A gift for a very dear friend

February 7th, 2010

These are two storyboards that I put together for my dear friends Meg & Sean. Congratulations on your perfect son. I love you guys!! xoxo


Violet

January 17th, 2010

You have to check out this awesome new addition to the human race. Violet is just the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen. She’s also the first baby that has fit into the cocoon I crocheted (bonus points for you, Violet!).

I am a big fan of trades!

January 8th, 2010

A few quick pics from a partial shoot with Selina and Cohen. We will be doing some more in the studio soon. Selina is an extremely talented artist. You can check out her work at www.selinajorgensen.com. We love each other’s work so decided to do a trade of our talents. I totally adore the tidepool paintings I received. Thanks Selina!!

The twins

January 5th, 2010

First of all, I would like to give a big shout out to all parents of twins. You are an amazing bunch. I don’t know how you do it ;) Humans have an incredible capacity to deal with whatever is thrown at them (in this case, two remarkably sweet and adorable little boys); but, being the mother of one, there are many days when I feel maxed and I could not even imagine the chaos². All you amazing Moms and Dads out there, give yourselves a pat on your back and a hug to your kids ;)

 

Lucas Family

December 17th, 2009

I just had the Lucas family back for another wonderful photo shoot. Philippe’s mother was in town so it was a great chance to capture the magical bond between grandmother and granddaughter. I just love shooting family love; especially when three generations are involved ;)

Little Sophie stole a piece of my heart when I first met her (you can check out our first Lucas family photo here). She is such a little darling!

I got a very sweet email from Philippe after I dropped off their cd of images. A bit of it went like this…”Mary and I are once again blown away by what a wonderful photographer you are.  We love the slideshow montage, and my mom will lose her mind.    We remember the day as one in which Sophie would barely cooperate, but the shots that you got are amazing.”

The reason I share Philippe’s response is that it highlights what I feel is my mission as a photographer. It is my responsibility to peel away your layers of anxiety (baby didn’t nap today, child not cooperating, feeling unphotogenic, etc) to be able to capture images that are true to who you are. I am here to witness your love and to pass it back to you in a tangible treasure that you can celebrate forever. All relationships evolve and change constantly. You will never again be at this time and place. Unfortunately, a photograph’s worth is not usually fully understood until it cannot be recreated.

A few years ago when I was working at a camera store in town, a mother and daughter came in holding a 4×6 print. It was hard to make out the facial features of the man in the underexposed photo. They apologized for not having the negative but they hoped I could scan the image, crop to his head and shoulders and enlarge it to an 11×14. I looked up at them to warn them of what they already knew…the quality would be horrible. Their eyes welled up and the mother explained that the image was for her husband’s funeral. He had always hated and refused to have his picture taken so this was the ONLY image they had of him. The mother made me make a promise that day. She left me with the following message:

“No matter how much you don’t like your picture being taken, allow it to happen. It is not for you. It is for those that love you.”

I thank that woman for teaching me to appreciate the magnitude of family photo shoots.

Speaking of family photo shoots, let’s get back to some images of the Lucas family.

Engagement Session

December 16th, 2009

Tracy and Jonathon are a lovely couple that are getting married this coming May. I am really excited about photographing their big day. We just got together to shoot their engagement session down at Cattle Point. The day was REALLY windy and cold but we stuck it out and got some great images. Here are some from the adventure:

Nolan

December 16th, 2009

Just a quick post of my friend Meg’s new little guy! I’ll share more after I give Meg and Sean their surprise :)

Gift Certificate Portrait Session

December 10th, 2009

This charming family came to me by way of a gift certificate given to them by their friend. We are happy to issue gift certificates upon request. They make great baby shower, birthday or holiday gifts. Cheers!

Baby Emma slideshow

December 2nd, 2009

It was such an honour to photograph Fiona and Emma. Fiona’s sister, Caty, is one of my dearest friends. I have lived with them, I have laughed with them and I have cried with them. It means so much to me to be able to witness and capture the family as it grows and evolves. Thank you for being family, Fiona. Lots of love. xoxo

ANTI-POP CONSORTIUM

November 20th, 2009

I was pretty excited about heading down to Lucky bar to photograph Anti-Pop Consortium. I had heard lots of great stuff about them and their lyrics and sound are brilliant. The show was great but to be honest I was a little distracted by the fact that my camera loved them ;)

The first images are of TBA (Truth Becomes Audio) who opened for them. Props to them for giving 100% commitment to their performance. They were a little over-concerned about burning their name into our brains but they were fairly clever and funny about it which made it forgivable.

There are also two random pics. One of the bartender who cut a strip out of the top of his ball cap so his faux hawk could protrude in all its glory (gotta love him for it!) and a second shot of a guy using a Holga to shoot the band (my hero).

So without further adieu…