Patience

Well this morning marked my first job interview in almost 7 months.  While I think I did the best that I could have (we can always critique and tweak, but I think I did just fine) I had a really really hard time reading the interviewers, so I walked out of their office feeling really unsure of how it went.  We shall see.  They are hoping to extend an offer to a candidate before they close up shop for Christmas, with the intent of the new employee starting in January, so that would be a good set up if I get it.  I'm hopeful, but I certainly don't feel like I've got it in the bag, so to speak.

Thankfulness part quatro

Today I am thankful for OUR COUCH!!!!  My husband's aunt is moving and offered us her loveseat.  We had not yet purchased a couch and I have sorely been missing having one.  Our options for snuggling while watching a movie are a pile of blankets craning our necks to see over the coffee table, or cramming into an armchair.  Both options are only comfortable for about 30 minutes.  Needless to say I am SOOOOOOO thankful to have a couch now :o)

Thankfulness pt drie

Today is a dreary, dreary day in Detroit.  It's wet and grey and I don't like it.  I'm already sleepy and this weather just makes me want to crawl right back into bed and stay there the rest of the day!

Instead, I am choosing to be productive!  Today I am thankful for my love and (if I may say so) talent for cooking.  Days like today are also excellent comfort food days, which means I'm seriously considering hitting up the grocery store and trying out one of my new soup recipes that I just discovered...  cooking is very therapeutic for me.  I love being in the kitchen and smelling the smells, tasting the ingredients as they go in and come together in a beautiful meal, and I love the joy it brings to those who eat it.  My husband and I have been trying to get into healthier eating habits and so it poses a challenge to me when I'm cooking to make better choices when I plan out the meal, or decide whether or not to add more salt or butter or what have you.  It's also reawakened my love of veggies... I just wish we could find a good local farmer's market or something rather than having to spend a ton of money at a gourmet grocery store for nutritious and fresh produce!

Thankfulness pt. deux

Today I woke up before the alarm.  This has happened in my life approximately never.  Ok maybe once.  I have been under a lot of stress the last several months, and it has taken a toll on my sleeping.  I don't remember waking up one single time last night, until I woke up a little before the alarm was set to go off.  I feel great!  My husband and I enjoyed some time together watching The Sting, sorting through the paper and eating breakfast.  Now it's time to get ready for church, something I haven't done in awhile but promised my mum I would this week, so it's been a nice morning.  Not rushed, not stressed, very enjoyable, and I am thankful for it!

Thankfulness

So those of you who know me know that when it comes to Thanksgiving, I'm not generally a fan.  Thanksgiving in my family has never been a huge thing, sure we do the meal and dress up, but my thanksgivings usually held more frustration and boredom than cozy happy memories, so in general, I'm more of a Chandler when it comes to the day of the turkey.

This year I'm trying to make it better, even though I probably won't see my husband most of the day since he'll be setting up and tearing down the local parade downtown, so instead I'll be at my aunts most likely eating and trying to avoid being sucked into getting my butt beat sorely by my younger cousin on the Wii.

In an effort to show that I'm growing as a person, I'm going to try and post a daily entry from now until thanksgiving reflecting on the purpose behind the holiday and what I can be thankful for in my own life.

So today, I am thankful for my wonderful husband.  He has been a real support for me during my tumultuous past months, and I really truly enjoy his company.  He's been sick the last few days, but not so sick that he isn't bored out of his mind, so we've spent a lot of time together with me trying to keep him entertained.  He loved my 30 second pantomime of Macbeth start to finish, we read Paul McCartney's High in the Clouds together, and today I played my guitar (first time in years!) while he told me which chords came next for Rachel's Song.  I'm thankful that I have him in my life, and my love for him grows daily.

I'm in a Book!

my dear friend and long time photography mentor, Jim Doty Jr. has published a book, and I'm in it!  He told me about the book this past spring, and had me officially sign off on the possibility of having my photo included in the final copy.  He did NOT tell me it was in the "for Dummies" series and actually a super huge deal!!  I'm so proud of him!  I haven't been in a store yet to see the photo of me, but he told me it's in there, so check it out.  And my photog friends pick up a copy of the book, I will be!

