Friday-Foto Op ... DON'T say "cheese"

I began this "friday foto-op" journey a few weeks ago and already am thinking ... Ok, once a week is a lot HAHA

Like anything, this will evolve and (hopefully) turn into something fantastic with the right inspirations and a lot of hard work. Thanks for hanging in there while I get this ball rolling!

This weeks post is about getting that "look" from your subjects, mainly children. Many people still believe that "say cheese" is the best way to do it ... I am going to gently let you know,  you're wrong :)

You want more than a smile on someones face, you want to see the life behind their eyes and the excitement that comes with it! Do YOU get excited and light up when someone says "cheese?" I mean, that's cool if you do ... but in my findings it's not the most effective way to really connect with someone.

Next time you have your little subject in front of the camera ask them what they would be if they could be anything in the world! Play on it and really interact with them. Ask them to sing you their favourite song. Yes, you will likely end up with some awkward open mouth, closed eyes shots BUT you will also end up with the sweetest intrigued looks and the most full of life little faces. These are priceless.

I shouldn't say to NEVER do this, I mean ... never say never. The fact is that kids associate photos with "cheese" and thats ok, you don't want to discourage them either. As soon as you have their attention though, have fun with them. Get into their little heads and enjoy being 3 or 4 or 5 years old with them just for a minute.

Dont TELL someone to smile ... give them a reason to.

You'll be glad you did ... I promise.

Greyson - Newborn Photography (plus some sweet family members)

When Chris emailed me to let me know that they had just welcomed their 3rd little bundle into this world only a couple of short weeks prior I was SO excited! Often (and as a mother I completely understand) those "newborn" sessions aren't always as soon after birth as you may have hoped. They are all sweet and precious and SO much fun to Photograph but when you have a little one as new as this in the studio it's just special.

Along with Mommy, Daddy and baby Greyson came big brother and sister! These 2 were a riot! I loved having all of them in my studio this past weekend .... enjoy a little peek at the fun we had.

A very special Friday-Foto Op

As some of you may know I lost my Nana last week. She was 94 years old and went very peacefully, we truly could not have asked for anything more.

Throughout the past week I have been trying to gather photos of her and I together, and its been no easy feat. I have managed to find some, enough so that I will be able to have those memories forever and I am thankful for that, but I will always wish there were more.

I wish that for everyone actually and that brings me to this weeks Friday Foto-Op.

Grandmas need photos with their Grand Babies and Kids need photos with their Grandmas. Plain and simple. Whether it seems extremely important right now or not ... one day it will. I am living proof of that.

Here's how this will work :

Head over to my Facebook Page and post a Photo of either you with your Grandparent(s) or one of your kids with their Grandparent(s) on the wall

Send your friends over to the page - they need to then do 2 things. "Like" the page and post on the wall who they are supporting.  * They do not need to like your image or comment on it *

The person with the most support at the end of the day will be given the following ...

A complimentary sitting fee and half hour mini session for Grandma and/or Grandpa and one other person (extra people may be added for $25 per person) and 2 digital images. The option to purchase all of the digital images will be available after the session and a sample of these images will be sent over for your consideration.

If you have ANY questions please contact me via my website at www.foreverinamoment.ca and I will be happy to answer :)

Good luck to all of you!! I look forward to creating these special memories for your Family

xo

** I will be out of town until tomorrow night for my Nanas funeral but will do my VERY best to keep track as close to midnight tonight as I can ** Thanks for your understanding.

Cruisin'!

A little over a year ago I received an email from a beautiful lady asking if I would be interested in shooting her Wedding ... on a Cruise!

Ummm ... Yes Please!

So earlier this year we set sail onboard the Celebrity Solstice (amazing ship!!) for a week long Caribbean Cruise.

Carmen is the sweetest person and was the most relaxed bride! Darcy, simply, adores her! These 2 were so wonderful to work with and it was never difficult to get a genuine loving reaction out of them.

Part of running a business that I have learned over the years is about attracting the right client, the proper fit ... clearly whatever I have been doing is working!

