Let's Celebrate Fathers!

To Celebrate all the wonderful Fathers out there I am having a special sale.



$100 includes a mini session with all family members except the father (or just the children, your choice), a 5X7 print of your choice from the mini session, and a certificate for a full family session WITH Dad after Father's Day including an 8X10 print!



Mini session will be around 30 minutes and must take place before June 18th so that I can get your image to you in time for Fathers Day, and the full session with Dad must take place before August 31st.



So if you think Dad is tired of getting tacky ties, has all the barbeque accessories you can think of, or would really like an updated picture of those he loves, then this is a great opportunity to give him a memory to last a lifetime.




Call today to book your appointment!


These are my wonderful daughters with their amazing Father and my best friend, David.

Matt and Kristin May 22 2010

Congratulations Matt and Kristin on a beautiful day!

This was my first time second shooting for a wedding and I was so incredibly nervous that morning. Once we got started the nerves went away and I had fun getting into the groove.

The ceremony was a little wind blown but the day got nicer and turned out perfect for pictures in Polson Park after the wedding.

I have to say that when I first walked into the reception hall before the wedding I was thrilled to see black and pink! Anyone that really knows me knows that my whole closet it black, pink, or white :D

I am still working on some editing but have a few teasers done that I wanted to share.

The happy couple have two beautiful little children aged 5 and 2, and I'm working on some pictures of them right now.

Why do I do what I do? (Follow up to why do I charge what I do)

Every photographer has a personal reason for starting in this profession. I would bet that most photographers are sentimental people that feel the need to capture time as it seems to be slipping away from us.

I grew up in a photographic family and have tons of photos from my childhood. I can remember sitting at my Grandparent's house and going over and over all their photo albums from their trips around the world. I got to experience just a little of what they had seen and loved every minute of it.

My dad, stepmom, and I just went through hundreds of old family slides looking for images of my sister so I can start on a memory book of her. For those of you that don't know, we lost my sister to breast cancer in January 2005 after a long 7 year battle against the disease. I am so very thankful that most of my childhood with her is documented in photos. I certainly remember a lot of things, but the photos can trigger so many other memories long forgotten.

As soon as my sister was diagnosed she decided that instead of being behind the camera all the time that she needed to start getting in front of it. My sister Stephanie did the two year photography program at Langara College in Vancouver and was a great photographer. With the possiblity of not seeing her children grow up she knew the only thing she could leave behind would be photos of herself with her children.

I attended a photography conference in Richmond in the early spring and photographer Dane Sanders spoke about his "why" of photography - it's a tiny picture of him at age three with his dad, the only photo of him and his dad together as his dad was killed soon after in his job as a police officer. It was a powerful story about the fleeting nature of our lives.

I was pointed towards this website by a fellow photographer and think it's just amazing.


http://www.debsphotographs.com/photoblog/?p=957

Why aren't you having your photos taken? And are those things really more important than providing a lasting memory for your family? If money is an issue then please talk to me, we can work something out. But I think every family needs wonderful photos!

This is me and my sister in 1977:

and this is us at my wedding in 2002:

Somehow I went from being the little sister to being the "big" sister!

Stephie, I miss you more and more every day, wish you could see my girls growing up, wish you could see your beautiful children turning into phenomenal young people, and be there when I have that all familiar urge to call you.

Why do we charge what we do?

From a fellow photographer Melissa Knowles

(Pieces of this information was taken from an article published in the December 2009 edition of Professional Photographer Magazine).

In this digital age where everyone has cameras, scanners, and home "photo printers," we hear this all the time: How do professional (or personal) photographers charge $X for an 8x10 when they cost just $1.50 at the drugstore? Simply put, the customer is not just paying for the actual photograph; they're paying for time and expertise.The average one-hour portrait session:First, let's look at the actual work involved:- Travel to the session- Setup, preparation, talking to the client, etc.- Shoot the photos- Travel from the session- Load images onto a computer- Back up the files on an external drive- 1 - 43 hours of Photoshop time, including cropping, contrast, color, sharpening, and backing up edited photographs.- 1 -2 hours to talk to the client, answer questions, receive order and payment, order their prints, receive and verify prints, package prints, schedule shipment, and ship. You can see how a one-hour session easily turns into an eight-hour day or more from start to finish. So when you see a personal photographer charging a $150.00 session fee for a one-hour photo shoot, the client is NOT paying them $150.00 per hour.