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0470647620/jimdotycom-20

Changes Part 1

So I've felt a burning need to make some changes in my life recently (like I haven't had enough I guess?).  I guess I've been feeling the need to make tangible changes that I can control completely because there has been so much chaos in my life these past several months.  In that spirit, I bought myself some hair dye the other day, and tonight was the night!  It's a bit darker than I expected it to be, so we'll see how it looks in a few days (it's supposed to be a dark auburny red but it kinda looks black with a red tinge at the moment).  In any case it made a difference, even if I'm still the same person on the inside, it helped shift my mood a bit and for that I'm glad.

 

new directions

given the chaos that has been my life these past several months, I have done some reflecting on the use and purpose of this blog.  I used to be really into journaling.  It was a great form of therapy for me, and I used to use blogs with a similar intent.  As I shifted the focus of this blog to my photography, I felt I lost the ability to use it as a journaling platform as I try to keep a relative separation between personal and professional spheres.  As a result, I have created a new photography blog to share with you all and invite you to check it out at
http://shutterbugdesign.blogspot.com/


I'm hoping it will become a far more interactive forum for my artsy community friends, and invite you to post your reactions, own related works, etc to help us all continue to grow, learn, and be inspired by each other!  This blog will return to being a more private forum where I can share updates on my life with friends and family, and vent when I need to about various life issues, without feeling like I am alienating my professional sphere.


Thanks for your readership and bloggy friendship, I hope to see you at the new spot!

A Tribute

Welcome back readers.  I apologise for the very long break I've taken from this blog, and warn you that it will continue for at least a couple of months after this posting, but I am trying to decide exactly what I want to do with this space and haven't quite settled yet.  Also, with grad school, my wedding and honeymoon all taking place in the next 4 weeks, I'm kinda preoccupied.

I did however want to post this very special tribute as an additional outlet for me to process some of the stuff I've been going through this past week.  We received word on Friday evening that Jim Long had passed away.  For my family this was unexpected news, we'd known he was struggling with some health issues but had no idea it was life threatening and were completely shocked to receive the phone call.

"Uncle Jim" as I've called him my whole life was one of the most influential people in my life.  He and Aunt Pat were the couple that I have always held all of my relationships up against to measure them by.  They had a beautiful and glowing marriage that will continue to serve as an example to me as I embark on my own marriage in just a few weeks.  I always have told people I want to be old and in love just like them.

Uncle Jim was a scholar, a philosopher, a lover and a pillar of strength in my eyes.  He was a profound minister of the love of Christ and always served as a reminder to me of God's presence in my every day life.  Not many people do that for me these days.  He had a wonderful sense of humour and adored his wife infinitely and unconditionally.  He was wise, and had amazing ways of sharing his life lessons with me without judgment and with respect and love.  He taught me new ways of thinking and always reminded me to consider all angles of an issue, even if I disagree with many of the angles.  He always put a human face on everything, making it much more difficult to be self-righteous and arrogant when discussing and debating issues.

In trying to process my grief at losing him, I haven't been able to determine which I am more heartbroken over, having lost him, or that Aunt Pat has lost him.  The two were inseparable.  They worked together, played together, ministered together... everything together.  I'm sure they fought, I'm sure they bickered and disagreed and got on each others' nerves, but their love was what always shone through no matter what.  When they look at each other (well into their 70s) you saw a love and devotion that most people only dream of.  The deepness and richness of their relationship is unlike anything I have ever witnessed, they were the very definition of soul mates.  The thought of her without him brings tears to my eyes.

I know Uncle Jim would scoff (lovingly) at me sharing any of this, he was an extraordinarily humble man, but I know that if I were to tell him how much it meant to me to share it, and how I needed to do so in order to deal with my own grief he would pat my shoulder and tell me that I need to do what's in my heart.

Thursday I will travel with my family to Toronto to attend his memorial service.  It will be a short and exhausting trip, we're making many sacrifices to go.  Not because it's expected or demanded of us, but because for our own selfish needs we need to be there.  I feel like it's the only way I'll be able to believe he's really gone, and that I won't be seeing him again.  It's the only way I'll be able to express my love and compassion for Aunt Pat.  I've cried a lot since Friday.  I expect that's not going to end anytime soon.  Uncle Jim was a beloved mentor to me, and I feel I have a hole in my heart where he has left this earth.  Over time there will be healing and harmony, but today, this week, there is only sorrow.

Rest in Peace Uncle Jim, I love you so much and am so grateful for the love you have given me in my life.