Carmen and Darcy Thank-You so much for including me in your gorgeous day and as part of your holiday. I wish you both a lifetime of beautiful memories xxoo

A "FRILLY" Foto-Op Friday ... and its Free!

Every Friday there will be a new "FOTO-OP"
Here's whats in store for you this week ...

Do you have a little girly that you love dressing up in pretty things?? Pink, Pearls, Frills, Lace??

Here is your chance to win a FREE mini session for your little Dolly in my studio

Here's how it works:

1. Head over to my Facebook Page and please LIKE it if you don't already.

2. Upload a Photo of your Sweetheart onto the wall and send your friends over to LIKE your Picture!

The image with the most likes at midnight tonight will win a Free Mini Studio Session with me!

Thats it!! Good luck!!

Foto-Op Friday!

Here it is - the FIRST Foto-Op Friday!

I am getting SO close to 2000 fans (WOW!!) on my Page so in an effort to boost that number I am giving away a $100 Gift Certificate that can be used towards any Photography Session

Details:

Write a comment on the wall of my Page saying why YOU should win this :)
Send your friends and family over to my Page and have them "like" your comment.

THATS IT!!

No photo posting required, no additional comments required ... just some "likes"

The person with the most liked comment at Midnight tonight will win!!

Good Luck!!

You "do" Photography?

Here I am ... I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, I haven't taken time off, and I am still very happily running a busy Photography Business.

This post was prompted mainly by 2 things.

1. The other day I ran into an old acquaintance, they are not on facebook and we do not see each other often at all so it's not that surprising that they maybe didn't know that I was a Photographer but the question "oh, you do photography?" that they directed at me made me both question WHAT can I do to make sure that more and more people know what business I am in, and it also made me CRINGE that people still use the term "do photography?" I mean really? Is that even physically possible? I apologize now for the image in your head but ... maybe now you see my point :)

The other instance was this ...

My husband (who runs a successful business in town and whom I am very privileged to have readily available for business advice) and I started talking about MY business the other night. He mentioned that he has noticed I haven't been blogging as much, posting as many updates to my page, reaching out there and taking advantage of the over 1900 "fans" that I have on Facebook. He was absolutely right. *yes I did tell him this, which he made me repeat twice ... and Im not saying it again haha*

He was, ahem, "not wrong" and that is ok. This point didn't upset me or make me feel like I have failed at anything, it's simply a fact. One that I have hardly noticed because I have still been incredibly busy which is something that I do not take for granted especially in this industry and in this city with so many amazing fellow Photographers. However, the fact is that I haven't been blogging, I haven't been drumming up as much new business as I can, I haven't been reaching out to my clients and "fans" and taking them along on my Photography journey as I normally do and that is something that I know people appreciate about me and about my work. I add a very personal element to my business and that is partly why I did post so much and also mainly why I stopped ... for a while.

2011 was an incredibly successful year in business for me, and a very stressful year in every other aspect. Certain circumstances took a very heavy toll on my family, on my friendships, on my youngest kids, and on my marriage. I blogged about a lot of it on my personal blog and I am glad that I chose to do that. However I also needed a break from it too. My kids needed some extra attention from Mom, my home needed less stress and my marriage needed more love. I am happy to tell you that all of those things have been successfully accomplished!

My business is the final thing that I am sorry to say was impacted by all of this ... I simply didn't have the energy or the mindset to focus on marketing and advertising. I worked, a lot, and I am very proud of the work that I produced, but that was as far as I could go.

I'm ready now to set the "pendulum in motion" again as my husband would say. I love my clients, I want to share them all with you whether that is via my Blog, my Facebook Page or my Website. I also love the kind of clients that I attract and I have worked SO very hard to achieve that.

So no, I don't "DO" Photography ... I AM a Photographer. A hard working, high energy and passionate one and I'm sorry to those of you who did not know that yet, let's change that starting now!

Thanks for reading this, it let's me know that you are still checking in even if I haven't been and THAT is so very much appreciated.

xo