Posts

I’ll Shoot Anything

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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 ...

For the Moms to be

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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...

Change your Angles

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I have learned a lot in the ten years that I have been doing professional grade photos. I could go on and on about how I got started but then I would be contributing to the blogs that make you scoll endlessly until you find the actual information in them- That's not this blog. I had a family photo session at the Armstrong pumpkin patch and after having an absolute BLAST with these wonderful people my sister-in-law, who was involved in the family photos, started posing for me. I took a handful of photos and went through them, not really sure what I was looking for, but just wanting them to be as beautiful as they were in my head. After capturing this one, I looked over it and wasn't happy with how it looked on my screen. I moved, got down into the dirt and told Tamieka to do exactly what she had before, but look down instead of out over the patch. It changed the entire "feeling" of the image! Instead of losing my subject in the background I was able to fixate on he...

Winging It!

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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...

Point of View

This was written by a carpenter, I have taken it and changed it to fit a photographers point of view, I think it puts it into perspective nicely. A customer asked a photographer how much it would cost to photograph their 8 hour wedding day... Photographer: "$ 2,800 for an 8 hour package" Customer: "That expensive for just 8 hours? That's $350 an hour!" Photographer: "How much do you think it would cost you?" Customer: "$800 maximum... That's a pretty easy job right?!" Photographer: "Ok, For $800 I invite you to second shoot a wedding with me." Customer: "But.... I don't know how to." Photographer: "For $800 I'll teach you how to. So besides saving $2,100, you'll get the knowledge for the next time you want to do it." That sounded fair so the customer agreed. Photographer: "But to get started: you need the tools: A professional or entry professional camera, cards, lenses, flash, c...

Wedding Photography (General Inquiries)

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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...

A Day in the Mind of...

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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...

To the Person with the Abused Dog

To the person with the abused dog; I see you. I’m not judging you. You’re being so kind and other people are looking at you so strangely, commenting on how the dog is terrified ‘of you’. I’ve heard your story, I’ve heard her story. I know her previous owner beat her, and you’re trying so hard to help. You’re trying to get her to sit with a hand signal and she is panicking, but she will understand. I promise she will see the love you’re offering her. She already trusts you so much more than her previous person. Keep going. Keep being kind. Keep loving her as much as you do. Ignore others who jump to conclusions. They don’t know. From the Mom of a rescue dog.