Senior Portraits

I have now had the pleasure of working with two outstanding seniors to shoot their senior portraits and had an absolute blast doing so!  I thought I would share a couple of them with my readers before I get the portfolio album available online... you can view a larger sampling on our facebook page too!

I am still offering graduating seniors the opportunity to earn free portraits from me, so if you know someone in the Detroit Area who would like to earn a little cash and help me spread the word about what I do, send them my way!

 

Present for Baby

 

Attended a baby shower over the weekend for a good friend.  Made a few onesies as a gift along with a bib and was really pleased with the way they turned out.  This one I've done similar designs before, but added the piggy bank on the back, think I like that better than previous versions.  Need to get the new designs up on the storefront, but wanted to share here also :o)

Life updates

So I know I don't actually "blog" much... and haven't really for years minus the photo of the day bit, but I'm feeling the need so enjoy or skip, it's entirely up to you :o)

Well I've been busy these past few weeks!  I attended this year's Community of Christ World Conference for a week in Independence, MO.  It was great to get down there again!  Ever since my dad stopped working for the church full time I've really been out of the social loop and it was really awesome to reconnect with so many old friends that I hadn't seen in 5-6 years!  My mum and I were there together while the guys held down the fort at home.  We stayed with our old neighbours from when we lived down there and my girl Erin was actually living back home so I was *thrilled* to spend some time catching up with her!

Getting back threw me back into the chaos that has become my life these past few months... working at the store, catching up on time with Austin, pursuing job leads (still no success on that front) and trying to get new photography clients to boost the income while I'm job hunting.  Thankfully I've been able to use wedding plans to distract me enough to keep from getting depressed and completely overwhelmed.

Austin and I have made really good progress and are actually almost completely done with the major planning components!  The last big one is just nailing down the catering details.  We know exactly what we want we're just trying to determine the best way of getting it :o)  We've got the florist, all the musicians, the tent with table & chairs setup, the bulk of the decorations, and (of course!) the photographer, so I feel really really good about it all.  Our good friends Steve & Cherry (who are officiating at the wedding) were up for a long weekend (left today) and spent some time with us going through some of the pre-marital discussions, etc and that was great.  Very reassuring :o)  It was wonderful to spend some time with them for a few days without worrying about Austin's music schedule and meetings... they live just outside Nashville and we normally stay with them on our trips down there.

My job search continues and I try hard not to get too depressed about it.  I've only had one interview, and several rejection letters, but even more "no responses" which sucks.  I believe the right one is out there for me, but with a wedding and whole new life fast approaching it sometimes seems much tougher to stay positive.  I'll get there eventually.  In the meantime I'm working a few days a week cashiering at a local grocery chain, and also continuing to work on getting new photography clients (have a couple lined up for next month so that's encouraging!)

I officially applied for grad school yesterday.  It's scary and exciting all at once.  I'm not sure if I will be accepted, or if I will be able to come up with the funding even if I am accepted, but it's a step in the right direction I think.  I'm excited about the possibilities and hope it works out.  The program is a Masters of Social Justice at Marygrove College in Detroit.  We shall see what happens.

Well I think I've wasted enough of my day now, time to get back to my to do list :o)  Tough with all this rain though that's for sure!  Definitely a curl up in bed with a blanket, hot tea and good book kind of day here in the D.  Ah well... onward!

Taking a Break

Hello dear readers!  Just wanted to let everyone know that I will be taking a break from the blog while I gear up for and attend my church's world conference!  I'm hoping to have great photo opps while I'm there, so there will be plenty of new material for the blog when I get back!  Wishing everyone a wonderful week!

Garden Days

I love spring!  Ok honestly I love all seasons... but spring always bring such freshness and colour!  This photo was taken in our garden last year.  The birdbath was a gift from my aunt and uncle awhile ago and it tends to migrate through the yard from year to year depending on what dad's decided to do that year.  He's so great with gardening and landscaping, so the yard always looks stellar!  I'm really looking forward to seeing what he does this year :o)  And to starting our vegetable garden!

