Photo District News for the first time and won awards for some of my images.  I even collaborated on a book project with fellow photographer Stephane Brazeau.  All in all, 2011 was a busy year and I’m proud and pleased with all that I accomplished. 

I know that 2012 will bring many new opportunities and I’m looking forward to all the challenges that lie ahead.  In the meantime, here are some of my favorite moments from 2011:

I don’t know what it is about shoes, but there is just something about a strappy sandal or a sexy stilletto that sets my heart all aflutter, makes my pulse race and gives me an uncontrollable urge to put a little more mileage on my credit card.  If I happen to see a shoe sale, I can absolutely justify why I “need” a new pair (or five) and have often bought shoes that were so unique or outrageous that I then had to go buy an outfit to wear with them.  While my collection does not even come close to Imelda Marcos‘ let’s just say that if one of the commandments was, “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s shoes” I would be in big trouble!  

Anyway, my point is that I love shoes.  All girls love shoes.  BRIDES love shoes.  Next to the wedding dress, the shoes are one of the most important things a bride will wear on her wedding day.  There are no rules or traditions to uphold when it comes to the shoes and I’ve found that the footwear a bride selects always gives me a little insight into her personality.  The shoes can be any color, any style, any height…  A bride can splurge on brand name designer shoes with four inch heels or she can opt for no-nonsense flip-flops from Payless – and in my years photographing weddings I’ve seen both ends of the spectrum, and everything in between! 

Wedding shoes are one of my favorite things to photograph because each pair is as bold, bright and beautiful as the bride who wears them… Here are some of my favorites.  What style would you choose for your wedding day? 

On Saturday I had the pleasure of photographing Stephanie & Serge’s wedding at the enchanting Cabane à Sucre Lalande.  The couple lives in Victoria, but decided to have their wedding in Montreal because most of their family is from here.  Living on opposite ends of the country means that Stephanie & Serge don’t see their family often, so having photos of their wedding guests was something really important to them. 

Rather than opting for the more traditional table shots, they chose to have me set up a mini-studio with lots of fun props available for their guests to get creative… and did they ever!!  My assistant Elisa and I had a blast with this crazy group of people.  Here are a few of my favorite shots from the evening. ]]> http://www.victoriasperspective.com/stephanie-serges-mini-studio-slideshow/feed/ 3 http://www.victoriasperspective.com/stephanie-serges-mini-studio-slideshow/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/VictoriasPerspective/~3/KUK2oP6uVfU/ http://www.victoriasperspective.com/welcome-to-the-neighborhood/#comments Fri, 01 Jul 2011 22:18:11 +0000 Victoria http://www.victoriasperspective.com/?p=762 NOTE: the images in this feed have been downsized or removed for copyright reasons. To see them in their unmodified state, please view the original post by clicking here.

As most people know, July 1st is the official unofficial moving day here in Montreal.  This means that we often get new neighbors every year around this time… and I am always curious to see who’s moved into the neighborhood.  Imagine my surprise when I walked out the front door today, glimpsed into the yard next door and saw a CHICKEN! 

Apparently the girl next door found this friendly, ultra cuddly hen just wandering the streets and decided to adopt her!  Several of our cats skulked over to investigate and when the chicken chased them off, the novelty soon wore off… for all of them except Mamasita, who was absolutely fascinated by this strange beast and followed her everywhere.

I just love it when my cats make new friends ]]> http://www.victoriasperspective.com/welcome-to-the-neighborhood/feed/ 3 http://www.victoriasperspective.com/welcome-to-the-neighborhood/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/VictoriasPerspective/~3/0eMBplPWTfI/ http://www.victoriasperspective.com/baking-sweet-grand-opening/#comments Tue, 28 Jun 2011 00:53:57 +0000 Victoria http://www.victoriasperspective.com/?p=727 NOTE: the images in this feed have been downsized or removed for copyright reasons. To see them in their unmodified state, please view the original post by clicking here.

