Ashley || Preview

This week I got to work with the fabulous Ashley. We had a photo session about a year ago and Ashley and I clicked. We get a long so well that it was a blast to photograph her again. I think we were laughing for a good 50% of the shoot. Ha ha ha. I can't wait to photograph her wedding in 2010 and I'm sure we'll have plenty more photo sessions before then! Here is a quick preview image. I'll be posting more tonight or tomorrow.

25

If you're on Facebook you may have already done this or have been tagged in someone elses. Everyone lately has been posting in their blogs and on their profiles 25 random facts about themselves. So I decided to join the "trend" and at least by posting it on my Blog you don't have to worry about those annoying tags!! ;)

1- I have this not-so-secret obsession with chocolate
2- My amazing, hot, caring boyfriend can make me smile when I'm crying, upset, angry and stressed... and I love him for that and for sooooooooo many other reasons
3- I really do want to blog more but I don't want to write about nothing, that's no fun is it? If you have any topic suggestions send them my way!
4- I love Love
5- I ALWAYS make funny faces in photos
6- I cry waaaay to easily.. I cried in Star Wars 3 when Obi-wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker were fighting.
7- I have flamming red hear and a temper to match it :) But it's ok, it takes a lot to make me show my temper
8- I kinda collect pens, I have sooo many
9- I always use more conditioner than shampoo and I change my brands frequently so I have a bunch of shampoo bottles that are 1/4 full
10- I was once told if I count my freckles they would all disappear... I was busy for days!
11- I am a die-hard Canon and Mac user
12- I am a procrastinator at heart, but I swear I'm getting better!!
13- My BlackBerry is glued to my hip, I feel naked and lost and scared without it! :( Sad I know
14- My PIN is 2058CDA1 if there is anyone else addicted to their BlackBerry and need someone to chat with :)
15- If you ask me where I was born I will always tell you Calgary, even though I only lived there for 3 months after I was born and then moved to Halifax
16- I modeled, bought a camera, became a photographer and now I seriously dislike being in photos, weird eh?
17- I am a blog stalker.. I mean really, who isn't?
18- I adore my kitten, Squeaky. She is named Squeaky because when she was little her meows actually sounded like squeaks
19- I'm 21 yrs old, 5'4" and CrAzY :D
20- My favorite thing to do in the summer is dance in the rain... there is something calming about the rain that I love
21- You haven't had a beer until you've had an Alexander Keith's
22- I randomly break out into song and dance, a habit I have picked up from my hubby
23- I love to travel but I don't get to very often
24- My family and friends are so important to me, without them I would not be where I am today. Love you guys!!
25- I may be shy when you first meet me but after I relax a bit I'm uber outgoing.. did I just say uber?

Happy Wednesday!!

Corinne || Portraits

This week Corinne and I went for a photo session. We started fairly late in the afternoon so I was only able to shoot off around 50 shots but Corinne being the awesome model, almost all of them are usable!

We had a lot of fun in the Dartmouth Commons Park although most of the hill was a solid sheet of ice. We managed without falling! YaY! Hahahaha.

Here are some shots from the day. Isn't Corinne awesome? I told her she has an elegant face and then she looked at me like I had to heads. Anyone else agree?

Writer's Block

I haven't been posting much lately because I have had no clue what to talk about. I haven't been doing a whole lot of shooting lately so I don't have many new photos to post and the only other things I have been doing are reading, working and spending time with friends. So I decided instead of talking about my life, I would talk about some books I have been reading.

Well Matt and I just started watching all of the Harry Potter movies and now I want to re-read them again! Although I re-read them last September. If you haven't seen the movies or read the books, definitely do either!! If you don't like to read, see the movies. If you like to read, read the books first! I DEFINITELY recommend them. Probably some of the best books I have ever read and will ever read.

I just finished reading The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. It is awesome! I will admit, it did take a while to get into it but after the first few chapters I got hooked. It really opened my eyes to some of the history of Afghanistan and it makes me want to go read a history book about the country. I can't wait to see the movie! Khaled Hosseini is also the author of Thousand Splendid Suns. One of the next books on my book list to read. Also on this list is Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Love is the Killer App, How to Win Friends and Influence People, and A Fine Balance.