Boo Radley's Apple Tree

I love apples.  Especially McIntosh apples.  These apples are not McIntosh apples, but they are happy and bright looking apples so I'm sharing them with you all!  I took this photo in Dearborn at the end of last summer while I was shooting an event for a client... who says I can't build my portfolio, my blog and my business all at once?  :o)

Greasy Webs

Spiderwebs are super cool, and can be very tricky to capture in a photo.  This particular one looked as though it had been sprayed with a very fine mist of grease and then coated in dust... or something.  It looked sooo funky I just had to hang out for awhile and shoot until I came up with this shot.  It was taken in Redford at one of Austin's gigs last summer.

Wedding Venue Sneak Peek

  This is where Austin and I will be getting married in September (without the garbage can chillin' stage left...)  It may not be the most impressive work of photography, but it was the best church photo I could dig up for a Good Friday shot to share with you... since I'm sick in bed and can't go digging in my office to find some of my older work.  I'm excited about the wedding and this building is so beautiful, so I'm glad we were able to settle on it for the ceremony.  Anyway, here's your sneak peek on that :o)  Wishing you all a lovely Easter Weekend, stay tuned!

April Showers

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This photo was taken on Mackinac Island last spring.  It was FREEZING on the island that weekend but I still managed to get some nice springy shots like this one.  All the rain made for some vibrant colours and fun water droplets on the flowers.  I may be sick in bed today, but still looking forward to the patterns of spring emerging!

Photo of the Day: I'm a Pepper

I have a passion for food.  I have a passion for cooking.  I have a passion for fresh produce.  This photo is a tribute to all three of these.  :o)  Jared and I have had a garden for several years now and we always grow lots of varieties of peppers.  I love using them to make fresh salsa and putting them in sauces, stir fries, etc.  I really should learn not to post food photos unless I have a snack in front of me, because they always make me hungry!  :o)

Photo of the Day: Your Moment of Zen

This zen pile of rocks was sitting along the banks of one of the rivers running through the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee.  Austin and I stopped to take some photos and discovered a whole group of these little towers.  Very zen, loved it.

Photo of the Day: Sewer Flora

I am always intrigued by plants that are able to grow in seemingly impossible places.  I always find them inspirational in a way.  When I lived in the Journey House, we had a plant growing up through a crack in the fireplace for awhile.  I can't recall if I ever did get a photo of it or not, but it was super cool, I used to stare at it for hours instead of studying, lol!

Photo of the Day: Geometry

This photo was taken in an airport.  I honestly can't remember which one now... but I was on a layover and just loved this terminal.  It let in so much light and had such a neat effect, it was almost even a little dizzying but I still liked it :o)

Photo of the Day: No Painted Ponies Here!

Downtown Detroit has really worked hard over the last decade to revitalize the downtown area and create a place that people WANT to go, and feel safe and comfortable doing so.  One of the things they did was create the Riverfront which includes beautiful fountains, landscaping, walking paths, etc, and this very cool Michigan carousel.  All of the creatures are native to Michigan's wetlands and marshlands (even the mermaid lol!)

Photo of the Day: Mossy Spokes

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I've posted photos taken in Tennessee before, and this one goes with that collection :o)  This was taken on a hike in the Smoky Mountains with Austin on one of our trips down there.  I love moss, always have.  I used to find a patch of it while playing outside somewhere and make up entire worlds that lived within it.  I LOVED this tree and the way the branches were 'spoking' out from the trunk.  The moss, of course, sealed the deal for me!

Photo of the Day: Gilded Glory

So normally I would say there is definitely such thing as too much gold leaf.  This cathedral however proved me wrong :o)  This is a cathedral in Mexico City I had the pleasure of touring on a business trip a few years back.  The beauty of the architecture was simply intensified by the colour and beauty of the Mexican culture influencing it.  I could have spent hours there :o)

Photo of the Day: Recycling Shells

This photo was taken in Orlando at a hotel whose walls were treated with crushed seashells which was awesome :o) Think stucco but with shells.  Anyway I loved the curve the fisheye gave the wall which usually trips people out and makes them not able to see what they're looking at.

