Monique: Trash the Dress

Monique and Steve were married last September. We have been planning her Trash the Dress session ever since, and finally headed to Peggy's Cove in the middle of May to see if we couldn't do it in.

This one reminds me of something out of a bridal magazine.

Time to get wet!

 

 

After a little while at Peggy's Cove, we headed back to a little lake near Monique's house... and proceeded to get dirty.

 

It was right about here that I dropped my 70-250 lens into the lake. To clarify, it fell out of my hand, bounced off the rock I was standing on, and rolled into the lake... so technically I didn't drop it in. After a good inspection, a minor coronary attack, and cradling the innocent victim in a dry towel, Monique and I returned to shooting and I was able to get this beauty with my 18-55 mm before deciding I was way too horribly distracted to continue.

 

Because I know you are on the edge of your seat wondering, the towel on the lens didn't work. Neither did a bag of uncooked rice, as I have heard works for cell phones that have had a run-in with H2O. I took my lens to the Camera Repair Centre here in Halifax. The prognosis wasn't good, but the lovely chap there promised to put my baby in the dryer and do what he could. I trusted him: you can tell this guy really gave a damn. I lined up a loaner for a shoot I had the following weekend. I searched the flyers, the stores, and the online second hand sites pricing up a replacement. I moaned and lamented my loss on Facebook. So it was nothing short of a miracle when they called 5 days later to say my lens was working. Nothing short of a miracle. Those might have been their exact words.

Monique's dress also survived in all its original glory, but with any luck, not for long. :)

Spring Things

One of the things I looked forward to about owning my own home was having an actual yard to test out my green thumb. When we moved in, there were beautiful petunias lining the walkway to the front door. Little did I know that under all those petunias there were already tulip bulbs waiting in hiding to surprise me in the spring.

 

Come May, I accepted a trip to the gardening centre as a delayed birthday present from my husband, and the seed of hope of having my own garden was planted.

It's now the end of July and my pansies are still in full swing. We've transplanted some of the bushes from the front of the house to the back, and I've put some morning glories in the backyard that grow unbelievably quickly, but have yet to flower. I'm already planning for next year's blooms!

Kate & Ian

Kate and Ian came to me via a friend of Kate's whose wedding I shot back in 2007. My delight at having been recommended overshadowed my nervousness over not having previously met either the bridge or the groom. Ian was out of town for most of the wedding planning, but Kate made it easy and fun to get everything in order for the big day.

The church they chose was awesome. The altar was in the centre with the pews surrounding it 360 degrees. There were huge stained glass windows and with a 3 p.m. ceremony, the light was absolutely gorgeous.

One of the best things about this wedding in particular though is that the bride was a cryer. She even cried at the rehearsal, so I was prepared when it came time for the vows. YAY!

Afterward, we went across the street to Sullivan's Pond for some formal shots. It was the end of April, pretty windy, and a little chilly, but everyone was in good spirits. It was here that Kate told me her dad is a photographer. *gulp*

After the family shots, the bridal party and I headed to the other end of the park for a few more takes from a different angle. Halfway there, we just had to stop: the mist from the park's fountain was creating a beautiful rainbow, and with the wind blowing just right.... well, there are four of these, but this is the most dramatic.

Speaking of drama, there's nothing like hamming it up a little for the camera on your wedding day.

The reception afterwards was a family affair, and instead of the traditional clinking of glasses to get the bride and groom to kiss, guests were asked to stand and sing a song with the word "love" in it. This chap was in a "Skinna Marinky Dink" group.

One of my favorite parts of shooting weddings is the details. So much thought and hard work goes into making everything perfect that I like to save as much of it as I can for posterity.

Ian was especially keen on his motorcycle cufflinks, which I adored.

Of course, with so much family visiting from all around the Atlantic Provinces, there was a little representation for everyone.

 

 

I only hope that Kate and Ian had as much fun at their wedding as I did shooting it. I thank them for allowing me the opportunity and wish them all the best in their future together.

SuperMoon

On March 19, 2011 the Earth's moon passed by our planet at a distance of 356,577 kilometers or 221,567 miles, which is the closest it's been to us in 18 years. The folks that watch these things called it a supermoon. I called it a photo op.

the birds

I was sitting here this morning at my computer, and I looked out the window to see a ridiculous number of birds in the tree in my backyard. It's early February and here in Halifax, we have had our share of good, old-fashioned snow storms this year, so I wonder about these birds that have flocked to my tree.

Why here?
Why now?

I wonder if these birds know that traditionally on this very day, I should be enjoying a poolside tropical drink on a warm beach in the caribbean. Alas, circumstances have kiboshed our annual trip down south this year so I sit in front of my laptop and watch the seemingly endless number of birds in my backyard instead.

I wonder if the birds do not, in fact, return with the onset of spring, but if, perhaps, the spring returns with the onset of the birds.

Then, after philosophical me takes a bathroom break and lets photographical me back at the keyboard, I decide to post some shots of other visitors I've gotten to share a moment with.

This blue jay is actually from 2004. He and his compadres would visit our balcony in droves to collect the peanuts my husband would throw out for them. Rain or shine, they would arrive and generally hang around just long enough for me to get a shot.

A hummingbird shot from a friend's patio on Canada Day of 2010. They are notoriously fast, but consistent in their patterns so I was able to capture a shot or two of this little guy by focusing on the feeder and waiting only a few minutes for his return.

This woodpecker landed in my very own back yard back in October and pecked away at the trunk long enough for me to dash inside for my camera. This was all I was able to get before he flew off to wherever it is that birds fly off to.

 

This black-capped chickadee is a resident of Peter's Field in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. The field is a provincial park and is stocked with homemade bird feeders hung from low trees all over. The chickadees are everywhere, but they're also fast and not nearly as predictable as the hummingbird so, despite the abundance of subjects, I played quite a waiting game for this one.

While I'm not a bird-watcher per se, I will be watching out for more of these delicate little creatures in the future. We often don't realize just how beautiful and detailed they are as they make their way past us in their busy lives and being able to capture just a brief second of that beauty is part of what makes being a photographer so rewarding.