It all started at the Children’s Museum here in Ottawa.  In passing I said to my friend, “If you ever see any old cameras, grab them for me and I’ll pay you back.”  She instantly responded with, “My Dad has some cool old cameras and he’s coming to Ottawa next weekend.  I’ll see if he could bring them.”  Little did I know I would inherit a Russian camera from the ’60s that is on par with Leica cameras, but even more importantly I met a man with an amazing past.

This is a man who is from Poland and who was taken from his home, in the dark at 4 in the morning and told nothing other than to bring warm clothes.  He and his family were whisked off to Siberia.  I asked him how he was treated while he was there and he said quite well.  (Note:  The following is paraphrased)  “As long as you worked, you had food.  There were no barbed wire fences as we were in the middle of Siberia and had no idea where to go!”  When the war ended, he and his family were set free, but they really weren’t sure where to go.  His father was part of the Polish Army and they ended up traveling their way south through Europe.  They couldn’t go back to Poland so after months of traveling, they ended up in Uganda as there was a British Military Camp there and it was safe.  Through his travels he not only learned Polish, but Russian, Ukrainian and, get this, Swahili!!

He later visited the house where he was taken from and slept in the same room.  Although he was in his 30s, he couldn’t sleep.  That fear that a 7 year old boy felt was still there…

Once they left Uganda, they traveled to England and then eventually were sponsored to come to Winnipeg.  He ended up in Southern Ontario working for a newspaper.  This is most definitely an abridged version of his life and the rest of his stories I shall cherish.

It is the stories from the past that we need to remember as well as the sacrifices of the men and women (and their families) currently serving for our country so we can live such privileged lives.  I will never forget the kind soldier in Staples who saw my children looking at her prosthetic leg and were asking me questions.  I was trying to answer them as best I could, but she took it one step further.  She called the kids over and showed them how it worked and graciously answered all their questions.  She was still going through multiple surgeries and I thanked her for taking the time to talk to my children.  Her response was, “You’re welcome, but it actually helps me to talk about it.”

So please, take the time to remember today…for the past and the present.

Shona

Funny thing happened on the way to the post box today…Our vet is having a promotion for dogs who have reached a certain age.  Apparently our dog is one of them…He just doesn’t know it!  Yes folks, November is Seniors Month at our vet.

So imagine my surprise (horror!!!) as I flipped open the card to see this lovely picture of a boy fishing with his dog – who is apparently a senior – only to read, “Congratulations!  Shona is a senior!”  Gasp, sputter, wha?  Coffee spewing everywhere as I re-read it thinking I’ve made a mistake.  But no.  It wasn’t my mistake.  It’s an awful good thing it wasn’t my birthday today or my 3 year old would have had to pick my blubbering self off the ground and console me!

My husband, however, thought this was the.best.thing.ever, so I figured I better put it out there before he does…my own liberation with my new age so to speak!  Sigh…it’s a good thing I have a good sense of humour!

I hope you enjoyed this comic relief at my expense today!  When is it Friday again??

Shona 😉

Yup, I do.

I’m always trying to be the best photographer I can be and I am constantly (to the irritation of my family) practicing, reading, researching etc.  That’s good and all, but it also means that I sometimes just miss those moments.  Those snapshots in time when the light stinks, the angles are wrong, my camera settings are on the green square (gasp!) and they look all too flashy for my liking.  But you know what?  They’re perfect to me…because at least I took the time to capture the moment without driving my kids nuts while finding the light when all they want is Halloween candy!

So, forgive the snapshots, but here’s my kids…in all their glory!

These images make me laugh…good and evil at it’s best.  Okay, my son’s not evil, but he’s…um…spirited shall we say.  He wanted to be Spiderman because he’s into all things that are superheroes!  My daughter, however, chose to be a leaf bag when we were raking last week.  This would not do for a former Geography/Environmental studies major.  We had to turn her into:  Enviro Girl – Defender of All Things Green!  *insert sound effects*

Note:  For those of you not in Ottawa, the candy bag she took out was our compost bucket from the city’s composting program 😉

Today, although most of the Hallowe’en snow (blah!) had almost melted, my son begged me to make a snowman…This poor lil’ gaffer is more of a slushman with lopsided arms.  Oh well, my son was happy until….

…our oh so “innocent” dog, Sitka, decided to try and eat “Slushie’s” nose!  His two favourite things in life are carrots and popcorn.  Campbell did, however, get his nose back to it’s rightful spot 🙂

Hope you all had a great weekend and enjoyed my snapshots, no matter how sad they are 🙂

Shona

A funny thing happened on the way to Grandma’s house…Picture this:  I’m standing at the bottom of the stairs trying to herd the troops so we can get to Grandma’s house for supper.  Down prances my daughter in a leotard, tiny brown shorts, head band and wrist bands to boot.  It took all my strength not to laugh…a lot.  I asked her if that’s really what she wanted to wear and, like any liberated six year old she said, “Uh, that’s why I put it on…?” with a look like “duh Mom??”  (*Aside…isn’t she a bit young for the ‘tude?*)

On the short drive I kept looking in the rear view mirror thinking I had to record this time in her life as she is so alive, free spirited and confident in what she likes.  I hope with every last fiber in my soul that she doesn’t lose this along the way as it’s what has always made her so special and unique.  She’s always had this je ne sais quoi about her and I love her for it.

This past week on the only non-rainy, warmish day we finally did it.  We caught her spirit and her ‘Jane McEnroe’ look.  We have been talking about this session for months and she has been begging me to do it as I wouldn’t let her get her hair cut until we did…it just wouldn’t be the same without her hippy do.