Hanging Lights

This photo was taken at the International Auto Show several years back.  I love going because of the details they usually put into the displays.   I love light, so the cluster of light fixtures made me happy :o)

Photo of the Day: the Palace needs a Queen :o)

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Today's post is sending out positive vibes that I will be getting a call this week from the Palace of Auburn Hills regarding good news about a potential job!  I had an interview there last week that I think went very well, but there would be definite pros and cons should I even get an offer, so I'm hoping they are interested enough to at least take me to the next step in the process before I'd have to make a decision!  I love the Palace, and I love the energy there, so here's hoping I get to be a part of it in the future as more than a fan in the stands!  :o)

Photo of the Day: Shutters 2 Ways

This photo was taken at one of our former fave locales (it's no longer in business, we were crushed!).  The awnings over their windows were made from old shutters which I thought was super super cool.  Unfortunately I couldn't get a good angle to capture the colours as vibrantly as I would have liked, but this at least gives you a feel for the coolness of the shutter awning :o)

Photo of the Day: Soaring Dreams

I have a few photos of soaring birds that I have been able to capture.  This one however is one that encompasses so much more than just the bird.  I love the sky in the background.  I also love the way the light is hitting the gull so starkly, creating such drama.  This photo makes me feel so uplifted... and helps me to focus on achieving dreams.  I hope it does the same for you!

Photo of the Day: New Threads

I am so very much looking forward to seeing my wedding gown all finished!  This photo was taken in a dutch market, but the sharing of this photo was inspired by my excitement over my gown :o)  For those of you who don't know, I decided to repurpose my mum's gown, and my aunt is the one performing this labour of love for me!  We're keeping the same basic structure, just updating some of the fabrics (read: less lace!).  This was never a dream of mine, or of my mothers, but we're both very excited about it.  It's going to be gorgeous :o)  For the sewers out there, I hope you enjoy the photo, for the brides out there, I hope you enjoy the story :o)

Photo of the Day: Bridal Glow

Today's photo was taken at my cousin's bridal shower many years ago (weird that it was so long ago now!)  By now my more dedicated readers should know of my obsession with candles :o)  I just like this photo so I'm sharing it... no real back story here.

Photo of the Day: Taste the Rainbow

I do love skittles... for the record.  But I also love rainbows... a fact about myself I had somehow forgotten until I met my friend Erica and she was a rainbow enthusiast as well!  This rainbow was captured in Alaska while I was out on the lake in a paddle boat... or a canoe... I don't really remember which... with my friend Bryan from Georgia.  I was so excited at the size of it... it took up almost the entire sky!  Of course, this was also before I had my fish eye lens so I could only capture so much of it. 

Photo of the Day: Goodnight Moon

Today's Photo was taken in Myrtle Beach, SC.  I was so excited that the moon came through in it relatively clearly (I have really bad luck with moon photos).  It was shot just after sunrise when the moon was already beginning to fade.  Ever since I was very young I can always remember the moon being a real source of comfort because no matter what, I could almost always see it if I looked hard enough for it.

A Birthday Tribute: My Baby Brother

Today my baby brother turns 25 years old!  It seems impossible.  Funny isn't it how we can age ourselves, but those around us getting older seems outrageous?  Yeah, Jared makes me feel that way a lot.  This photo (I'm sure I didn't take it) was taken in our house in London, Ontario... must have been shortly after we moved there since we hadn't replaced the orange shag carpeting yet... :o)  I used to call Jared Fox Eyes when he was younger because he had these dark brown eyes that were in perpetual slits because he was always grinning like this.  He also had fiery red hair when he was younger (my mum has a ton of red in her hair, it just hides well) which added to the whole fox look in my head.  Anyway, I've blogged before on how much I love my brother, but I wanted to take today's entry to just remind him of that and wish him a very very happy birthday.  Here's to the next 25 J... I love you!

Photo of the Day: Blue Skies

This photo was taken during a shutterbug frenzy at sunrise in Myrtle Beach on a little girls' weekend I took with my mum.  I loved the way the sky looked absolutely painted and was so pleased when the photo captured that feel as well.

Photo of the Day: Oh the Incredible Edible Egg

I LOVE breakfast food.  A lot.  There was a time when I kept a minimum of 12 varieties of cereal in my kitchen at all times.  I love my eggs sunny side up with super runny yolks to dip my toast in.  I love extra crispy bacon.  I love pancakes.  I will not leggo your eggo because I am going to eat it.  Today's photo is a tribute to BREAKFAST.  :o)  I shot this in a dutch market on one of my trips back after we moved to Michigan.

Photo of the Day: Loony Tunes

There are few sounds in this world that absolutely dissolve me.  One of those sounds is the cry of the loon.  It is a sound so primal and so full of depth, it stirs something deep in me.  It also makes me feel so homesick it's ridiculous.  I was fortunate enough to fall asleep to those sounds again 5 years ago when I went to Alaska with my family for a church camp.  That's also where I took this photo.  This loon was searching for food and diving down occasionally after fish.  This shot was taken just as he was about to dive again.

