sweet earth photographics

Status Update

2010-12-01T13:15:00.001-08:00

I have almost completely abandoned this little blog. This past summer was a very busy time of weddings and family photography and as it ended my other new project, The Grassroots Wedding Fair, began again in earnest.

I am in the process of switching over to a new blog that will be less about myself as a mom and a photographer and more about the business and creative side. It is up, kind of, but still needs some work. Keeping up with the wedding fair blog and trying to get my new site up is very time consuming, and oh yes, I am still the mother of two amazing children, wife to one very patient man.

Faerie Wings and sunshine

2010-08-03T19:25:00.001-07:00

This blog is my own personal domain these days. I hope by the end of the week I shall have the divide established between business photography and more personal mom-as-a-photographer-blog. I seem to be having a few issues figuring out the little details on my new blog. It shall be done though!

And so on this note why note celebrate summer with a most dazzling faerie party hosted in my very faerie backyard on a beautiful sunny day.

These very yummy cupcake pops were courtesy of Something Sweet for You, a local bakery run by the lovely Kristie. I asked for no dyes or artificial colouring which she accomplished wonderfully with green tea coloured icing accenting the white chocolate cupcakes.

The children devoured them!

With my husband in charge of the faerie wings we were all set.

Magical snakes, crowns, running unicorns, were just some of the crafts on hand to keep the little ones busy.

My child flying through the air as she does most days, practising her arial ballet.

My wee Ma

2010-05-18T22:24:00.001-07:00

Besides my own wonderful husband and children I would like to thank my mother for all her support over the years. Again, my team keeps me going. Each person represents a leg on my many legged table that supports not just myself, but this little adventure in entrepreneurship.

Craft Brew Week - An evening with Upright Brewing

2010-05-14T20:00:00.000-07:00

I just want to start out by saying thank you to my darling husband for the invite to accompany him to one of the many inaugural Vancouver Craft Brewing Week events.

Tonight's festivities were hosted by Upright Brewing and the Irish Heather. I will say now that I had so much fun and I can't wait to wander through Gastown again as so many very interesting venues have opened up as of late.

My husband is a bit of a craft beer afficianado. He brews his own amazing beer and has visions of one day opening up his own brewery. After a recent trip to Portland to suss out the local brews there I myself am quite educated and was ready to fully enjoy this evening of food and beer pairing.
The evening began at Shebeen a most excellent whiskey bar hidden in behind the Irish Heather. I was very pleased to visit the Irish Heather again as my last visit was at it's old location which was many moons ago.

The final game between Montreal and Pittsburg which was a fantastic way to begin our beer tasting.

Woohooo!!! we all know what happens here. I was standing beside the wife of Upright Brewing's owner and we snuck in bits of hockey talk and Canadian culture.

This is the first beer and it was quite lovely. I believe it was a pilsner. Upright Brewing specializes in Belgian inspired beers. My only complaint was that this little glass was all that was offered. I did understand though that Upright did not bring limitless quantities of beer and they did have a second evening event planned. Our conclusion for next year is to come to the second night!

Our dinner was served long table style at The Salty Tongue and I will definitely be heading back to that deli to check out their daytime vibe. I loved the surroundings.

We sampled two different beers with our meal and ... arghh... I can't remember! They were numbered and... nope, no memory. I did enjoy them though!

The owner of Upright Brewing, Alex Ganum, letting us in on some secrets which of course I can't remember as I do not get out much and I really was quite enjoying the festivities.

We finished our course at salt, just across the road in Blood Alley. Super yummy cheeses and copious amounts of bread and crackers greeted us with ample beer to wet our pallettes. Nice!

I loved salt and I will return. As I said before, I had so much fun visiting all these places and with glimpses of many more we will be arranging a babysitter in the near future so we can keep the good times comin'.

My wee bro...

2010-05-14T19:46:00.000-07:00

He would probably hate to find out I posted any pictures of him, but then perhaps he should be checking in with his big sister's blog to see what she is up to in the land of photography. He sat for me and I believe that is an open invitation in his case.

My children absolutely adore my brother; sometimes so much that I feel as if I am a second thought. I love it though.

My brother gives me many a Monday as a catch up day. He spends time with his daughter on this magical day and the monkeys play together. It helps that they are the same age. Our little tribe of women will be welcoming a new being soon... and this new face will be a boy!

Thank you my dearest brother for your devotion to my children. I am so pleased that the three girls are so devoted to each other. I guess that says a lot about our relationship too. You are the whole package and offer me support in every fathomable way!

More words of gratitude

2010-05-11T22:28:00.000-07:00

My mother-in-law worked in the film industry and we did not see much of her. Then she left it and in the year before she returned to her native land of New Zealand, she spent so much of that last year with my monkeys.
Without her I would not have been able to commit to starting my company. She looked after my children without question and was there when I needed her...which was a lot of the time.
I am very lucky to have such an amazing mother-in-law. She is spirited and creative and crafty and very very joyous and we have missed her dearly so it is wonderful to look at these photos from her last month here.
She will return for the summer and fill our lives with sunshine soon. My kids already have their list ready of things to do, places to visit and crafts to make. Her connection to them was very strong and I am very pleased as she is in the forefront of their young minds.

Happy Mother's Day... and a big thank you

2010-05-09T22:28:00.001-07:00

When I think of where I am in terms of my business and how my kids and my husband manage my crazy schedule, I offer a great big whoop of gratitude for my most amazing support network. It is not just me who started this business. My team is very large and not a day goes by when I do not think of them.
This is team grandma and grandpa. It actually overwhelms me a little when I think of how far I have come because of these two.
It is Mother's Day today, but I am seeing it as a day of acknowledgement of all those who are so freakin' amazing and without whom I would not be the mother that I am.

This week I want to thank them all and I will put up little pics that I have taken over the last little while to acknowledge them.

yes, wedding season is upon me!

2010-05-02T23:17:00.000-07:00

Paula and Maike fell in love. I know the whole story now and it is lovely. As we wandered Sunset Beach on what turned out to be a gorgeous evening I was filled in on all the details.
This is what I like about engagement sessions.

I love that I am able to see a couple be oh so silly before the seriousness of their wedding. It also gives me a great chance to get to know them so that photos on the day of the ceremony are more relaxed and we can incorporate a bit of fun.

Spring Photo Shoot

2010-04-30T09:36:00.001-07:00

Jenn and Lee's wedding is an event I am very much looking forward to. It will take place in a very serene and green setting. Truly, it is an ideal photographic experience. Even better, of course, are the two of them. They are just lovely and I am enjoying getting to know them.

Their cat followed us across the street and snuck into his fair share of photos.

This photo is my favourite I must say.

Finding fun in an all day shoot.

2010-04-18T09:43:00.000-07:00

I spent a long day outside in the gorgeous sun taking photos for a marketing campaign. The group of individuals involved were not professional models, but friends and this is the kind of shoot that is fun and full of antics.
Here are a few outtakes from the day that I think show the more casual nature of those involved.

This child is so at ease with people as he raised 'in a village' with many around him to provide love and stimulus.

I enjoyed taking a few family pictures for mom and babe. Who knows, maybe they will be used in the campaign.

The afternoon shift was just as much fun.

I did get a little wet, but the images we captured were great.

Spring at Boundary Bay

2010-04-07T20:57:00.000-07:00

Wet dog and a beautiful grey beach day.

Jackson and Kalli are two lovely dogs who live in Boundary Bay. I had a most lovely session playing with the two of them and snapping the afternoon away. Jackson kept an eye on me to make sure that I was never left behind while we walked.

Both these dogs are rescue dogs and are so madly in love with the amazing couple, Ashlie and Tim, who adopted them. I do not believe a dog could find a more idyllic life then in their lovely home. These dogs are honoured and cared for as friends.

It is very refreshing to take a walk to the beach with dogs in tow.

I love the feel of Boundary Bay and all its little nooks and crannies. How alluring is the beautiful blue door? Ashlie and Tim found this lovely door and it now adorns the entrance way into their backyard.

Thank you Jackson and Kalli for letting me play with you!

My future partner

2010-03-27T13:44:00.000-07:00

This amazing child is my future partner in crime. She has accompanied me on my less formal business meetings and is very engaged in anything that has to do with sweet earth. It is kind of cool that sometimes in her free play she is the owner and operator of her business company and takes this job very seriously.
When I am overwhelmed with balancing entrepreneur and mom I just think of this one and how I want to be a good role model for her. I know I have gone on about this idea before, but I really do need the reminders.

I am so blessed to have two incredible daughters.

My monkey

2010-03-27T12:49:00.000-07:00

I spent the day on the seawall scouting out locations for an upcoming shoot in a couple of weeks. I was there with my little monkey and she indulged me which is not always a guarantee these days.

Taking photos of my kids and capturing their antics is my way of keeping hold of my memories. I am a very visual individual, but I do try to keep diaries for both my girls going. It is not always easy and their baby books are more their own personal photo albums as I do have to work with my strong points.

Free Play

2010-03-20T21:15:00.000-07:00

Our first day of spring was spent with two little friends. After weeks of illness I was delighted in the excited chatter of adventure making as the four little ones engaged in story after story.