I’m not sure what I was doing at the age of 25, but it certainly did not involve writing a business plan, getting a bank loan and expanding my already successful business, which is what baker extraordinaire Randi Deskin has been up to.  Saturday June 25th marked the grand opening of the new storefront for Baking Sweet, Randi’s West Island Cupcake Emporium (located at 4806 St. John’s Blvd. in Pierrefonds).

This beautiful bakery is home to an exquisite selection of homemade baked goods, with recipes passed down from Randi’s grandmother. Every mouthwatering morsel is made with only the finest ingredients that are sure to satisfy any sweet tooth!  Choose from an amazing assortment of cupcakes in flavours like chocolate, vanilla, chocolate mint, lemon, carrot and my favorite:  red velvet.  But wait; there’s more!  Randi also makes birthday cakes, wedding cakes and cookies  

I stopped by to wish Randi well… and in between mouthfulls of cupcake, snapped off a few shots.  Congrats Randi on a wonderful Grand Opening and what is just another step in what I am sure will be a long and successful career!!

Some people don’t like to have their picture taken.  I’ve been living with Gaby for 10 years (or is it 11??) and when I point my camera in his direction, I have about a 50% chance of getting The Hand.  So I get it.  I really do.  In fact, one of the reasons that I love being BEHIND the camera is that I happen to hate being in front of it!   So when I met Lauren and Al to discuss photography for their wedding next summer and Lauren told me that Al didn’t like to have his picture taken, I could totally relate.  Fortunately for me, Lauren is pretty persuasive and was able to convince Al to do an engagement shoot with me to “practice” for their wedding.  She even managed to talk him into cutting his hair.  OK, well, if we’re being totally honest, she bribed him with a new guitar   Gotta give the girl props for her ingenuity!!

Since both Lauren and Al like to explore the outdoors, we decided to do our session at Cooper’s Marsh Conservation Area on Lake St. Francis, which is a beautiful natural marsh with long winding boardwalks and paths through the woods.  Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate and we had to reschedule due to rain at least twice.  I’m sure Al was devastated each time!!  Finally, last Saturday, Mother Nature gave us a break and we had a warm, sunny day for our shoot. 

We met up in the parking lot at 11 and I promised to keep the session to under two hours.  As we walked towards the boardwalk for the first set of shots, Lauren and I chatted about the wedding plans while Al trailed along behind us strumming his new guitar.  Every now and then, I would sureptitiously glance back, nervous that he would disappear into the wilderness, but I have to say that once he had committed to the shoot, he was really a GREAT sport about everything. 

Here are a few of my favorite shots from our session:

After seeing these shots, I’m sure you’ll agree:  Al has no reason to be camera shy, especially not when he’s got a beauty like Lauren in his arms!  As for me, I’m looking forward to hearing  what Lauren has up her sleeve to convince Al to wear a suit for the wedding next summer ]]> http://www.victoriasperspective.com/lauren-al-coopers-marsh/feed/ 49 http://www.victoriasperspective.com/lauren-al-coopers-marsh/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/VictoriasPerspective/~3/gJQGmUjeSUo/ http://www.victoriasperspective.com/melissa-tim-get-hitched/#comments Sun, 29 May 2011 03:41:13 +0000 Victoria http://www.victoriasperspective.com/?p=546 NOTE: the images in this feed have been downsized or removed for copyright reasons. To see them in their unmodified state, please view the original post by clicking here.