Photo of the Day: Graduation Day

This photo was taken at my mothers' MBA graduation.  The chairs were waiting (as were we) for the graduates to enter the hall and take their seats.  We were all so incredibly proud of her... she worked so hard to get to this point, and graduated Suma Cum Laude (show off!) ;o)  I loved the contrast in the colours and the uniformity of the chairs.  The photo itself really evokes a lot of those emotions for me so I hope you like it :o)

Photo of the Day: Rock Gods

One of my all time fave local bands is the Orbitsuns.  Austin opens for them regularly, and I think all of their members have at one time or another done studio work for Austin, and he also shares the stage with them almost anytime we go to a show.  I took this photo at one of their shows, showing off Vinnie Dombroski's famous arm and his Orbitsuns guitar.  I really love watching Vin on stage, he is a true master entertainer.

Photo of the Day: Yay I'm a Llama Again!

Anyone who knows me should know that The Emperor's New Groove is one of my all time favourite movies.  This is also the reason for my obsession with llamas, and the reason my pet turtle was named Kronk.  If you haven't seen this movie, you must.  Don't bother with the sequels, I haven't, but see the original.  Right now.

That being said, I took this photo in Dexter, MI when my roommate at the time took me to her hometown for a day and we hung out doing all kinds of fun stuff, including searching out a llama farm for me to oggle the llama faces and take a bunch of photos :o)  I loved this one particularly because it looked so much like the llama was grinning at me.

Photo of the Day: Changing Faces

I recently spent the weekend in Ohio visiting my 4.5 year old goddaughter.  I remembered thinking as she was developing from infant to toddler to child that she would be like me in that her face was changing so much from year to year... but then I came across these photos from her baptism... and her face hasn't changed nearly as much as I perceived at the time.  She has the exact same eyes and smile (although she has teeth now lol!)  Kids are one of my very favourite portrait subjects because I feel they usually wear their souls out on their sleeves, making them super easy to capture.  Nat is no exception... her eyes tell you everything!

Photo of the Day: Flashback

One of the few things about cars that I find even remotely interesting are the shapes and colours of cars from the 1950s.  This car was on display at the Henry Ford Museum when I went a few years back.  I loved the way the cars back then looked like they were trying to fly... very Jetsons :o)

Photo of the Day: Cuppa Joe

Today's photo is an effort to wake myself up, even though I don't drink coffee!  I've just been dragging all week for some reason... guess I haven't been sleeping well the last few nights.  Anyway this photo was taken at a little cafe this summer when I was there with my mum and dad for breakfast.  I was in a severe shutterbug mood and this coffee was literally steaming... if you look closely near the rim of the mug you can see some of the wisps of steam.  Wishing you all far more energy than I seem to be able to muster today... here's to nothing but improvement!

Photo of the Day: Ampelmann

Today's entry is dedicated to my sweet baby darlin'.  When we were in Berlin in 2008 he LOVED the Ampelmann (that's the name they have for the little dude on the crosswalk signs...)  He wears a hat, which I think is uber cool :o)  Anyway I took this photo on one of my many stints in Berlin and just liked the lines of the shot more than anything else, so I thought I'd share!

Photo of the Day: Catnap

I've really been missing my kitties lately.  For the really dedicated readers, you may recall that two of my cats ran away last spring (Herman & Fowler).  The last couple of weeks I've been thinking about them A LOT and wishing we just knew for sure if someone had taken them in and ignored the fact that they had homes, or if something awful happened or they lost their collars and got picked up by a shelter or WHAT... anyway, I thought I'd post this photo today of Herman taking a snooze on our rocking chair, one of his favourite places to relax... I remember searching for my camera to take this praying he wouldn't move because I was cracking up at the way he had his face smashed into the cushion and really wanted to capture it!  So glad I did... miss you boys, hope you find your way home again someday!

Photo of the Day: Feets

I love unusual portrait requests!  Last year I went down to Ohio to visit my goddaughter and her parents and while I was there they asked me to take some family portraits for them.  Of course I was more than happy to do so, since I love them so much and since they gave me food and a bed for the weekend!  This was a shot they specifically requested and we had so much fun doing it!  Nat had fun sizing herself up against mom and dad... I'm sure if I get to repeat this shot in the future the sizes will be much closer... she's growing so fast!

