Gralyn J. Photography

 Long time no chat!  It's been a very busy last few months and there's no doubt been some feathers ruffled. I do my best to keep everyone happy and sometimes life doesn't work out the way everyone wants it to. I like to encourage and help as much as I possibly can, but there is only so much you can do when someone doesn't take advice- No matter how blunt.  Let's roll right into this. I spend time with a great number of photographers and have a good list of "safe" shooters. These are the people I will gladly be seen working with, representing their brand and recommending them to people in their areas, or if I am unavailable in my area. Recently though there have been the odd few that like to push just a bit too hard, so I thought I could tackle that in a way that wraps everything up with nice little bow, but doesn't sound rude or single people out in any way. If you are interacting with people and they have a photographer for something- Leave. Them. Alo...

Many of you have seen my Slogan on one page or another, but the vast majority of people assume that I only photograph one genre or another. I am not exaggerating when I say "I'll Shoot Anything". I have an absolute love of all photography genres and am always up for new and exciting angles. This will be for all those who are new to my page, all those who are curious, and all those searching for a passionate photographer. I’ll just jump right into EVERYTHING that I shoot based around people. Aside from this list I also photograph barns, both wild and domestic critters, macro images including flowers and snowflakes, landscapes, arachnids and much more. Babies Boudoir Branding Couples Commercial Engagement Family Graduation Headshots Lifestyle Maternity Modelling Fur Babies Rodeo Sports/Teams Volunteer Events Weddings Whimsical And anything else you could imagine! I love what ...

This piece is going to be all about Maternity! Maternity sessions are so much fun and so beautiful, but they can be stressful to plan. I have started to get more inquiries for Maternity sessions this year and have been getting more and more questions from my expecting Mumma's.This post should clear up a lot of questions that you may have so that you go into your session feeling excited and prepared. Here are some common questions: 1. When should I book my session for? This is a *very* big questions, especially from first time Moms. You will want to book your session between 30 and 34 weeks of your pregnancy. If you are having twins you will not want to wait until you're ready to pop, for my Twin parents I would recommend around 20-25 weeks. Every woman is different and we need to keep that in mind. Some may be uncomfortable and not up for a shoot at 34 weeks, while others may want to do theirs closer to their due date so their bump shows more. Pay attention to how you...

Anyone who says that you need a studio to be a photographer is trying to sell you a studio- But in all seriousness, you do not NEED a studio in order to be a good photographer. A perfect example of this is a shoot I did back in December of 2020. My cousin and his wife had a baby! They wanted some baby photos done, and as per my motto "I'll Shoot Anything", I thought I would try my hand at newborn photos. This is a tough example to work with, and I am just realizing that now, because babies are SO particular during their shoots. Crank the heat and play Hawaii for a bit, because babies like it warm! Any guesses on where I took the above photo? In my cousin's home, on their air hockey table- Yes, you read that correctly, AIR HOCKEY TABLE. I didn't have any fancy light systems, a special room for it all, or my own private studio. I was winging it. Baby was only 7 days old when we did the shoot, which is right in the window of when you want to do newborn shoots, u...

How much does a Wedding Photographer generally cost? This is a hard question to answer as it is always varying between regions. Often, photographers from big cities (i.e Vancouver or Toronto areas) are going to cost more than in other, smaller areas. Other factors to consider are the services/packages they offer, experience level and travel distance of the photographer you've chosen. The average couple will spend approximately $3,000 for 6 hours of wedding day coverage, with others ranging between the $1,500 and the $8,000 mark. How much do Engagement Photos cost? Another varying cost when it comes to getting married that again depends on experience levels, packages etc. Engagment photos are often included in some photographers packages, while others will make it a seperate expense. They can range anywhere from $150 to $600. I personally recommend doing Engagement photos with your Wedding photographer to get used to them and know their personality before your big day. They...

Photographer: Sometimes I wonder if I want to take photos anymore. Mind: You should probably just quit then. Photographer: But I’ve come so far. Mind: This is a lot of heartache and emotional and financial stress. Photographer: But sometimes it's ok to not be ok. Sometimes if you want to take your business further you have to hit a low before you can go above and beyond with it. Mind: But this rough patch has lasted so long. You'll never get out of it. Photographer: Patience is powerful. Sometimes it takes a while for things to pay off. Mind: But this is too hard. Photographer: That just means you have passion. That you care. And you should never give up on something that you care this deeply about. Mind: Let’s keep everything comfortable and stop pushing ourselves. That’s so much easier. Photographer: I'm sorry. Mind: No need to apologize, lets just ease up on yourself for a while. Photographer: No, I'm not apologizing. I'm telling you I...

    Alright, so today I am going to go through my new job; Highlights, some low lights and the overall experience of being a school photographer.     In the last month I have been traveling to various schools in my area to take school day photos--ages Kindergarten to grade 12. WOW! What an experience it has been.     I am going to try and balance the high and low lights just to keep it nice and even.     The kids are by far my favorite part- depending on the age group. High schools are very tough for me because what I experience in high school was stress, about everything! So going back into the schools was nerve wracking, but dealing with teenagers was even more so. One of my first days on the job I was set up and ready to shoot so I asked my boss about the rule on hats for the day. As usual it was first shot without, and second shot with. So that's how I shot--Until I got to the grade 12's. Yikes. I sat one guy down...