We spent the rest of the morning outside where the backyard became a treasure field where the adventurers discovered jewels and artifacts from summers gone by.

Now I just have to find a way to return my garden ornaments to their homes outside without upsetting the princess.

Signs of spring

2010-03-15T19:35:00.001-07:00

We made birds this weekend from fabric paper and food colouring. Both kids were fully engaged in this activity and we now have our own flock of wildlife out our front window.

First I cut out about a dozen birds.

My eldest used her science kit tray to mix the colours which she loved.

After days of sickness it was nice to see the kids getting involved in an activity. The end of spring break was all about recovery.

We recently set up a bird feeder at our back window which truly inspired this project. I have photos to paste of our visitors. Yesterday we even had a woodpecker at our feeder which was very exciting.

The kids are enthralled by birds and who wouldn't be. As we walk to school this coming week the buds are out on the trees and the birds are fruitful in them.

I have been in kid zone lately with little time for business which is always hard. It is wonderful being there for my kids, especially when they are under the weather, but this is also the time I need to continue to build and work on my still new business venture. I love, I struggle, and I continue on.

Spring Break Summary

2010-03-15T16:12:00.000-07:00

I don't know how it started but my kids have an addiction to the coffee shop. My littlest one especially. I do not remember my eldest mentioning going to the coffee shop at every opportunity even though we hung out a lot in coffee shops when she was younger.
They love their soy hot chocolates.
I just want to say that this soy latte pictured above was seriously the best soy latte I have ever tasted. This is from JJ's on the Drive and I have had them there before, but never at this level. It was so amazingly perfect and it really did set our day off fantastically.

We headed to Burnaby Museum for a scavenger hunt with some friends. It was really quite freezing that day with snow falling earlier. What I didn't realize was that the museum was open for this special occassion but not with all the facilities in operation which was a little disappointing. We shall have to make a return trip in the late spring.

I didn't know I could actually become nauseous on a carousel. This one clocks in at 7mph which is actually quite fast. It didn't help that I had a camera to my eye almost the whole time. I sat out the next round and the kids just kept getting back on.

This is the kind of horse that could haunt my dreams.

I love a young child's view of hopscotch. The skill to properly execute a hopscotch game must come in late kindie or grade 1. Who knew it could be so amusing to watch little ones try to negotiate between a single hop to a straddle.

The best part of course is just being present with so much silliness. I just love the colour array to this bunch too.

2010-03-04T22:57:00.000-08:00

I am in a little bit of a funk. I think this always happens to me in February. Now as it is March I am slowly emerging from the darkness of winter and acknowledging the many signs of spring which always means rebirth.
I need to spend more time with just me and my camera and get in tune with my creative side again. It is hard to balance the work for others and the need to play.
It is coming... I can feel it.

A walk in the woods.

2010-02-23T22:47:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I visited a site in the little village of Egmont on the Sunshine Coast as I will be shooting a wedding there in June.
On the way my husband and I went for a walk to Skookumchuck Narrows. This is the first walk that the two of have taken alone in many many years. We were childfree for the late morning and thoroughly enjoyed the crisp winter day along the trail.

A very old truck met us as we began our journey. I love taking photos of old objects, especially found objects and this truck was right up my alley.

It was very chilly and I was a little underdressed.

The sun was glorious and against the forest backdrop I felt privileged to witness its glory.

My husband is a keen geo-cacher and here he is searching for a hidden cache.

A photo of my ill-equipped footwear.

Here is an eddy as we watched the tide ebbing.

One of my favourite westcoast flora.

The Grassroots Wedding Fair

2010-02-15T23:41:00.000-08:00

I forgot to take photos of my own booth. I spent months organizing this event and I actually forgot to acknowledge my own lovely space!
Here are a few of my favourite images. There are more on our website and the facebook page.

Thanks to all my wonderful vollunteers!

My lovely new friend and graphic designer lifesaver, Alizeh of Fancy Ink Designs.

My number one vollunteer and love of my life!

Wooohoooo.... the most excellent banner, but I have since been told I did not make the Wedding Fair big enough...but I really like the design.

The most talented sister-in-law in action.

The most lovely cousin in action!

I forgot to take photos of my own booth. I spent months organizing this event and I actually forgot to acknowledge my own lovely space!

Here are a few of my favourite images. I am related to two of the lovely models.

Thanks to all my wonderful vollunteers!

Oh, man

2010-01-28T01:15:00.000-08:00

Just when I thought I have all the kinks sorted out on my new website it still will not work properly.
All the work I did behind the scenes apparently means nothing right now and we are days away from The Grassroots Wedding Fair where I will be showcasing my work.
This is not a good time to be adding another stress onto an already stressful time.
I am going to go to my bed and hope that all can be resolved in the morning.
Fingers and toes crossed.

Chillin' with my little one.

2010-01-19T23:56:00.000-08:00

My kids love our great big king-sized bed. They drive me crazy every morning with their bed jumping and mother-avoidance antics. They hide under the covers with their little dirty feet.

I am not always cranky mom when it comes to the bed. It is a great place for laughter and silliness. It is also a great place to just sit back and really pay attention to my kids, especially my little one as she moves in her body and becomes more and more capable in life.

Political messages

2010-01-17T10:26:00.000-08:00

I was just leaving a small contract job when my eyes caught the bright yellow sign with familiar artwork.

I met Jurgen when I was photographing Bridge to a Cooler Planet. He had a similar sign with him then. A friend of his does the artwork while he directs.

Jurgen is an independent contractor who is tired of government antics. As he sat in his truck on Robson Street amidst the glam and the street traffic he brought a smile to my face.

When I first asked him if I could take his picture and then if I could post them on my blog he was very pleased to get his message out to a wider audience. I am sure I will see you again Jurgen. It was nice chatting with you.

Fort Worden Part 3 - Our officer's quarters

2010-01-03T17:22:00.001-08:00

Leading away from our house into the wilds of the Fort is a path that speaks of adventure.
We didn't always need to leave our humble abode to find adventure. I do not believe our children stayed still very long this holiday time. They had each other to keep their imaginations rich.

Our home for three nights is just in the background. I can't seem to help posting these photos in backwards.

Again the antics of these two little ones constantly amaze me. It is not easy being the mom and not being needed for 4 days. As long as they were fed and sung to sleep my kids kept themselves pretty busy.

These two existed in their own little world.

This stairwell alone was the source of amazing adventures.

And what about the little hide outs? I cannot stress enough how kid friendly this space was. The little ones found more than one secret hideout.

Friends reunited. I wonder how their friendship will unfold. They slip into their little world so effortlessly. It humbles me.

Oh how I love to just sit and watch my kids. Okay, photograph too when they let me....

Our festive abode.

Fort Worden Part 2 - Discovery

2010-01-03T16:59:00.001-08:00

Here are images of our two days of exploring the old batteries and hidey-holes of Fort Worden. Now, I am a pacifist by nature, but I cannot deny the excitement of exploring the old tunnels and hallways of this wartime structure that never came close to actually seeing any real battle.
Fort Worden was barely used in its whole history and now acts as a meeting place for various groups and individuals looking for a getaway. Port Townsend has quite the artistic community and has actively used the Fort for workshops and other such creative ventures.

My dear friend hiking in very stylish yet ill-equiped footwear.

The two other mamas on this adventure.

Little one desperate to go to those same places where the big kids venture to.

My little one on her very excellent carriage.

For the kids this place was the perfect adventure with underground bunkers and tunnels to explore. They all did so great with walking in the darkness with just their headlamps to guide them.

Of course, geo-caching was amongst the activities of the day.

I cannot help to try to capture this one's serious face of scepticism in my picture taking.

My eldest was very concerned that I would not end up stepping in this hole.

And up she goes with no fear. Me, I am trying to allow the tether strings to be stretched on this adventure.

My little one before she is strapped in to her harness for the morning shift.

Fort Worden in 3 Parts - Structure

2010-01-03T16:40:00.000-08:00

Playing with my camera is a lot of fun. I believe I even feel recharged creatively. Fort Worden is a place like no other and I highly recommend a visit. The diversity of landscape and structures is inspiring. The town of Port Townsend beautiful and intimate. I had a great time simply playing.

The batteries in all their ancient glory.

Fort Worden is renowned to be haunted. I can believe it in this space of cubby holes and long dark passages. I do not believe any disaster happened here though for ghosts to want to haunt, but you never know.

It is really really hard to limit the amount of photos produced when I have my own creative time for 4 whole days in a row. It is actually excruciating.

New Years with friends and family

2010-01-02T23:45:00.001-08:00

We rented a house in Fort Worden for New Years with two other couples with children. The turn of the century officer's home was the perfect place to gather with 6 kids amongst us. The layout was very child friendly and the kids literally did not stop moving for 4 days.

We started the children's party at 8pm, with noise makers, funky glasses, crackers and those blowy things.

My child as seen through funky glasses.

Oh, my these two break my heart.

Too much noise for this little one.

Once the little ones were off to bed we began our own antics. I know it is only a game, but way too much silliness happened that I am sure we shall be reminded of for years to come.