Photo of the Day: Cozy Corner

Forgive me if I've posted this one before, I'm starting to lose track :o)  This photo was taken in Cleavland (where I am this weekend, visiting my goddaughter!) at a little restaurant where my friends took me last year when I came to visit.  I don't remember the name of the place but they had awesome fries!  This table was set up in the front room where they had a bunch of neat free-standing booths up on stages too.  We sat in the back near the bar, but I bet this place is just packed on the weekends!

Photo of the Day: Peek-a-Boo

This sunflower was trying to peek out from it's bud, and I'm really hoping we start seeing this again soon!  :o)  I'm ready for spring!

Photo of the Day: Who Needs a Tunnel?

As my faithful readers know, I took a short trip to Las Vegas this month with my family.  This photo was taken in the conservatory of the Bellagio hotel-casino which they currently have decked out for the Chinese New Year.  The whole thing is really breathtaking, but I especially loved the way the lighting picked up the colours in this shot!

Photo of the Day: Austin Scott - The Wall

I don't often feature photos with people in them for my blog, because I like to use it as an outlet for my non-portrait stuff, but I really really like this photo :o)  I shot this photo of Austin in 2008 on our Eurotrip, in Berlin.  We had gone out in search of a market and found one along this stretch of wall (not the Berlin wall) that had been painted on almost every inch.  I made him black and white to contrast the colours of the wall and was really pleased with the effect it had on the overall shot.

Attention Graduating Class of 2011!!

Want a chance to get FREE Senior Portraits??

Shutterbug Portraits & Design is currently accepting applications for 2011 Senior Reps!

What's a Senior Rep?  Senior Reps are high school juniors (graduating in 2011) who have fun, outgoing personalities, and are interested in earning a little extra cash by helping Shutterbug Portraits & Design expand our client base!

How does it work?  Senior Reps selected by Shutterbug will get their senior portraits taken for FREE.  Shutterbug will then provide them with flyers featuring their photo and our information to be passed out to other seniors.  For every paid client you help us find, you will be rewarded a $5 cash bonus.

Senior Rep Responsibilities:  Senior Reps will be responsible for passing out Shutterbug fliers in any appropriate venues, to friends and family who are graduating in 2011 and need senior portraits taken.  They are also responsible for helping to promote Shutterbug through their online profiles (become a fan on Facebook, invite friends to be fans, link to Shutterbug when you post your photos online, etc)

Senior Rep Rewards: Senior Reps will receive a senior portrait sitting at any location they wany absolutely free.  This includes as many outfits or props as you want, an online proof album to share with anyone you like, 1 digital negative of your favourite shot, one 8x10 print, two 5x7 prints, 18 wallet prints (can be up to 18 different photos or all the same, or any combination).  Senior Reps can also earn $5 cash for every paid client they book with Shutterbug Portraits & Design for Senior Portraits  ($5 can also be applied toward additional print purchases)

Application Process: If you are interested in being considered for a Shutterbug Senior Rep, please send an email to us at Rachel@ShutterbugDesign.com and include the following information:

1.  A current photo of yourself that you really like

2.  A description of what you would like your own Senior Portraits to look like (location, style, etc)

3.  1 page plan outlining how you plan to help promote Shutterbug Portraits & Design if you are chosen

All applications must be received by Sunday 21 March 2010.  Senior Reps will be selected and notified by Friday 26 March in order to setup April portrait sittings

Photo of the Day: Winter Wonderland

Today's photo is in honour of the complete dumping of snow we got yesterday here in the D!  It was taken several years ago in downtown Rochester.  The Paint Creek was mostly frozen and covered in snow so I took the opportunity to go play on the ice with my camera.  For this particular shot, however, I was standing halfway up the bank looking down onto the ice.

Photo of the Day: Birch Bark Series

Today's Photo is also a commercial!  :o)  I framed this piece out for one of my craft shows last year and was so excited to finally see it all together because when I shot the photos this is exactly what I saw in my head as a finished piece... unfortunately it did not sell at the show, but that means it is now available for purchase on my website (along with may other pieces and other products).  Please check it out and I always welcome feedback on everything (the work itself, my site, pricing, process, etc!) so please feel free to send it along!