From the very first time I spoke with Melissa, we hit it off.  It was as though we were old friends.  Maybe that’s because Melissa is a close friend of MY friend Elisa, so I had heard so many stories about their adventures that I DID feel like I already knew Melissa… and Bonnie (the Maid of Honor)… and Yovan (the very eligible brother of the Bride).  Since I had dealt only with Melissa to finalize our contract, it was only after she mentioned that Tim knew me that I also realized that I went to high school with him!  I remember thinking, “Oh… THAT Tim!!”.   As a result of all these close connections, photographing Melissa & Tim’s wedding was almost surreal… like when you read about a celebrity couple in People Magazine for years and then suddenly meet them in person  

One of the things that really impressed me about Melissa from our first meeting was that she planned and organized her entire wedding in just a couple of months.  Since she and Tim had recently undertaken a major home renovation (worthy of ANY decorating show, I might add) this couple had a lot on their plate… but with the help of family and friends who pitched in with everything from designing and making the hand-made invitations to decorating the ceiling of the outdoor tent with dozens of fluffy white pom-poms, their wedding day at the beautiful Tadja Hall in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue was cozy, classy, intimate and FUN.   

Just a few of the details that made Melissa look and feel beautiful on her wedding day.

Makeup artist Julia Liscio did a fabulous job on ALL the ladies... even the littlest ones

Lots of love and laughter as everyone gets ready to head out to the ceremony.

A few of the lovely ladies who were a part of the celebration.

Tim and I reminisce about high school as he pulls out his old "Beacon" yearbook... and points out a picture of himself from more than 25 years ago!

Tim's mother helps him don dad's cufflinks, which he also wore on his wedding day...

Tim and Melissa would be walking down the aisle together, so they opted to have a "1st Look" before the ceremony.

We rushed off to Baie D'Urfe City Hall where we had about 12 minutes to take photos before dinner was served.

After the photos, dinner was served and the party began!  Melissa and Tim were surprised by some very touching speeches, an impromptu game requiring them to remove their shoes and a rousing song written by the French side of the family.  The DJ had everyone dancing up a storm and when “Satisfaction” came on, Tim wowed the crowd with his infamous Mick Jagger impression.  What an amazing day and night!!

Click HERE to see a slideshow of the mini-studio photos that were taken during cocktail hour.

Melissa and Tim, thank you SO much for letting me be a part of your day!  When I left at the end of the evening, I was filled with happiness for you both… seeing the outpouring of love from your family and friends and watching the two of you together left me feeling so content, because I know that your story is only just beginning and I look forward to being there to document the next chapters.  Best of luck to you both and congratulations!!

xox

Victoria

Melissa and Tim wanted their guests to have something fun to do during cocktail hour (besides drinking!), so my ever-trusty second shooter Stephane Brazeau set up a mini-studio with lots of props for people to fish through… here are the results!

As I mentioned in my last post, it’s not often that I enter photography contests.  I THINK about submitting images often, but when it comes right down to it, I tend to chicken out… or get busy… or come up with a million excuses, because let’s face it – putting yourself out there to be judged can be pretty intimidating!  

Then, last December I shot Jordana & Tom’s wonderful winter wedding and I had this one shot that was THE shot.  It was one of those spontaneous moments where everything just came together and after I pressed the shutter release button I just KNEW it was a keeper.  It happened late into the evening, when the party was starting to wind down and Tom and JD took a break from the festivities to enjoy some alone time out on the wrap-around porch of the Willow Place Inn where the reception was taking place.  They were standing in front of the main entrance, lit only with the porch lights and the reflection of the moon on the blanket of snow that covered the ground.  They were holding hands and smiling up at each other with such tenderness and love that I asked them to stay put while I moved down onto the driveway to snap a quick shot.

I wanted to capture the romance of the moment, and I wanted to use only the available light to truly reflect the evening mood.  I was using a Nikon D3S, which has tremendous low-light capabilities, so I ramped up my ISO to 10,000 (Yes, you counted the zeros correctly!), dialed down my shutter speed to 1/60th of a second, which I felt was the safest speed to hand hold the camera and still get a sharp image (My tripod was already packed up in the car) and I clicked off a few shots – after all, it was WINTER and I didn’t want them to catch pneumonia

I LOVED the final result, but while I was looking at it in post-production, I felt that something was missing… so I added a touch of snow.  It was one of the shots I posted on my blog a couple of days after the wedding and Jordana e-mailed me immediately to let me know that she and Tom were going to use it as their Thank-You card.  I got such a positive response to this image that I fought off the butterflies in my stomach and entered it into the Photo District News annual Top Knots wedding photography contest.