**note our festive handmade New Year's bunting banner made by a most talented friend.

New blog, new focus

2010-01-01T15:14:00.002-08:00

As this past year brings reflections I have decided to separate business from personal blogging. I am working on a new website for sweet earth as my web designer is in Regina fulfilling her dream to become an RCMP officer, and my website lays discarded at the side.

I am taking my work into my own hands and should have the new site up this week. I am in awe over my own personal growth in the last year and a half. I have learned so much and so the design and managing of my own website no longer intimidates me.

My family and my own creative journey will fill these pages and I will keep the paid work elsewhere.

I am currently stationed in an old army barracks with children running amok everywhere around me. I am trying to catch up on wedding fair details and yet remember that I am on a family mini-vacation.

On our way to a New Years Retreat.

2010-01-01T15:14:00.001-08:00

Waiting in line for our ferry.

My child made a new friend almost instantly on this short crossing to Port Townsend. I marvel at her sense of confidence.

We planned an adventure over New Years. I do not think we have actually stayed home to mark the New Year yet with our little family. Well, maybe one year in the last 5. I need these little getaways. The best part is finding the most amazing places to visit that are so close to home.

My husband went on a beer tour of the Pacific Northwest this past fall and came through Port Townsend. It is a lovely little old town that retains its Victorian character.

The after party

2009-12-13T23:26:00.000-08:00

All she wanted was a Hello Kitty cake....more than anything. I would just like to thank Lyndsay from Coco Cupcakes for making such awesome cupcakes.

Collage Collage for big birthday Number 5

2009-12-13T22:56:00.000-08:00

We spent our morning celebrating my eldest turning 5 at Collage Collage. It was a little chilly that morning but it was still a treat to spend a winter birthday doing something fun while the snow fell outside.

I just wanted to say outright that I am a fan of Erin and her studio art centre. She began the morning with general colouring to get everyone in the mood and doing something while we waited to everyone to arrive.

Next was a story to fully immerse the kids in the task at hand.

The kids made movable bears. These were not ordinary bears. The kids had free play in any amount of glue, buttons, felt, and pastels. Erin encouraged the kids to talk about their bears and embellish them with all the materials available. The little ones, who were in the 2.5 -3 range, went a little nuts with the glue ( freedom not experienced before) and Erin took it all in stride and encouraged their creativity. I was thwarted in my attempts to control the glue and surrendered to the beauty unfolding before me.

We could have had an art project at home... but truthfully no. This space was perfect for freedom of expression and held 9 little ones' attention for a solid hour.

Our inspirational story.

This is my daughter's to-do list that she started that morning and made me bring to the class. I am not sure if you can read her writing at the top which was instructions for me to make a Hello Kitty cake. I did not complete this task, but had Lyndsay from Coco Cupcakes create some lovely treats for me...photos to come.

Our bears chillin' together while the kids have a snack.

The best part of the morning was gathering all our snacks back up after taking a break and being ready to leave. We have a lovely art project and a group of kids who played so amazingly well together. Here my brother is reading them a story while we gather up our goodies.

I plan to make a return trip sans children so I can have a look at the great selection of art magazines, books and supplies. Erin also stocks handmade creations from many artisans in Vancouver.

This story was heaven as it appealed to both the kids and us grown ups. We shall definitely be checking out Collage Collage more often.

Day 5 - 'go for a walk'

2009-12-05T22:29:00.000-08:00

Today was not the most smooth in our household. Crankiness reigned supreme and I was a little tired and easily frustrated. We had to drop our kids off in Coquitlam at my mom's for an overnight so I suggested going for a shoreline walk in Port Moody as I love the flats at the end of the inlet.
By the time we headed out the door the sun was setting, but despite the cold which we didn't mind as we were bundled, we were well rewarded as the crows arrived in their numbers and Canada Geese came in waves to settle amid the reeds.
The trip was short but beautiful and we did it together.

One of my most favourite photographic finds is found natural beauty. I love the textures and the colours of these little scenes I randomly encounter and that I am there to witness.

Eldest daughter quite fancied the lovely silvery leaf as well and yanked it off from its resting place. She is also a collector of items.

The sky filled with crows.

The reward at the end of our jaunt was a lovely warm hot cocoa which in itself is becoming a tradition with my youngest. She loves nothing better than 'going to the coffee shop'.

Finding our traditions

2009-12-05T22:08:00.000-08:00

Our first proper winter scene table with objects collected on our way to and from school this past week.

Can you see our advent calendar??

I do not remember having any really special traditions that marked the winter, from my childhood. Well, that is not true...I was raised in a religious home and now as an adult and a parent I follow my own path and find myself searching for something to bring light into the darkness of coming winter.

My dear friend who always inspires me discussed with me her family ideas of making this time of year more about celebrating the changing of the season and deflecting the attention off of Christmas itself. I want my kids and us to celebrate this together and marvell at how amazing mother nature is.

I second her notion of finding meaning in the natural world around my family and me. So, as December 1st approached I hurried to establish what shall forever onward be our winter tradition.

It is not solely from my dear friend that I found all my inspiration. The idea began weeks ago with a great posting from yoyomama and a template shown from a very great children's artist, Liz Clay of Cici Art Factory. It was a advent calendar full of silly acts that you can print out and hang as you please. I printed out the lovely 24 days and added a few activities to get us doing more as a family.

So far we have 1.written a letter to Santa, 2. collected items for our winter scene and set it up, 3. baked cookies, 4. make sparkly decorations (a little slow on this one) and 5. go for a walk.

The only problem I had was that I didn't copy out what I wrote so each day is a mystery for me...exciting and terrifying at the same time (hence not being as prepared as I should have for day 4).

A day of hooky

2009-11-27T18:50:00.000-08:00

I pulled my kid from kindie and we snuck out to the aquarium. She kept missing out on our little adventures.

Clownfish cove is a great spot to chill for ages. Eldest daughter teamed up with about 4 other kids in her age bracket and had a great adventure for over an hour. Littlest one is here waiting to be rescued by the rescue team. She is a little hermit crab in trouble. She patiently waited here for the older girls to remember they sent her here to wait for them.

Grassroots Wedding Fair plans in order.

2009-11-24T22:09:00.000-08:00

The wedding fair plans continue. It really is quite an exciting pursuit. I am on the greatest learning curve of my life, well maybe not, I am mother of two after all....but I digress.

I am meeting so many amazing and creative people on this adventure. Everyone I talk to is also so excited about this event. I have a team of volunteers ready to go at the calling and the exhibitors are...wow...so helpful, so inspiring and ingenious with their ideas. I almost have all the tables booked which is a relief and now will work gathering all the bits and bobs that will decorate the hall and bring order to this event. Insurance and liquor licenses are not that exciting, but oh so necessary.

I will be very pleased to watch the evolution of this event over the coming years. My mind is constantly ticking away with ideas and what about a province wide event with stops on the Island, in the Okanagan....the Kootenays? We shall see where this event takes me.

November Wedding

2009-11-23T19:40:00.001-08:00

I was lucky enough to be asked to shoot a wedding for a couple who are only just in Vancouver and who are not used to such dark cold days. Amazingly enough the ceremony occurred on the one day that the rains did not come. It was cold, but the reprieve from the wet was well met by us.

Hot band in the cool of November - Simmer

2009-11-22T09:16:00.001-08:00

I finally had the chance to shoot some promotional photos for the eclectic trio, Simmer. These three musicians are hard to categorize into one style of music. The three of them all come from different backgrounds combining jazz, reggae, rock and world music. All three of them work on other projects as well, but they come together to infuse new meaning into music.

Antics

2009-11-08T22:08:00.000-08:00

I spent the day at the Baby and Toddler Fair, which was a bit of bust as very few people showed. A lot of vendors had to cancel at the last minute due to illness so perhaps it is just the flu shutting down the neighbourhood. Bobs and Lolo played to an almost empty crowd at their second set.

It was my first official and proper showing at a tradeshow event so today was a little disappointing. It is still a good experience to show up, set up, meet and greet vendors and the public.

My husband brought the kids in the afternoon to see the show, but eldest wanted her face painted and spent the rest of the time scooting around on the pedalless bikes.

Oh, a feel a few tangents trying to break in here.

Bahhh... here is daughter at bath time tonight. I was told I must take a photo of her lovely dragon before it was washed away. She has a thing with dragons right now. The daughter who I thought would remain a princess forever is branching out and is now a fan of dragons; so much so that at 6:00 am this morning woke up screaming from a nightmare and I ran to her side only to find out that her nightmare involved her little sister drawing on her dragon picture that she had been working on in her dream. oh the joys of four year olds. She also has a thing about recording bizarre things that I want to throw out or recycle. She is a very visual person and a packrat to the extreme. She must be an old soul. You cannot imagine the odd things I have had to take a pictures of.

This is a bit rambly tonight. I just wanted to post the photo. No need for a long intro.

Rain rain go away....

2009-11-04T21:54:00.001-08:00

I am just doing some editing tonight and I came across these photos from last month. They are simple photos, but something about these two photos really draws my attention in. Perhaps it is because I like boots a lot.

Besides feet on their own, I really like to take pictures of boots. I have a collection of my daughter's boots from each season as they grow and hop into new ones.

Baby and Toddler Fair

2009-11-04T21:19:00.001-08:00

Come and visit us at The Baby and Toddler Fair this Sunday at the Croatian Cultural Centre.