So without further ado, I present my daughter channeling her inner ’70s look…

These rockin’ glasses were actually found at the bottom of the ocean in Hawaii when she was not quite 2…I like to pretend they’re some 60’s movie star’s shades, but that might be a stretch…a girl can dream though, right?

and last but not least…I shall call this one, “Lost”.

Happy Monday!

Shona xox

Poof!!  Aaaand September is gone.  I’m pretty sure it was washed away by all of the rain we’ve had.  Making up for the summer, I suppose…I’m just glad it’s not the ‘s’ word 😉

It has been a very big month in our home for so many reasons.  Our daughter has started Grade 1 which means full time school.  She was so excited and so ready, but as the weeks wore on and she realized how little time there was left in the day, she became a little teary eyed lamenting the loss of playtime in the afternoon.  She is, however, enjoying it immensely, to which I’m grateful!

Her first day images were pretty quick and dirty as it was a dark, dreary and pouring rain kind of day, but at least we have a record of what she looked like!

And my baby…my BABY started preschool this year.  It was a rough go with my daughter when she started, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect from him.  Much to my elation, he LOVES it and cries on the days he DOESN’T get to go…go figure…I can’t win.  It’s one of those cruel jokes of Motherhood that no one bothers to tell you about!

He, thankfully, had a beautiful day so we could to take some time and get some great images of him getting ready for school…And to show off his new hair-do.  Gone are the summer blonde surfer dude locks…sigh…It grows back, right?

So as we settle into our new routines, pull out the warmer sweaters and look forward to pumpkin pie & turkey, I can’t help but look ahead to the Christmas season…It sneaks up every year and fall bookings are starting to go quickly, so if you’re interested in a session, please contact me as soon as possible.  I may also be opening up a fall mini-session date to accommodate as many people as possible.  Details to follow.

‘Till then, have a great weekend!

Shona 🙂

My ‘puter’s back, my ‘puter’s back!  I’d be a lot more excited if I didn’t have this seriously sinking feeling in my belly about the amount of editing I need to catch up on!  So for now, my son is giving me a big squeeze and telling me it’ll all be okay 😉

Me!  Sheesh!  I had planned on processing and blogging some images while on the coast, but low & behold I didn’t bring my card reader.  Now, I did this on purpose as I was trying to economize on room, BUT….I forgot my CS4 won’t read my 5d, so here I sit with hundreds of images…

Oh well, prepare for an overload when I get home.  This wasn’t really as tragic as forgetting all my daughters underwear at my Mom’s house (that we just bought!!) when we headed up island for a little more R&R.  Oh well, c’est la vie!

So for now, you’re stuck with forks & a blueberry on the side!  🙂

My baby girl is growing up so quickly and I know this fact will only be magnified by 1000 once she’s in Grade 1 next year.  She’s already reading chapter books and putting me to bed and has recently discovered “cootie catchers”…weren’t those called fortune tellers when we were kids?  I dunno.  I take solace in the fact that she still wears a unicorn necklace and most of her books are about fairies (although she is quite into her new “Children’s History of Scotland”…yup, she’s a geek).

As a photographer, I often forget about capturing our own little moments at home and freezing them in time the only way I know how.  I need to get better at this…childhood is so fleeting and their interests and expressions change so quickly it’s exciting and sad all in the same…

Here’s a few of my cootie catchin’ 6 year old that she “permitted” me to take the other night…

Enjoy your weekend!

Shona 🙂

I’ve been lucky enough to borrow a macro lens this week and, unfortunately, haven’t had the chance to put it through its paces  as much as I would have liked.  BUT, I have learned a lot about what will work for me for the type of images I would like to one day achieve.

Which brings me to my point (yup, I have one today…pretty good, huh?).  Regardless of your level in photography, I STRONGLY recommend renting lenses prior to purchasing.  Not all lenses work for all people so it’s hard to go by what everyone else says.  Really test drive it for a weekend and see if it’s something you would like.  There are many many places that rent lenses and for a rather cheap price. For example, I rented a Canon 70-200 2.8L lens for the long weekend and it was only $40.  It’s a fantastic lens and crazy sharp, but I just can’t justify a hefty purchase like that for what I do at the moment.  It was a lot of fun and I’m glad I rented it, but I’m even more glad I didn’t buy it (that sucker is HEAVY!).

Here’s a few of my fledgling attempts with a macro…hope you enjoy and TGIF!  🙂

After leaving my Mom, I flew to Calgary, AB.  You’d think by all the traveling I did in March/April (4 provinces!) I was some major jet setter, but lets be honest…I have two small children.  Travel just doesn’t happen like it used to…especially by myself!

Although my time in Alberta was cut short and I didn’t get to see all the people I wanted to see, I made the most out of it!  First up was coffee with some amazing Calgary area photographers who have been very supportive and generous with their time.  If you’re in the Calgary area, be sure to check them out:  Brandy Anderson, Danna Bowes, Alicia Price & Dana Pugh.

After a brief pit stop to pick up these tasty treats from Crave Cupcakes

I then made the pilgrimage to MY mountains.  Yes, they’re mine.  Didn’t you know I lay claim to all of the Canadian Rockies?  An added bonus was visiting with some dear friends from way back and witnessing the mountains in all their glory after a beautiful, fresh spring snowfall…sigh…oh how I love them.

Next up was a drive thru memory lane on the way to my final destination of Red Deer, Alberta.  My original reason for this trip was to attend a photography workshop and to visit some friends along the way while having a break on my own.  I got all that and a bag of chips (literally).  More on the workshop to follow!