Swanson Lake

In all truth it's called Loon Lake but my friends who own a cottage there deserve to have some recognition. We were their first cottage guests (and hopefully not their last). It's a boat access only site and I was more than nervous to bring the "good" equipment with me so you'll have to settle for these lovely snapshots taken with my iphone.

Party Dock

Aug 2010

Return

Aug 2010

Launch

Aug 2010

My Summer Vacation

Magnum, 8 Months

Abby, 3 Years Old

Giraffes Running

Aug 2010

Reindeer in the Rain

Aug 2010

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.