Porting over this blog from my work site is going to make me an old woman before my time. Half the posts are missing and the flickr stuff isn’t set up, or the tags, argghh!
Oh well, the official launch isn’t for a week. I still have time to save face. The good news is I booked a wedding and an event shoot tonight.
Wow four months have passed, no blog posts, nada, zip. Well that speaks to how busy I have been over the summer, lots of weddings, portraits, magazine gigs, photo workshops, photo trips, the whole gamut of the lovely world of photography. I’ll try to catch up with what I did over the past few months in my coming posts.
This shot is from an assignment I did last week for Trot magazine out of Toronto. Kayla is a young woman blazing the trail at Fraser Downs.
Kayla in the barns at Fraser Downs with Yogi
Anita and Kelly exchanged vows at Surrey Golf Course this past Saturday. They are a wonderfully engaging and fun couple. Working with them was a very enjoyable experience!
“It was awesome to spend the day with you. We found you to be professional, easy going and hard working. Someone at the wedding said that you worked your butt off taking pictures. We appreciate it and had the opportunity to look at them. There is quite a variety of shots. The photos are beautiful and very difficult to choose which ones we want to enlarge. Thank you for a great day and we would be more than happy to recommend you to other bridal parties. You were stellar. Thank you again, the Surrey Golf Course is lucky to have yourself as a feature. Warm wishes Anita and Kelly.”
I’m the “official” photographer for the Surrey Food Bank. The Bank helps feed 14,000 people each month. The need is huge, and it’s growing.
I volunteered to help them tell their story, and the many stories of their clients.
This has been one of the biggest challenges for me as a photographer. Normally when I take a portrait, people come to me. They come to me to capture the best moments of their lives. The moments when they’re all dressed up. Their daughter is getting married. Their son graduating from high school. They’re at the top of their game, and in their Sunday best.
And now I find myself, reaching out to complete strangers, who in most cases were not experiencing the best moment of their lives, struggling, in challenging situations. I need to engage them, and gain their trust and permission to take their photographs.
None of these photos are taken with a telephoto lens. I spend a lot of time walking up and down the food line, talking to people, getting to know them. The camera is secondary, the dialogue is critical. Through getting to know these people, I know myself better.
I am on the food line a couple of times each week documenting their stories. Putting a face to the need.
Please donate to your local food bank. No one should go hungry.
View the entire set on my flickr account here.
From time to time, after having their photos taken, people will ask me if they can purchase digital files rather than prints.
There is a reason I prefer not to do this. (Continue reading…)
Spent a lovely morning photographing the Skiba family. I photographed little Ava when she was just six months old, and now she’s going to be a big sister! All maternity portraits include a birth announcement as a gift to the new mom!
Freelance assignment for Canada National Horse magazine took me out to Fraser Downs this morning to photograph track blacksmith Larry Clark. What a gorgeous morning it was.
This past week, as part of a larger project for Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit for the Olympics, I photographed RCMP Assistant Commissioner Bud Mercer. Their walls were a lovely pea green which while giving it a really modern look they didn’t make the best photographic backdrop. My skills in Photoshop really pay off for my clients.
On the road again. Took my lights and backdrop on the road today out to Tyam Construction. Spent the day photographing the management team. Seventeen men who would rather have been anywhere else but getting their photos taken 
If you saw the ad in the Surrey Now today you’ll know if you bring in the ad you’ll receive a free engagement photo session when you book your wedding! Call me soon! 604-591-7770
Happy New Year! All the very best to you and yours for 2009!
Hope everyone had a happy holiday, mine was busy with my family and friends. Stay tuned, exciting things are happening! Let’s start the new year with a little baby love!
As a result of my work with the Surrey Foundation I have become the “official” photographer for the Surrey Food Bank. No one should go hungry. Here’s a little slide show of the Christmas Kickoff.
I’m very proud to be the editor-in-chief of CAPA’s magazine.
My fall editorial column In Focus:
Making it Real by Sheena Wilkie
Each month when I was a little girl, we received the National Geographic magazine. And each month, I acquired another animal to be concerned about or another person’s plight to care about. I had never seen a sea turtle, but I cried when I saw a photograph of one entangled in a net. When I looked at the photographs of whalers hunting off the coast of Japan; the urgent cries of the whales, their thrashing, and the spray of their blood was entirely real for me. I’d never been to Biafra, but the children with those big sad eyes and distended bellies touched me in a way that shaped who I would become. (Continue reading…)
It was a blustery day at the Surrey Golf Course but that didn’t damper the smile of this gorgeous bride!
Anne Burnette is an ettitquette consultant. She was a delight to photograph. You can find out more about her business on her website www.elizabethetiquette.com
I feel like I’ve known these two for years. Such a warm and happy couple, easy to get to know. Do you Randy, take Marty to be your wedded wife, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, until death do you part…
Nothing is better than photographing the wedding of old friends.
Back to my favourite place on earth, Blackie’s Spit, to spend some time with the Meyer family.
Sweet couple needed an engagement photo. We had a lovely time together at the park on a warm summer’s evening.
Okanagan Photo Arts Workshop, hosted by Andre Cabuche was a marvelous adventure with tons of photographic opportunity. Here are a few shots I got.
Shannon and Joe got married at the picturesque Celebration Pavilion at Queen Elizabeth Park. This couple was very fun loving and it certainly shows in their photos!
Did a head shot of Kate McNulty today. Cute as a bug and the whitest teeth I have ever seen! No retouching here! Visit her website www.afitlifeonline.com
Allison and Matt started their married life together atop Grouse Mountain. A lovely wedding, a wonderful couple.
I spent a lovely morning with Taylor and Tanner at Blackie Spit. The spit is part of Cresent Beach which is one of my favourite places. I’m very lucky to live only a 15 minute drive away, I’d like to be even luckier and live right on the beach
When Melisa arrived for her head shot she was having a bad hair day and had just recently had a skin treatment. She asked if I could do a Photoshop makeover and spruce up her head shot for her. Here is the result. Melissa loved it!
Katrina is a lovely young actor who needed a head shot. This is the one her agent chose.
Susan and Katherine have started a new venture, Accentuate Design Group, home staging for the real estate market. They needed some shots for their website and brochure. We spent a great day at Katherine’s getting a small portfolio together for them.
Christine and Raj are having a huge traditional Indian wedding soon. Her Uncle is coming out from India to photograph her big day. Christine got turned around in her directions so the shoot started late, but that just meant we were able to catch this glorious sunset.
I’m shooting this fun couple’s wedding this September. If the fun we had shooting their engagement photos is anything like the wedding shoot will be, it’s gonna be a blast!