Then I waited… and waited some more… and bit my nails (a LOT)… and finally, one afternoon in January I received an e-mail from Photo District News entitled “Congratulations on being selected into the Top Knots Photo Contest” asking me to send them a copy of the high-resolution image for print.  I had no idea what that meant!  Did I win?  Was I going to be published?  Or was I just moving on to the next round of judging?

Well, to make a long story short, I made it into the winners gallery, which was published in the May 2011 issue of Photo District News:

This is the cover of the May 2011 issue of Photo District News. The shot is not my shot, but I thought I would include this in the event that you want to check out the awesome selection of top wedding photos that are included in this issue.

That's my photo: the one on the top left. It's on page 69... just in case you want to pick up a copy and see it live and in person

After I found my image in the winners gallery, I took the time to look back through all the other amazing photos that had also been selected.  I got giddy when I saw that Jose Villa was also featured.  I’m a huge fan and have been following his work since I started shooting weddings.  For me, being in the same magazine, in the same article as Jose Villa was just mind-blowing.  I felt like the new kid in school being asked to eat lunch with the cool kids! 

It’s a nice feeling to see one of my photos in print in a well-respected photography magazine, side-by-side with the heavy hitters who have been around a lot longer than me.  I am so thankful to Jordana & Tom for inspiring this image and to all the friends, family and fellow photographers who read my blog and leave such positive comments.  It’s because of your encouragement and support that I had the confidence to put something out there to be judged.  Maybe I’ll do it a little more often ]]> http://www.victoriasperspective.com/top-knots-new-school-of-wedding-photography-contest/feed/ 11 http://www.victoriasperspective.com/top-knots-new-school-of-wedding-photography-contest/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/VictoriasPerspective/~3/RJUtt-R1p6A/ http://www.victoriasperspective.com/2011-sppq-awards/#comments Sat, 16 Apr 2011 05:58:15 +0000 Victoria http://www.victoriasperspective.com/?p=487 NOTE: the images in this feed have been downsized or removed for copyright reasons. To see them in their unmodified state, please view the original post by clicking here.

Since my last post, I’ve been really busy:  Shooting boudoir, meeting with clients for their upcoming weddings, shooting an engagement session, working on a new website, taking a trip to Zephyr to visit friends, shooting some more, catching the latest CreativeLive workshops, spring cleaning and of course… post-processing all those shoots!  I’ve even been mentoring an up-and-coming photographer whose work I just LOVE.  I can’t wait for her website to go live… hint, hint ELISA!! 

Earlier this week, I also attended the Gala awards ceremony for the SPPQ (The Society for the Promotion of Photography in Quebec).  The SPPQ was established in 1991 with a mission to bring together photographers from the various camera clubs in the province and to create a community which would promote learning and sharing amongst photographers.  Over the 20 years that the SPPQ has been in existence, workshops, breakfast meetings and an inter-club photography competition were eventually introduced.  The “Défi Interclubs” has become the largest photography competition in Quebec and one of the largest of its kind in the country – and every year, the 1000-seat “Théâtre L’Étoile” where it’s held is completely sold out!

Ever since I joined the Lakeshore Camera Club in 2006, I’ve been attending the annual SPPQ Gala and have always enjoyed spending an evening with friends and fellow photographers marveling at the beautiful and inspiring photography created by Quebec artists.  In 2008, when my efforts were mainly focused on photographing animals, I finally got up the courage to submit some of my photos to the competition.  We have a LOT of amazing photographers in our club, so the selection process is quite rigorous, with several rounds of judging to choose the 24 photos that would best represent our club from among the hundreds submitted by members.  I was thrilled when three of my images made it through that process and were included in the Lakeshore Camera Club submission:

When I attended the awards Gala back in 2008, I waited nervously for my images to come up on the giant screen to see how they scored.  The first two images eventually flashed before my eyes and I was relieved that my scores were respectable enough…  The third image of the red fox, “Luna’s Eyes”, however, did not come up and I was silently cringing that the score was so low that they did not even include it in the evening’s presentation! 