Currently I am reading Brand Warfare by David D'Alessandro. It has been recommended to me by a few people and so far it has been pretty interesting. It talks about how to make a killer brand and gives examples of brands that have been on the top and fell because of stupid mistakes. I'm actually learning a lot from this book which is always good :) I have started rebranding my business and I'm hoping this book will really help with that process.

Keep a look out for some sneak peeks of my website :)

Love

I woke up this morning, took a deep breath and rolled over. Laying there in front of me was the man of my dreams. As I watched him sleep I couldn't help but think that I am the luckiest woman in the world. Laying next to him I was just consumed with happiness :)

I hope everyone had an amazing Valentine's day!

ShootSac!!!

I kind of just wanted to talk about something that has got me super excited! ShootSac!! For those of you that don't know what it is you should stop reading now. KIDDING! ShootSac is an awesome camera bag designed by Jessica Claire for functionality and style. I actually don't have one yet but I will soon!

The reason I am excited though is because yesterday they announced the new "Hip Slip" which is a lap top bag. I can't wait to see the design and possibly get one! They are being released on Saturday, February 14th. So stay updated with the blog and hopefully they will be posting some photos and more information the closer it gets to the 14th!

Happy Tueday!

w.o.r.d.

Like a few things in my life, reading comes and go's. I usually get hooked on an author and then when I run out of books stop reading for a while. I went through the Harry Potter (again!), then the Twilight series, a bunch of odd books and now I have a huge book list that I am getting started on. The first book is "The Kite Runner". After that I hope to read "A Thousand Splendid Suns". And then.. And then.. Hahaha. SO many books have been recommended to me that I really want to read.

Reading is such a release for me. It lets me run away from stress and life for a bit and completely immerse myself into a good story. There isn't a whole lot better than that.

Here are some of my fav books :)

Spurrell Family | Portraits

This past weekend I got the extreme pleasure to photograph some really cute kids :) Jeremy and Nicole were shy at first in front of the camera, like most kids, but once I let them use my camera for a bit their personalities started to shine. I had a blast shooting with these two and I hope to photograph them again sometime. Maybe in the summer when it isn't so cold outside :)

This is just a sneak preview, more to come after this weekend.

Happy early early early Friday!

OCD?

Plans.... I'm always all about plans. Maybe it is my minor OCD coming out in me but I like to know what is coming up next and what steps I need to take to reach my goals. So I figured I would blog about what my plans are for '09 and my photography.

I have been doing so much blog stalking and reading online at OSP and I have SOOOO many ideas. I really want to expand and build a solid portfolio so I have been asking (maybe borderline harassing, jokes! ;) local photographers if I can assist them. And I scored! I have assisted one photographer a few weeks ago and I will be assisting my friend Brian Larter in the studio this weekend for some product shots. I also will be assisting Brian with some upcoming weddings this summer and I also have been given the chance to assist with the amazing Liam of AppleHead Studio on some of his weddings! Needless to say, I'm ecstatic!! I can't wait :)

I have some other goals that I have to sit down and just do. I have realized how important it is to have a blog and keep it updated. It lets people get to know the real you and that is important if they plan on making a big investment in you. So I hope to start blogging a lot more. My problem is I don't like to blog without posting photos. So my next step is to start taking more photos. I have been reading lots of posts on OSP and want to start experimenting. Last year I did the "Photo a day" challenge and it helped me grow SO much as a photographer. My life now is too busy to do a photo every single day but I do want to take photos a few times a week and also do something else creative. Art is about expressing yourself in many different mediums. So I'm going to attempt some poetry, sketching and even painting! I'll make sure to post anything that turns out well.

I also have realized how important it is to have your own particular "style", a brand that people can associate with you. So I am starting to go through a branding process for my website, my blog, and for my business in general. I have been told a good idea is to really define who you are as a person to help in this process. I didn't think it would be hard at first but it has turned out to be very difficult. Trying to label myself and come up with some sort of look and a symbol that will represent me is so confusing. I keep juggling ideas in my head and have no idea if they work or not. So I guess we will have to see what I come up with! If any one has any suggestions or ideas feel free to comment and let me know!

Other than these goals I do want to try getting in shape, spending more time with Matt and friends and family and reading lots more! I plan on taking a cool photo of some books, maybe a self portait with them!

More to come :)