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T12:29:00.000-08:00

My kids have been pretty sick this past 10 days. Who knows if it was H1N1 or not. They are on the mend, but we had to keep Halloween pretty low key. As we made three trips to the pumpking patch this year we had a lot of pumpkins to catch up on before the trick or treating began.

As the day was absolutely gorgeous we all took turns on our assembly line decorating our jack o'lanterns in the sunlight streaming into the kitchen.

Daughter wanted to be a vampire princess so she is here practising her fangs.

Another musical selection.

2009-10-31T23:33:00.000-07:00

I follow a great blog...Wreckless Girl... and she had this lovely woman posted on her blog... Here she is: Amy Seeley.

http://vimeo.com/4648513

Robots Need Love Too.

2009-10-31T10:05:00.000-07:00

Right now I have a thing for Dan Mangan.

It is such a thing that I could listen to Nice Nice, Very Nice all day long and not get bored, (okay well maybe not, but I still really like the album).

If you ever come up beside me in my car just singing away at the top of my lungs it is Robots that I will most likely be singing too. The kids know the chorus and we sing it out together. I just saw his video posted on the 'Vancouver is Awesome' website and here it is:

http://vancouverisawesome.com/?s=robots

Bridge to a Cool Planet - favourite pics!

2009-10-29T22:38:00.000-07:00

Bridge to a Cool Planet was a great event to be a part of. It made me feel powerful in terms of making change.

In my university days I considered myself quite the activist, but family and life in general kind of slowed me down on that front. Last weekend brought me back to a good place.

I am posting some of my favourite images of the day from a creative stand point. My facebook page has more and the organizers have even more than that.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Vancouver-BC/sweet-earth-photographics/39253595734 - wow that is a long link!

This young woman was probably the most photographed individual of the walk. I was among 6 other vollunteer photographers for the Bridge to a Cool Planet organization and in the late morning before most of the fellow walkers arrived we kept circling her and taking her picture. It was quite amusing actually.... the amount of cameras on hand.

How can I not take her picture? I would love to be in that outfit. It is right up my alley. Can you see that she is sleeveless.... very brave woman here.

So many vollunteers helped out this day. Karma points all around, I say!

Family Fall pics.

2009-10-26T18:43:00.000-07:00

I headed out to Langley last weekend to meet the winner of the contest I held with yoyobelly.ca in the spring. It was the first time I had been out to Glen Valley Park and it is such a beautiful space.

We had Christmas cards and gifts in mind. The day could not have been more perfect which was lucky as it was the only day we could do the shoot.

The two little ones absolutely adored one another. Big brother was so gentle with his little sister and she could hardly take her eyes off of him. I think those two already have a very good start.

My whole family came with me this day as we do not head out to the Valley very often. While I took photos my husband and the girls walked the ravine path. I have some great pics of the girls that I will post shortly. I am still trying to get caught up on all the work as of late as well as my own personal photos.

A rainy Sunday afternoon.

2009-10-26T13:59:00.000-07:00

This is my superstar sister-in-law. The little one and I met up with her at the pumpkin patch and we took her home with us. Eldest daughter stayed home with dad as she was quite ill.
So Aunty C hung out with us all day....to be young and have a whole day free and choose to chill with the fam...you gotta love the freedom.
She was unsure of how to help me while I was preparing our meal. As you can see, and as I told her, she was doing the most important job. While eldest daughter cuddled up and eventually fell asleep on her lap she entertained youngest for a good solid hour looking at pictures, asking questions, playing make believe, all on the couch in the quiet of the afternoon on a rainy Sunday. This is a gift.
Aunty C is Australian and has been here now for a year. Who knows when she will depart us to continue her exploration of the world. When she is gone it is a moment like this that I will remember and cherish. I hope we have many more.

Bringing my child's life alive in a book.

2009-10-23T22:59:00.000-07:00

I attended my first parent teacher conference last night. My husband was able to come too which was great as he could finally meet DD's teacher and see her classroom.

I will admit that I was a little hesitant putting DD into full day kindie as she is only 4, being a December baby and all. I absolutely love her teacher. My daughter amuses her. I like this.

The first few weeks of school Mrs. W. took photos of DD's class all over the school and with various teachers and staff. She then created little story books with the photos that the kids take home to read. It is a great way for us to see her little world and for her to be encouraged to read stories that have more of a connection.

When my 2nd daughter was born she made a lot of funny snuffly noises. I made up a story of how my older daughter was a faerie who finds a baby snuffler in the woods. I decided to take this story a litte further. My cousin helped me shoot the scenes and we made the story into a book. This story we have forever now. Baba soon stopped making the noises and they both grew, but we have that one moment held in time. We took a story that unfolded in those first few months of siblings adjusting to one another and turned it into a visual memory.

I would like to offer this service to my clients. I need to work on the details though as it can be quite time consuming and I would like to make it affordable.

My favourite season.

2009-10-12T21:58:00.001-07:00

We were at my favourite seasonal destination. I look forward to the patch at Westham Island Farm all year. We went out last weekend on the last sunny day for awhile. My kids absolutely love going there and now my little one will remember that this is our family tradition.
A friend intentionally set out to create traditions with her kids as she lacked any from her own childhood. It made me start thinking about what my own family could do. We now have enough years in that the patch is an official tradition. We will head out again with my niece and bring home even more orange lovelies.

playtime...more pics from Guemes overnight.

2009-10-10T21:24:00.000-07:00

Have you ever driven the Chuckanut Drive from Bellingham to Mt. Vernon? It is such a lovely drive; a great improvement over Hwy.5. The above pictures were captured back on the flats.

I started a natural series years ago and I shall add this to the collection. I need to get a personal gallery started on my website so that I can put up my own personal work. I love finding 'nature's art' in the randomness of found colours, textures and discarded objects that I find when out wandering.

I loved this island bulletin board located by the ferry terminal. I so enjoy catching a glimpse into the every day lives of the communities I visit.

Guemes Island appears to really like cut out people. I saw a few more on the other side.

Girls Night Out

2009-10-09T22:57:00.000-07:00

My very dear friend who moved to Ottawa came home to stay with us for two wonderful weeks. We could only organize one night away as children, jobs and husbands limited our options. We made the most of what we had.
If you ever have the chance to visit Guemes Island Resort I highly recommend it, but go in the off season.
Whatever you do, don't end up at the ferry terminal to the San Juan's and ask for Gomez Island. You may look a little silly. I don't even know how to spell it phonetically. Just remember to turn off of the main road onto to I Avenue to get you to the Guemes Island ferry.

As we were only staying for one night we opted for the tiny, yet luxury cabins as they had their own private hot tubs and I was all over that. We also sat in the amazing hot sauna and had massages in the little massage cabin the next morning. Oh yah, and the sangria my Washington friend brought up was delectable.
Check out the resort at: http://www.guemesislandresort.com/

Hey, there is me... on the right!

I think she looks like Van Gogh's sister....if he had had one.

The locals having an early seat at the Country Store Inn. I had a great coffee with a maple oatmeal cookie....yum!

Our beach view and we had the whole place to ourselves. Definitely go off-season.

I miss you babe!

A visit to the outback....Imagine them BIG.

2009-10-09T22:35:00.000-07:00

My garden is in a state of decay. The grass in back section hasn't been mowed in.... I don't know how long. The daughter's garden is an eclectic graveyard of found objects, overgrown weeds and the last of the fall flowers. Gardening this summer was a bit of a luxury and the space was let to go wild. I abandoned my flowers. It is quite established so I just let it go.
This afternoon I reconnected a little bit. I am trying out a new lens on loan from Beau Photo for a job that I have next week photographing bioplastics. My brain has been in overdrive the last few days trying to figure out how to make the products look more dramatic that what I have seen out there.
And then I got distracted. I screwed the new ( to me) lens on to my camera and then went exploring... out to the 'back 40' as I like to call it.
Wow, it is pretty cool back there now. As nothing has been cut back the dead and dying flowers are offering up their seeds for next year's crop. And this lens ..... I think I need one for my own. It is not as if that is going to happen anytime soon so I must enjoy it to its fullest before I need to return it.
I want to blow up all these unadultered images into massive portraits that I will hang all over my home and absorb their images of decay and celebrate the amazing colours and textures that nature offers. Wooohoooo!!!

Ah, this one still has life. I imagine the anther and stamen parts as little faeries dancing around the faerie ring.

These next three can be a series perhaps.

I have not retouched them although I think a little brightening in photoshop would help, but when to stop?? I started playing and was overwhelmed by the subtleties of each change.

To have completely creative time to myself is like gold. I so enjoyed indulging myself in some play time. I did that recently on a one night-overnight with two girlfriends. I felt as I had been freed. I need more time like this.

The last of the summer weddings

2009-09-30T22:13:00.000-07:00

I am trying to get this little blog updated. I have a bit of a backlog, but it will be good to slowly catch up and reminisce about the summer. I can't believe it is finally fall. A chill is in the air, especially in the mornings which is wonderful as it reminds me of the change of season.