As I ordered another drink (to cry into), they announced the top 10 – which they had saved to the end.  I looked up… and there… on the screen… was MY photo, “Luna’s Eyes”.  My heart started beating faster, my palms started sweating and I looked around to my fellow club members for affirmation that this was not a mistake.  As they started the countdown towards 1st place, my image tied for 7th and I stumbled up to the stage to accept my prize:  A 16″x20″ laminated print of the photo, a certificate and a cheque – for $25.00.   This was the first time I had received any form of financial compensation for a photo… so I framed the cheque and hung it in my home office.  Is that totally crazy?  I don’t know, but I do know that to me, that cheque represents validation from my peers, which is worth a HECK of a lot more than $25.00!!  I still have that cheque…

Fast forward to the 2011 competition and now my focus has totally changed.  I spend most of my time behind the lens photographing people.  I don’t usually enter contests because honestly, just between us, I tend to feel very humbled by the work of other photographers, but over the past couple of years as my business has started to grow I have become much a little more confident in my photography, so this year I submitted three portraits to the competition.  OK, actually, I submitted four, but only three made it through the club judging panel to the actual competition:

This year at the Gala I was a little more savvy, so as the photos came up on the screen, I was secretly hoping NOT to see mine go by until the end.  There were more than 800 images submitted and with limited time the SPPQ chose to show only those images that scored 75 or higher, in five rounds of 105 images.  The first two rounds came and went, and my images did not appear.  In round three, my nude “Matchstick Girl” came up with a score of 78.  One down   I made it through the final two rounds of 105 images and my last two images still had not appeared.  I had made it to the top 25 for the Human Elements category!! 

Once again as the countdown started towards 1st place, my heart started beating faster, my palms started sweating and I stared at the screen with total intensity and concentration, hoping that I could WILL at least one of my images to make it through to the end.  Of course, I was sitting with a crowd of club members who were cheering me on as each image was eliminated from contention.  Somewhere around 12th or 13th place, the “Flower Girl” image got knocked out with a score of 80.8.  My last hope was “Under the Hood”, a photo I shot during my first on-location shoot with Billy, a male model. 

Slowly the countdown continued and as my image remained on the screen, the peanut gallery around me would whisper,
“You’re in the top 10!!”, then “You made it to the top 5!”.  Man, did they ever stress me out!!  Eventually, just the top 4 images remained on the screen and the photographers who created them were asked to come up on stage as the winners were announced.  I was glued to my seat… Fourth place was announced…  Third place…  Only two images remained on the screen.  OH.  MY. GOD.  Could I actually WIN this??   I was holding my breath as they announced the 2nd place winner, with a score of 85.6… and I heard my name. 

My first reaction was disappointment.  I mean, let’s be honest – we don’t generally compete to come in 2nd place, right?  I’ve always been competitive and have always wondered how sincere the actors are who DON’T win the Oscar when they say, “It’s an honor just to be nominated”.  On Tuesday night, as I slowly made my way to the stage to accept my 2nd prize (a certificate, a $75 cheque and a $75 gift certificate to L.L. Lozeau, our local camera store) I realized that I was actually pretty happy to be standing there, among the top photographers in Quebec.  Photography is so subjective that I often ask myself, “Am I good enough” and on Tuesday night I was proud that I had created an image that my peers had judged WAS good enough.  You can see all the winning images on the SPPQ site here.  I think I’m in good company!

The certificate will go on my wall, but this time, I think I’ll cash the cheque ]]> http://www.victoriasperspective.com/2011-sppq-awards/feed/ 7 http://www.victoriasperspective.com/2011-sppq-awards/