The expertise and cost of doing business:Shooting professional photography is a skill acquired through years of experience. Even though a DSLR now costs under $1,000, taking professional portraits involves much more than a nice camera. And most photographers spend upwards of thousands of dollars on cameras and lenses.

Most personal photographers take years to go from buying their first camera to making money with photography. In addition to learning how to use the camera, there is a mountain of other equipment and software programs used to edit and print photographs, run a website, etc. And don’t forget backdrops, props, licensing fees and insurance, etc!In addition to the financial investment, photographers actually have to have people skills to make subjects comfortable in front of the camera. Posing people to look their best is a skill by itself. You could argue that posing is a more important skill than actually knowing how to use the camera. A poorly exposed photo can be saved, but a badly posed photo cannot.

The chain store photo studio:Chain stores do have their place. For a very cheap price you can run in, shoot some quick photos, and be done with it. But you get what you pay for.Consider the time and effort that a personal photographer puts into photographs, compared to a chain store. Store sessions last just a few minutes, while a personal photographer takes the time to get to know the people, makes them comfortable, makes them laugh. If a baby is crying at a chain store, they often don’t have the time (or the patience) to wait because everyone is in a hurry.

The real deal:Professional, personal photographers are just that—professionals. No different than a mechanic, dentist, doctor, or electrician. But a personal photographer often becomes a friend, someone who documents a family for generations with professional, personal photographs of cherished memories.

Hopefully potential clients understand why I, and most other photographers charge more than Walmart or Sears does. We truly want this to be the best experience you've had getting portraits taken, and we will ensure we spend extra time with you, and give you extra attention to make sure that happens.

And to end, a little cutie patootie Miss K. with my new prop!

MMM BURGERS

Burger Bliss?

Last summer our family rented out our TINY little old truck shop to two guys with a big dream. Steve Jones and Chris Boehm wanted to make a burger joint.... at first we thought they would only last the summer, then we saw the renovations, the idea, and the customers. I think part of the charm is our tiny truck shop that they have transformed into a cute, bubbly building vibrant with color. Their signature orange 55 gumball takes centre place on the front door.

For those of you that haven't tried a burger from Burger 55, you must go now. I am a seriously picky eater, so this concept is right up my alley. When you enter the front door there are numerous clip boards on the wall with menu sheets. Grab a pencil and start creating! From beef, turkey, salmon, and mushroom you then go on to pick from a plethera of cheese such as funky feta and rockin roquefort. Next is the big condiment decision, it doesn't stop at ketchup, mustard, and mayo. How about caramel apple barbeque sauce,wasabi cream, peanut butter, or their orange ginger glaze? Lettuce and tomato are joined by roasted garlic, beet strings, roasted corn, and pico de gallo. And why not take it over the edge with a fried egg, a split sausage, or grilled peaches? And you just can't have a burger without fries....we had their sweet potato fries which were fabulous, although I did mentioned to them that they need a chipotle mayo to go with it. We tried their spicy sauce but it was too spicy for me, and not smoky enough like chipotle. They also have sweet whisky onion rings (which I am sure are good, but I will never be trying them - onions, ick!) and custom poutine with your choice of cheese...how cool is that?

The only thing I could think of while eating my burger was what combinations I was going to try next time. I'm thinking turkey burger, jalapeno havarti, mayo, sauteed mushrooms, and a pickle.

On a quick lunch break? Fax your order in and pick it up! With a great location downtown I think these guys are going to do fabulous. I can't wait to see the line up's out the door in the summer...and maybe a Burger 55 franchise somewhere in the future.

All from a crazy idea, a tiny old tire truck shop, and a ton of hard work. Congrats Steve and Chris on a successful venture!