I finally handed off the wedding album to the last of my summer weddings. The wedding occurred on one of the final very warm days of summer. I was shooting at Century Gardens and Minoru Park again. It is nice to return to a familiar spot with completely different energy. The bride was stunning and again it is so nice to peek into the lives of others if only for a few hours.
Thank you Lenora and Dave for a great last hoorah before the season turned.

Why Not a Happy Parent Birthday?

2009-09-15T17:26:00.001-07:00

One thing no one told me in all the advice given with my first pregnancy is how intense the loss of self can be. I traded one identity, that I had grown quite used to let me tell you, for a very new and different one. I was over the moon to become a mother, but I wish I had taken a little more time to acknowledge and honour my former self.

It is the most intense feeling to be 'on' all the time. I am only now coming out the other side and of course I will never be the person I once was, nor do I wish to be. For the last five years I have given my heart and soul to my children. They are at an age now when my baby needs me less and my oldest wishes for me to remain on the fringes, but still cuddle her to sleep every night.

I have mixed feelings about their new independence from me. On one side I am sentimental that the baby years are behind us, but at the same time I am excited to reclaim a little of my old self.

As the busy wedding and event season winds down and school has started I may just have a bit more time on my hands. I look forward to spending one on one time with my youngest, but also that when she naps ( I hope she continues for a little longer) that will be my time. I will try not to fill it with work, but just sit and have a coffee and perhaps even read...woohoo!!

I am writing this coming from a recent maternity shoot where I try to capture the essence of my clients, and mainly the mother-to-be, so that there in colour or black and white is the person/persons on the cusp of being a newly hatched parent.

We should celebrate the birth of the parent, mourn the loss of self and then completely give ourselves over to the child. Happy Parent Day to you!

Goodnight Mr.Pooh

2009-09-09T19:25:00.001-07:00

I said goodbye tonight to a very dear old friend. Casey aka Misterpooh passed away after finally succumbing to a rare back ailment. We have been together for 16 years. If you will indulge me:
When I went to the animal shelter with no intention to adopt I saw the ugliest little white and brown young cat. I thought no one would ever take him home so I rashly adopted him. After about a month of hiding under surfaces he finally emerged and became my best buddy. He eventually grew into his nose and became a very large, very snuggleable gentleman.
Since having children I will admit that he was not doted on as much which makes me sad today. I did sleep on the livingroom floor last night with him as he could not use his back legs.
Our family said our goodbyes this evening with my four year old astonishing me once again with her candor and deep sensitivity. I must paint a painting with Mr.Pooh sitting in a litter box and all of us sitting on grey boxes around him. Flowers are strewn around the scene and it must be nicely framed. She made me laugh which was good at that moment. She then burst into another round of tears for her Casey who was such a nice cuddly cat. I concur.

Jill and Lisa Get Married

2009-09-02T08:25:00.000-07:00

At some weddings I feel blessed enough to be one of the gang. Lisa and Jill and their whole support team made me feel that way last weekend. I will also say that this wedding was a candid photographer's dream. The antics were non-stop and silliness was everywhere.

Yet underneath all that silliness that Jill and Lisa are known for was a very deep passion that made everyone smile. These two ladies absolutely adore one another.

Lisa looking super hot and sexy with those shades on.

Jill danced her way into the room. Long before that fun wedding entrance video went viral on you tube, Jill had her routine planned out. It was the beginning of the antics. Once the ceremony started though, Jill became so serene and was so present for Lisa.

We took pictures in Century Gardens and if I could include them all I would. After every (remotely) serious photo they would all screw up their faces as if they were all in on some kind of inside joke. I just had the camera ready and snapped away.

The 'groomsmens' fantastic footwear.

They took a moment to themselves while the bridal party played.

The end of a fantastic night!

Performance in the Park

2009-08-21T21:21:00.001-07:00

We finally made it out to a Performance in the Park. What a great idea!! Douglas Park was packed with families all hanging out and listening to music.
I remember hearing about the weekly summer events way back in June, but as my husband plays Ultimate on a Thursday night, we hadn't had the chance to attend until his season was over.
I believe we still have one week left before the series end. We shall be back next week although I think I will pack some snacks as the children were ravenous. Perhaps it was the lovely nighttime air, but there is only so much pizza that a little one should eat. It would have been great if the 'concession' sold veggies hotdogs as well, but overall they did have a good selection of easy dinnerables.
We rode our bikes to the park, wet our toes in the wading pool, listened to some tunes, ate some dinner and then played in the park. What more could we want from a summer night out with the fam.

Max entertained the crowd.

I love it when my kids feel brave enough to go up front and dance. It is something I was to terrified to participate in as a child. It appears their dad was too as he didn't vollunteer to sing, 'we are girls, not ladies' or something like that. These dad did a fine job though:

The sky was so lovely with the streaks of clouds that night.

I am not sure where my eldest daughter gets her performing abilities from, but she is always on. Growing up as a rather shy child I am reliving my childhood vicariously through her. I can see what it is like being an extrovert. So far she has little fear of being the centre of attention. I am very proud of her confidence. I will do what I can to ensure she maintains it.

The child finally collapses in fatigue. The singing adventure is over. Now it is time to recoup our energy at the park. Yipee!

Young lady on her way to stardom.

2009-08-21T18:56:00.000-07:00

The children thought that I had set up the studio for them. They paraded on my backdrop while we waited for our lovely guest to appear. They enjoy having their picture taken more often than not now and my oldest stages the scenes.

It was interesting chatting with Corina. She is working on Smallville right now. My MIL was key hair on that show for 7 years and she was so wiped out by the end of her stint. Corina has fresh young eyes and can handle the insane hours. Good luck to her and her career.

I have been given the all clear.

2009-08-19T18:54:00.001-07:00

Now, I may have gone a little overboard, but if I could I would post all the birthday party photos. Two parents responded to my request to put a few pics up so here are a few. The above photo is most certainly my favourite.

The above picture so reminds me of my childhood. It is odd actually. I wonder if I had a dress similar to this.

The birthday girl!!

Beautiful baby girl

2009-08-19T18:43:00.000-07:00

I met Emily when she was three days old. What a lovely chance to see her again. She is such a little giggler and so strong. Anytime we would put her on her back she would simply roll back over and wait for us to entertain her.

I told her mom that I thought she would be crawling soon. She loves spending time on her belly.

Fantastic Birthday Ideas

2009-08-17T18:29:00.001-07:00

We were at a birthday party this weekend, hosted by the amazing Mandy Hodge of 'the Barefoot Nutritionista' and as soon as we arrived the kids were given their goodie bags. Mandy had made simple faerie wings and skirts out of beautiful sari material. The boys had little capes in the same material. She stated that why wait until the end of the party to give out the goodie bags? Let the kids play with them and then take them home. The park was filled with beautiful running children and the colours streaming off of them. You can imagine how much fun I had with my camera. ( I am waiting to see if any parents let me post photos...come back and check it out again in a few days.)

The wings were looped around their wrists, like most waldorf wings, which allows kids of all sizes to have their wings fluttering without worrying about wire frames knocking things over.

I was also pleased to see Dana Miller there, of Its Party Time, painting faces. She does such an amazing job. (http://www.itspartytimebc.com/ to contact her).

Mandy is an amazing mom and such a wealth of health and nutritional information. She is always posting very healthy meal ideas and organic options for children and pre/post natal moms. Check her out at: http://barefootnutritionista.com/ or fan her at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Burnaby-BC/The-Barefoot-Nutritionista/69714219170

Happy Birthday Sweet Earth!!

2009-08-15T16:14:00.001-07:00

Wow, the adventure is one year in and we are going strong! One of the best features of this last year has been meeting so many new and amazing people. I am not the most outgoing person so the greatest challenge for me has been to put myself out there.

The next greatest challenge was taking an artistic outlet and adding a business edge to it which requires a careful balance between keeping the dream going and not letting all the administrative duties simply suck the life out of it.

So, in celebration of this amazing event I am offering a full regular session which usually runs at $300.00 for only $200.00 for the next month. In this special you will receive a one on one consultation at your abode, a two hour session, an album of approx. 20 images and a cd of all images. This is a great deal....in my humble opinion.

woohoo!!

Deer Lake Park and the girls.

2009-08-11T20:58:00.000-07:00

I have been working a lot of crazy hours lately and to be honest I have been cranky mom the last few days. After dealing with a bit of business in the morning we headed out to Deer Lake to have a look around. Now, this wasn't completely a work-free day as I needed to check out Century Gardens for a wedding I have coming up, but we still hung out together for hours and I completely surrended myself to them in the playground. A day like today is actually good for all of us as all our needs are met.

Again, I have stated before that it is hard to find the balance when trying to start up a successful business and stay well-connected to my kids, and also to remain sane. When I read about moms working from home I cannot imagine how they do it. I find it difficult and rarely get any work done. To find time for the kids, the husband, the home, the business leaves me exhausted and then when do I sit and relax myself.

I am feeling a bit guilty lately as I know school is approaching and eldest child will be in full days. I will have nap times again to do things. I am wondering if I can ship the littlest one of to some kind of care for a few hours a week. I want to treasure the moments that I have with the kids, not try to strategically figure out how to get a bit of work done. I know soon enough they won't want to hang with their mom or they will be so busy with their friends and their own lives. I do not want to regret this time. Where is my fairy godmother to grant me more time and still spend the time I need with my family and earn an income.

I finally put a few rolls of film in this morning to get developed and picked up some more. Daughter is totally getting the film versus digital aspect to this camera. She understands so much more than I thought. I can't wait to see her photos. I want her to see them too. She is quite good at framing. I try not to teach her too much about technique and lighting as she is still so young and I don't want to annoy her. I have a tendency to do that anytime I try to instruct her.

It was a great day of discovery and exploration.

I spent my latter childhood near Deer Lake so it was kind of cool to put my feet back in the water. I remember when you could still swim in it...that was a very long time ago. We decided we must come back and rent boats and tootle around.

It amazes me how the urge to climb overpowers my kids. Not too long ago my oldest was so hesitant to try anything risky, yet after a year of gym and a stick swing in our backyard she has such powerful little arms and the drive to conquer any climbing structure.

Baba is trying to keep up with the big sis.

I tried to get them to smile for the perfect picture, but they are monkeys. I guess this is them in their more natural state.

sweet earth is coming up on the big 1.

2009-08-08T23:59:00.000-07:00

I am coming up on my company's first anniversary. This past year has been the greatest learning curve of my life, after my entryhood into motherhood of course. This summer has been a bit overwhelming but amazing at the same time. I have had so many wonderful photographic experiences. I am excited for the fall and my plans for the wedding fair.

I am a little tired tonight, but I have a lot of photos from my latest recent wedding to post. I will have them up in the next few days.

I will have a special posted in the next week in celebration of my first anniversary. The actual day is the 15th. I am very excited to be celebrating this special date!! woohoo!!

Little Monkeys together again

2009-08-04T17:58:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we of course had our big talent night party, but the festivities were not limited to only one night. We had 3 out of town families staying at our humble abode. Now, I live in a little old house that thankfully has a large backyard. In total we were a home of 15 people. My husband and I slept outside in our tent which I think was the coolest place to sleep.

Because our dear friends are out of town it always amazes me how our children simply jump back in where they last left off. When children are little their familial memories are not that strong, or are they? These two monkeys have not seen each other for a month and rarely see each other more than a handful of times a year, yet despite their young age they have a very strong and intense friendship. They completely engage one another in play and have done so since before they could walk. I love that they have one another while their older siblings develop their own relationships. Perhaps being younger children they understand companionship more.

I can't wait to see how their friendship develops over the years. I do not have childhood friends that I see anymore. My oldest friend is from highschool. Perhaps the distance is what helps. We are completely in each other's spaces for days when we visit one another. We make up for the time in between visits.

Talent Night in My Backyard.

2009-08-03T21:24:00.000-07:00

I am very grateful for the people I have around me.

This past weekend we celebrated the 2nd Annual Triple Birthday Extravaganza. This event is started last year as two friends and I all have birthdays 3 days in a row. The event is a talent show in my backyard. Again I was completely blown away by the creativity and boldness of everyone who participated....and let me just say that to come to the party you had to perform.
I am not a performer and no one who attended was, although you wouldn't guess it from the acts. The calibre of all the acts was phenomenal.
This is a family event and I love that my kids get to see me be really silly and perform themselves if they wish. This year we had just over a dozen kids and most of them were up on stage with the rest of us. The number of acts this year took us into the darkness. It is handy being a photographer as I had my studio lights up as darkness arrived and so we even had spotlights on our stage.( the stage being beneath my clotheslines with sheets and lights)
I have a grand vision that in a few years that we rent a cabin or a camp for the weekend and descend to celebrate birthdays, friendship and our amazing extended family and entertain one another by bringing out our inner divas.

It means a great deal that my family and my friends can gather together and celebrate life. We all put ourselves out there and trusted that we would be cheered for and laughed with. Last year I sang and I only sing for my girls at bedtime. It is something I was always curious about and know I have done it. I am not sure a song will be in my future again, but you never know. This year I pulled out an old skit from summer camp to wrap up the night and I joined in the laughter of the crowd.

Our gracious MC and future stand up comedian.

A face from the Family Circus Performers.

hooray for ABBA!!

My child playing the Ukelele and accompanying her singing Nanan.

She was allowed to stay up late until the stars came out. My child is a born performer, I believe, and I hope that events such as these fuel that amazing imagination that bubbles away inside her lovely head.

Raspberries for my birthday

2009-07-28T16:06:00.000-07:00

I celebrated another year this weekend. I can't actually even remember how old I am....my brain is too hot to do the math.
So, all I wanted to do was to pick raspberries this year and of course I wanted to head to The Reef for dinner.
We went to Emma Lea's Farm and I will definitely be heading back next year. The raspberries were absolutely massive and so yummy. At one point in our hunt for the good stuff I felt as if I had just jumped into a giant raspberry jam jar. The smell was overpowering, not that I was complaining. Raspberries are my favourite berry closely followed by blueberries. The kids also had a great time. We have bushes in our backyard so even my little one knows which one are ready. My husband and I worked the higher branches while the girls uncovered the lower treasures. These raspberries were so big and easy to grab. I meant to ask the variety because I would love to plant them.
I am quite in love with Westham Island. We have very seasonal destinations there, although not a summer one. Now we will visit more often. In the fall we go to the Herb Farm for our pumpkin, and in spring and winter we go to watch the birds at the Sanctuary.

Lantern Festival

2009-07-27T00:17:00.001-07:00

I look forward to the lantern festival all year. It is one of a few opportunities to indulge the inner faerie and get all dressed up with my girls.
This year we were at a friend's about two blocks away and simply waited and waited for the storm to break. If we had been prepared for the rain we could have gone down despite the rain, but not with little ones in only their faerie gear.
Desperately watching the rain and waiting for it to stop.

Our world class host.

A ship waiting to sail into the dark night.

My little faerie kitty.

We finally ventured out only to return shortly afterwards completely soaked. Eldest daughter and my husband went around the lake a little bit as she was just so excited to finally be outside. We will just have to be more prepared next year for all scenarios.

A family weekend south of the border.

2009-07-20T14:56:00.001-07:00

My husband is an aficionado of beer. ( He is quite the brewmaster himself) He prefers craft beers over anything else and after we visited the Washington Beer Festival for father's day he learned of the Boundary Bay Brewing Co. located just over the border in Bellingham. Now we have become quite fond of Bellingham in the last few years as their old town is very cool and full of unique stores, organic restaurants and great markets in both summer and winter. Now we have a new destination.

Waiting for lunch to arrive. My kids walk into any restaurant and act like they own the joint. I think we take them out to eat too much.

The husband is finally captured on the blog. I think this look is because my lunch time beverage is starting to affect me.

The Boundary Bay Brewing Co. had a fantastic menu with healthy options for the all us which I find hard sometimes when looking for healthy kid choices. I had a great tofu sandwich on beer bread and hmmm I can't actually remember what anyone else had. The above beverage is probably why I can't remember what anyone else had. My husband has fully educated me on beer and I think I have quite refined taste when it comes to enjoying the stuff. I had an Imperial Oatmeal Stout and I didn't realise it would pack quite the punch. It was very yummy and it was a good thing I was not driving.

We saw the Decemberists that night in Marymoor Park, but alas, I did not bring my camera although I could have which made me very sad. The concert was exceedingly cool.

Ballard was our next destination and again we wandered the old part of town which is always so much more vibrant than the newer areas...in my opinion.

This was a very cool parking lot of all places and I could have easily set up shop here. A skylight let in the most amazing light and the whole space was simply full of character.

The oldest made me take a picture of the horse. She is actually directing quite a few images lately. I have given her my old holga so she can start snapping away. I had a fisher price digital for her, but I found it unreliable. I will soon post her images as I love her outlook.

A very hot dog on a very hot day.

Night out on the Drive

2009-07-16T23:55:00.001-07:00

I do not get out very much and to combine photography with a night of entertainment is rare and welcomed. Tonight I watched Simmer, a band comprised of Richard Brown on drums, Matt Reid on guitar and Sharon Minemoto on keyboard. They played at Falconetti's on the Drive. The restaurant is very narrow and the band was playing at the back almost completely darkened and it was also very hot, but I did manage to capture a few pics.

I will be working on promotional band pictures with Simmer in the very near future so it was finally great to meet the band and hear them up close. All the members of the band come from very diverse backgrounds and I believe this adds to the eclectic jazz sounds that they create.
I recommend checking them out. Richard Brown has a website, but as the band is new they do not yet have their own. To find out more info on Richard check out his myspace page at: http://www.myspace.com/rbdrums

Salmon bbq and potlatch of generosity.

2009-07-15T23:03:00.000-07:00

I spent the most lovely evening photographing a beautiful First Nations event. The evening was perfect and so full of wonder. I was made to feel so at home and chatted with many of the guests. I hung out with Ray a lot of the evening as he manned the salmon prep and helped with the bbq. Let me just say that the salmon absolutely melted in my mouth. He was constantly playing with the wasps as he cut each salmon. He was only stung twice.

This is Hattie from Hazelton. I quite enjoyed chatting with her. She came all the way down on her own. She looks after two little girls back home. I told her that she must be pretty amazing to have the stamina. She laughed and agreed that yes, the girls did have a lot of excess energy.

The night was steeped in tradition and I felt honoured to be a witness.

The bannock was unbelievable and I forced myself to only have two pieces.

Love in your own backyard.

2009-07-12T23:20:00.000-07:00

I am organizing a green wedding fair in January 2010 at the Heritage Hall. It is quite the endeavor I am undertaking, but I am passionate about green choices and about supporting local artisans and business owners. I just confirmed the domain name and now I must get to work on the website. I am placing an article in the Green Zebra Guide, http://www.greenzebraguide.ca/, that will come out in September.

I have very grand plans for this wedding fair and I will just state for the record that this is not a high-end event. This will be about supporting community and the environment. It will be filled with homemade, handmade, and creative artists who can help bring more meaning to weddings. It will also showcase environmental business as well as associations. I am so excited!!!

I will update with any major changes, but this is the first post about this event and it feels great to have something to show for it. The above logo is a beautiful piece of artwork designed by April Lacheur who I met at a craft fair in the fall. To see more of her work check out her website at: http://www.yapespaints.com/.

Who is laughing now?

2009-07-08T21:54:00.000-07:00

I have connected with so many parents after chatting about the incident with my youngest yesterday. My story pales in comparison to what experiences other parents have gone through. I have actually found the whole situation somewhat amusing as every parent really does have a story. I felt today as if I was a witness to some kind of contest as parent after parent relived the most horrific and horrendous events involving their children and they always ended with humour in their eyes. Yes, they can laugh about it now. I am not there yet.

I felt reassured that yes, crazy things can happen with our kids and they do survive. New health and safety procedures are in place and we shall move forward.

2009-07-07T09:58:00.000-07:00

My child strolled into busy traffic this morning just as a exceedingly large semi-trailer was driving past. I was 5 feet away and a little clueless as I was handing off the children to grandma who is watching them today. A voice called out in warning and I ran to the other side of the car and grabbed my little darling.
She was clueless as well. She had no idea of the danger she was in. Luckily the trailer was just coming from a red light and had not picked up speed.
I keep going over all the little things that didn't happen.
I didn't want the kids to see how I was barely keeping it together. I put them in grandma's car and then had to hide out in mine while I lost it. This was such a close call that I need to believe that some kind of spirit/energy force is out there looking out for me because how did this not end in disaster???

I am a mother first above all in this busy life and I let the craziness of the morning distract me from my baby. This is a wake up call for me to be more present in the lives of my children. It is not easy to balance being a business owner with ensuring that my husband and my children receive the attention from me they need.
My stomach is still turning and my eyes still raw from reliving the morning's event.

Sweet baby love

2009-07-06T22:52:00.000-07:00

I spent this past weekend in Victoria with a very old friend. The best part of the trip was simply watching our children interact. It makes me sad that we do not have the same connection in Vancouver with other kids.
Our two littlest ones were joined at the hip. While the big kids were off galavanting they wandered the house and yard, always with great purpose, and always together. It is hard being away from my friend and it is hard for my kids too. The oldest sobbed as we headed home. We do have lots more visits planned for the summer.
I have way too many photos from our adventures last week so perhaps I can post a couple a day until I get it out of my system.

Green College in the woods.

2009-06-29T16:58:00.001-07:00

The best thing I have found in following my passion is the diversity of images I am able to capture and the spaces I am able to visit.
In working with Green College out at UBC I found a mini 'green' oasis inside a bustling campus. Green College is working on new promotional material and trying to develop a presence at UBC. The grounds are spectacular, the students who reside there so diverse and the buildings are beautiful and old which I absolutely love. They have modern facilities as well, but I am generally intrigued by anything with history.
The standard building images were captured, but I love that they want to include more mood images in order to make people feel a connection to the space. We have a lot more work to do, but here are a few samples that I really like.
I wish I had known about Green College when I went to UBC. It is a hidden gem.

Vancouver is a pretty cool and open-minded city!

2009-06-25T22:45:00.000-07:00

On Monday I received a phone call asking for my services for a very intimate wedding the next day. Karen and Lisa had flown in from Australia the day before, saw how open and amazing Vancouver is for sex-same weddings and decided then to organize a ceremony for the next day. They managed to pick up a licence, find a marriage commissioner, find moi aka the photographer, pick out rings, make hair appts, and have bouquets made.
They left the next day to head down to San Fransisco where initially they had wanted to tie the knot, but of course were thwarted. A quick side trip to Vancouver to suss out the situation here was very rewarding.
I would just like to say for the record that these two beautiful women were a joy to photograph. I often felt as if they didn't even know I was there. I believe these nuptials were a long time coming for the two of them. They were so obviously in love and felt very comfortable in Vancouver. I asked them about their experience and commented that is not always a gay-friendly city. For them everyone went out of their way to help them set the details and thus my faith is restored.
I seem to have had a few faith restoring episodes in the last little while from all angles. I was very pleased that they found me and I wish them the best for the future.

To be humbled by the 'bump'.

2009-06-22T20:29:00.000-07:00

Taking photos of those who are not that comfortable in front of the camera can be a most beautiful experience. I find that a true honesty comes through in the images I capture. I also find that if I am patient I can find the silliness or the pure beauty that each couple shares.
Maternity sessions rank very high in terms of moments of pure awe for me. I love capturing this very intimate time. I also see it as a last chance to catch the soul of a woman before she enters into motherhood. I know that is a little sexist, but the process of birthing a child changes women so completely. To be responsible for growing and then releasing a living being into the world is overwhelming, and I am speaking from personal experience and in my own opinion.
I am so grateful to be invited into the homes of those on the verge of parenthood. It is a touching and emotional experience for me. I very easily get caught up in the tender glances shown because I can just imagine what is going on in the minds of those behind my lens.

Honour Queen for a day.

2009-06-18T21:01:00.001-07:00

June is the month for the passing on of the Honour Queen as I learned this past weekend. The reigning young woman retired her crown, but not before we documented her in her regalia.
It was a lovely afternoon spent walking along a bike path for the most part which is not the easiest place to record images as I found out and yet I should have known. It was a fun shoot and I learned a lot. It is always a good thing to expand my mind.

I have a thing for feet

2009-06-16T21:28:00.000-07:00

Now, let me just say that it is not a foot fetish that I have, but I do have quite the collection of feet images. I worked a golf tournament last week and I love to take photos of the golfers who go all out and dress the part. This year I didn't find as many, but I still managed to capture a few.
One day I will show my series on feet, bare feet that is, as I have been collecting images for over 10 years now.

Beautiful, yet tired feet of a vollunteer.

CAR FREE DAY THIS WEEKEND

2009-06-11T12:44:00.001-07:00

Just a reminder to all for the very exciting CAR FREE DAY across Vancouver on Sunday June 14th. I am hitting Main Street with the fam. Here is the website for any other information: http://www.carfreevancouver.org/

PICS FROM THE DAY:

The family spent a most fantastic afternoon walking down Main Street for Car Free Day. It was hard to choose between the Drive and Main Street, but I think we did very well. We rode our bikes over and took in the vendors, the amazing musicians and the performers.

I was very excited to hear Miss Emily Brown serenading us with her amazing voice. I didn't realize she was back from her adventure back East. Her voice is absolutely incredible. http://www.myspace.com/missemilybrown

My child, of course, finds the faerie in the crowd and follows her.

Another fascinating individual for the children to watch. We ended up picking up two hoola hoops and the 4 year old is already quite competent at it.

My youngest found the skateboarders entrancing and we spent quite a bit of time watching them. I was pleased to see both sexes represented. Is it wrong to desire your child to be a skater?

I wish I caught the name of this band. They played between Starbucks and JJ Bean and man, they were great.

Very elegant grads

2009-06-10T22:13:00.000-07:00

I meant to post these photos last month,but time got away from me. I had a most amazing night photographing the graduating class of VST at the Christ Church Cathedral. It was so great on a few levels.
This was my first time being inside of the Christ Church Cathedral and WOW was it overwhelming. I was there early and the light filling the church from the stained glass windows was so delicate and beautiful.
The graduating speakers were so inspiring with their words. I am not a religious person, but I respect those who follow their faith. I remain a more earthbound individual and have had a few opinions on the insitution of churches (historically speaking), but listening to words spoken that night my faith was restored. I felt that if the open-mindedness and compassion of those graduating and going on to fulfill ministries was what the 'Church' had in its future, then perhaps I too could be more open in terms of the institution of religion.

The choir was breathtaking and made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I need to find out if they do concerts there as it truly was a soul-uplifting experience.

A new faerie entrance

2009-06-09T13:20:00.000-07:00

I decided to completely take the day off today to spend it with the girls. It has been a bit hectic lately so this time was overdue.

We decided that a craft morning was in order so we constructed a new welcoming gate for the faerie garden. I had a lovely piece of beach wood that I have been saving for way too long and I picked up a few beautiful sounding bells from Maiwa yesterday at Granville Island.

It is low enough for the kids to just sneak under and any adult now has to ask permission from the faerie princess to enter and she announces your coming by ringing the bells.

I sat out there this afternoon while my oldest was at preschool and my youngest was asleep. The little bells are so gentle sounding as the breeze catches them.

We will have something special to show Dad when we comes home tonight.

2009-06-08T22:28:00.000-07:00

Today my brother watched my little darlings and I met him at the gelato place on Denman to pick them up. We were discussing entrepreneurial issues when a mom sitting beside us joined our conversation. I think I am still adjusting to the world of the self-employed and one of the aspects of it that blows me away is the openness of fellow moms and the small community of the creatively inclined. Our girls got the conversation started, really, but quickly she introduced herself and we had a great, although somewhat short, little networking session.
Terra writes a blog, 'mymoodymommy', ( I hope it is okay to mention it here) and I realized how small our city is when we started mentioning similar themes in terms of the blogging and small business community. What a lovely little afternoon chat session!
I wanted to write about something else as well that sent my mind into a bit of a tizzy. Terra asked my daughter how old she was and on hearing that she was 4, asked if she would be starting school this fall. Daughter is fine with entering the public school system... mother is not.
We had an assessment this past week to make sure that DD is ready for kindie. I just wanted to grill the potential future teacher, but had to keep my mouth relatively shut as she engaged my daughter with questions. I did get my chance to speak, but still my anxiety rises.
I think tonight thinking about this afternoon and the assessment last week I finally figured out what is bugging me.
I don't want to have my child in school. I like hanging out and having special time with my girls. She is in preschool so it is not as if I am against the notion of school, but if we want to play hooky one day, we do. I don't believe I can do that once she is in kindergarten.
I also, for some strange reason, see this whole kindergarten thing as an exercise in control and conformity. I don't want her to be indoctrinated. I want her to stay the free spirit that she is. I have a fear of her spirit being crushed. I know I have nothing to truly base this on and I don't know if my concerns are valid, yet.
I tried to get her into Tyee Elementary and I would love to afford to send her to the Vancouver Waldorf School ( I realize they are very different educational approaches). It is the fear of the public system that is driving me.
As well, I can't imagine her away from her home (from me perhaps?) in the company of strangers for that many hours a week. I am stressing about this.
My girlfriend homeschools her lovely brood and I would love to have that same commitment. I am caught between guilt that I do not believe I can do that and the need to have the time for myself and my business. I can't have my cake and eat it too. I am in a great state of confusion and I go back and forth in my head trying to feel better about the situation. I do not believe I am making much sense here.
My little girl is growing up. How did this happen so fast? I love her spirit. I want her to maintain it so that I can have some assurance that she will survive adolescence. I think I have a multitude of differing issues going on inside my head.
I keep telling myself that if I detect any crushing of her soul I can take her out of school and commit to homeschooling. If I can at least tell myself this perhaps I can be the strong mother I so desire to be for my children and not a hyper-sensitive one. Wait, if I take her out will that mean that I will that teach her to run away from her problems???
I think I need baby steps right now. It is only kindergarten.
My heart aches as I watch my children grow. The world can be a scary place and I so desperately want to protect them, yet send them out into it but with a great shield of strength around them.
My children cause me to feel so vulnerable and raw sometimes and yet at other times they empower me. I had no idea that motherhood could be so conflicted. Pre-baby, I would not have believed how intense it could be. Thankfully my girls give me the tools to grasp it.

First fruit of the season

2009-06-07T18:09:00.000-07:00

This morning I was out playing in the garden and found our first amazingly ripe strawberry. It was so juicy and red right through and it was all warm from the sun. My daughter and I decided to share it and even though it was only half a bite each, we were in heaven.
My yard is sometimes in a state of chaos with the children's toys strewn everywhere, but it is also my refuge. I love my little spot of tranquility where the kids and I can play and mind the earth together. I have a lot of work coming up and I am definitely enjoying the calm before the storm. It is great to find time to just simply 'be' with the kids outside. It is not as easy when things get busy.
I am very grateful for this lovely dry spell although my plants would say otherwise. They could use a bit of rain.

Another baba turns 2

2009-06-04T20:51:00.000-07:00

A very old friend of mine, so old in fact we met at summer camp in our teens, has a second child born a week after mine. We both had our seconds on their due dates and V-backs after C- sections. Our oldests are only a few months apart in age.

So we celebrated her DD's 2nd birthday this week and it was a glorious celebratory day. Of course, my camera was not far behind. It is an appendage after all. If I could just have my eye surgically adapted to be an actual camera I would be set.

My little baba turned 2

2009-05-31T20:00:00.001-07:00

We could not have asked for a better day to spend out in the garden to celebrate my little one turning 2. We have witnessed a number of birthdays lately so she understood that it was her turn and that yes, she would be sung 'Happy' to.
As I knew I would run out of time to prepare I had some help in the cake making department and the entertainment end of things. I couldn't narrow the photos down and have indulged in posting quite a few of that day.

This is a prime example of familial love. It makes my heart want to break.

Feeding the big sis bunny a carrot.

Dana Miller graciously fit us in her busy schedule to come out and do face painting. I met her at the Baby and Toddler Fair last month and saw how amazing she was. She uses very safe paint imported from Sweden ( I think) and it washes off so easily (not that I was allowed to right away). She can be contacted at its_party_time@live.com or through her website at: http://www.itspartytimebc.com/. I highly recommend her and have asked her to come to my birthday party later this summer as we are having an outdoor costumed performance night!

And now for the yummy bits! I came across Lyndsay's blog, http://cococakecupcakes.blogspot.com/, one day and fell in love with her cupcakes. I wanted cupcakes that tasted as if they were truly homemade. I did ensure everyone that, no, it was not me who made the cupcakes.

I ordered the 'Berry Good' mini cupcakes which had swirls of berries right inside them and came with a vanilla buttercream icing and topped with the most amazingly yummy raspberries. The kids absolutely loved them and of course so did the adults. I will be using her services again. Now I just have to make up a reason why.

Lyndsay's website is: http://www.cococake.com/.

Baba is completely mesmorized by the crowd singing her 'happy birthday'.

They didn't last long.

Laughing Girl Designs

2009-05-28T08:34:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of photographing hand made quilts for Laughing Girl Design. The quilts are lovely and are small enough for playmats, stroller covers or just big enough for a child to snuggle under. The owner, Cathy Griffin, has a history of quilt making and does a fine job, just ask her granddaughter who personally inspects all the quilts made.
Cathy will have her site updated with new photos soon so check out her website at: http://www.laughinggirldesigns.ca/

The space ship is my favourite!

Picard Wedding

2009-05-24T23:07:00.001-07:00

It is really hard to narrow down a few images to post here. I had so much fun shooting the wedding for the Picard's. The ceremony was on a boat that left Coal Harbour and sailed up Indian Arm which I would highly recommend to anyone thinking of a cruise wedding. The day was absolutely perfect and the waters calm. Mrs. Picard was a very silly bride and I captured a lot of great candids. I have more photos posted on my facebook page and my website will be updated shortly.

I am only including a few of my favourites and they are not necessarily traditional photos.

Pirates are no more...

2009-05-14T00:13:00.000-07:00

Last year a new power pole appeared on our front boulevard. After it killed a lovely patch of grass someone simply came and took it away. A few months ago a new power pole appeared and began to kill the grass again that was just starting to feel better about itself.

Well, the pole installing people actually appeared!! Wow!!! We had no warning, but hey, I was excited. The no notice was a problem when I heard a knock on the door and in my housecoat (it was early) I answered it only to be told that I had to move my car now and that the power would be out for most of the day. Thanks!
After I rushed out looking fabulous in my get up and with my lovely bed head to move the car we settled in to watch the installation. I also made sure every power assisted action was taken care of, most importantly, coffee was made.

My oldest has a deep fascination with actions that are elaborate and very involved. She sat at the window and watched with intent as each step took place. I tried to let go of my fears that the crane would somehow drop the pole and send it crashing through our living room window or that the power lines would come to life and whip around in a frenzy injuring everyone and scarring my child psychologically for life.
The workers loved having an audience and gave the girls waves and smiles.

So the pole is installed, but now my children are in mourning. Gone is the plank that pirates pushed them off of, gone is the highwire that very brave young girls crossed while performing for the world and gone is a very fun seat to watch the (very quiet) antics of the neighbourhood.

"The Story of Stuff" - http://www.storyofstuff.com/

2009-05-12T12:38:00.000-07:00

I received this update from twitter and this video is absolutely mind numbing, but as I watched it made me feel better about many of the choices I make in my life and gave me more incentive to continue the battle to become more green.
When I was younger I was involved in the activist community, but as I settled into parenthood I had less time to be active in the community. I would have thought the opposite would have happened. Then again, perhaps I have turned it into an internal battle.
I have many discussions with my daughter about many of the decisions we make as a family. She understands why we do not allow certain toys into the house and that we avoid any character laden items. She knows about working conditions in China and how much effort it to takes to get an item to Canada. I cannot say on what level she understands, but she doesn't fight me on the purchasing of toys and gifts.
She is only 4, but this is all she knows.
I am thwarted at some birthday parties when she attends as a guest and I see the longing in her eyes and in her whine to keep the crap that is given out.
Yet, I think one day she will come to respect and understand these decisions and I hope contribute to making our community stronger.
Oh, I could go on a lot on this subject. This post is about "The Story of Stuff" and I am all about keeping it local and keeping it green.
http://www.storyofstuff.com/