Mischief

My how they've grown up. The days are long but the years are fast...

My Summer

It's been a busy summer over here but I have been taking the camera out occasionally to experiment. For Canada Day celebrations we visited family in Toronto along the lakeshore. They have a beautiful home with a stunning view of the lake directly across the street, so after a lovely meal we parked ourselves on the lawn and waited for the show to start.

I don't have much experience with low lighting (non-flash) shots so I'm always eager to learn new techniques. I did some basic research before heading down and this is what I got.

This has to be my favourite so far. It was (obviously) taken a split second after the firework launched into the air. I love the mood of the photo.

And this lovely was a total accident. Am I supposed to admit stuff like that? Who knows lol. I was testing the light when my cousin set this off. With some minor cropping it turned out quite presentable if I do say so myself. Let's see what the next few weeks bring.

House

Have started a new project! It's hard for me to get out during the day when the natural light is good so I have begun taking pictures of my house. What's a 150 year old home good for if not a little inspiration right? I'll be uploading a few soon as well as a bunch that I've had sitting on my memory card forevah.

Decision

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately about where I am headed and what I want to do with this so called photography career. I took the classes and I assisted and I got the gigs and I networked and I put myself out there. And then I had a baby and my time got eaten up, and then I had another baby and my time is even less that it was before. It took me a while to realize this but I don’t want a full time career in photography. It’s not that I don’t think I can do it and it’s not that I’m scared of the hard work, it ‘s that I don’t want to put the pressure on my creative life to make a living.

I have so few minutes in the day for me. I haven’t had a hair cut since October. If I want to shower everyday I have to do it at night after 8pm when the kids are in bed and I can’t stand going to bed with wet hair. I don’t think I’m alone in that sentiment eh? So I don’t shower everyday. I spend most of my days with the kids and sometimes I feel like a single parent because my husband works so hard to support us that he sometimes has no choice but to work a 12-14 hour day. I’m not complaining though because it’s this dream that puts food on our table and the occasional smile on our faces lol.

Anyways, my point is that I am letting go of the stress of trying to be something I am not. I still have to remind myself that there is nothing wrong with my not pursuing a professional career in photography. I am not letting anyone down by making this decision and I will be a better person (and photographer) because of it. Everyday this gets easier for me and it doesn’t mean I won’t be showing my work in galleries or participating in CONTACT, it just means that I will be doing things at my own pace.

Having said that I don't want to rest on my laurels. So I will be making a commitment to update this blog a bit more frequently as well as posting pictures I've taken. Here's to change!

Day Trips

We had a few days where we took impromptu day trips - the very best kind if you ask me. This picture was taken at Wasaga Beach around 6pm on a Wednesday. There were maybe 10 people on the beach, randomly scattered and we played in the sand. I bought Abby a rainbow coloured umbrella which she ran around with for a few minutes but not long enough for me to get a decent picture. Sometimes the attention span just isn't there but really, what can I expect from a 3 year old.

Spring has finally arrived and that puts me firmly planted in the garden, whether it be mine or a clients. A very busy time of the season - especially with kids - so my mom is back to helping out with Abby one day a week. If it wasn't for her I don't think I'd had time to buy groceries xox.

Maybe just maybe

Abby is spending the weekend with my parents and I am thinking I might just take some me time with the camera and take off for a bit. I feel like I'm going to burst out of my skin with the utter want of taking pictures and making art. I desperately need to connect with something solitary and real, to make it my own.

Light Show

These were shot at a local restaurant participating in Chinese New Year. It was too dark and I was without a tripod so I didn't actually get the shots I had in my mind, but I'm pretty happy with how these turned out.

I worked a few years at an importing/design company and we sourced much of our product from China. I hated the company but I grew to love the Chinese culture we were exposed to.

From the dozens or so of celebrations that go on throughout the year, this is one of the more beautiful.