Visit them at http://www.burger55.com or their FB fan page at www.facebook.com/burger55

Wow, what a week it has been! Saturday morning bright and early I jumped on the plane and headed to Vancouver. I got to spend a whole 24 hours with someone that I consider my "sister", my "soul mate" (but not in that sense!) I just think her and I have such an amazing connection and such similar views on the world, along with similar health struggles, that we were destined to be friends. I have known her since the day she was born.... 2 and a half years after I was. Our mothers had met while mine was pregnant with me, and hers was pregnant with her brother. Over the years they have lived all over the province, even made a quick trip out of province, but our families friendship hasn't wavered. I feel like part of their family...even the extended family. I never feel out of place at giant parties with all the aunts and uncles cause I've known them since I was little. Let's just say it's an awesome feeling to have "family" that isn't family.

So Saturday we spent lazing around her cozy loft in Gastown mixed with some Olympic intake. We visited the place where Canada House is, got to see some hilarious performers, and after dinner took a walk past the Olympic Flame. And what's a day in Gastown without shopping for some Olympics swag? I found a great PINK bag (of course it's pink!) and a figure skate keychain to put on my skate bag.

Sunday morning I packed up and headed to Richmond for the PPABC Image Quest Convention (Professional Photographers Association of BC). What a day.... it started with Dale Sanders, a Canadian photographer who brought along slides of his recent work with IMAX in filming a movie in the Arctic...WOW, what a job! A whole month camped out on the ice and snow taking pictures of polar bears. We had a nice long break that day in the middle so I checked into my hotel, had a nice hot bath, and a nap. It was heaven..... after having only 10 hours sleep over 2 days I really needed it. Returned after dinner for a 4 hour presentation by Dane Sanders (yes, almost the same name as Dale Sanders, no relation!)

His presentation has completely renewed my joy for photography, the very essence of why I think photography is so important. It reminded me that life is short, very short in some cases, and photographs are sometimes the only thing we have left. Dane lost his father at age 3 and only has one tiny picture of him and his dad together. My sister and I talked about this quite a bit when she was ill. We were both uncomfortable having our pictures taken (I still am) but she realized that very soon that's all her children would have. Nostalgia comes from the Greek for "pain from an old wound". Some days it's painful to look at photos of those we have lost, and other days it's necessary to get strength to continue on. We can look at those photos and remember events and memories that can stir up so many different emotions.

Monday was a whole day of Power Marketing 101. Not quite as touching as the first day, but very informative and completely awesome for someone like me just starting out. I won't bore you with marketing ideas, plus then you'll know my secrets of how I get you to buy from me. LOL Oh yes, and Monday had a nice break in the middle of the day so once again I indulged and had a nap. I was beginning to feel pretty lonely, not knowing anyone else at the conference. I had talked to one girl on Facebook before the conference but we didn't meet up until later on Monday. I went out for dinner with a group of 6 young photographers like myself, and had a great time.

Tuesday was the big day everyone was waiting for. Blue Olive Photography spoke in the morning about social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and how it can help your business. Great information from a really funny couple. We had only an hour and a half lunch break this time so we just ran downstairs to the food court for a quick lunch and then headed back upstairs to wait in line to get front row seats for the next presenter. JASMINE STAR! Amazingly talented (and self taught in the last few years only) and so raw and real and sweet. She willingly shared everything that she had done in her business to get her to the point she's at now, charging $10,000 for a wedding! But like all of us she started at $1,000. She had been going to law school, wasn't sure if that's what she wanted to do, and took a leave from school. During this time she got engaged, and married. On her wedding day she kept thinking about what an awesome job the photographer had and how she'd love to do it. So with a camera she got for Christmas and a TON of drive she made it happen. One thing about this girl, if she wants something she WILL get it.

So my brain is swirling with so much information about marketing, social media, image branding, pricing, packaging, outsourcing, emotional reasons for photography, and so much more. I'm still trying to make sense of it all and discover how things I learned can be incorporated into my business. There are so many things I still want to research, but most importantly I need to get my butt outside and start taking more pictures.....you don't get to be a better photographer by reading, you get to be a better photographer by doing!


I have a great love for photography and now need to get going. Thankfully I have some photographer friends, and continue to meet more, that been very generous in sharing tips with me....thank you Ladies!

And of course my dad, an amazing vault of knowledge on all subjects, and an equally amazing photographer. I was lucky enough to be able to purchase the same camera as he uses so when I am having trouble just a quick phone call can save me. Thank you so much Dad for your support, it truly means everything <3 Especially picking my tired butt up from the airport at 11pm.

Here's some photos from my weekend: