dog-eared pages
June 25, 2011 | Filed Under Photoshoots, horses, people, personal | 1 Comment
If George were a book, all of his pages would be dog-eared. He wouldn’t live on a shelf- he’d be beside the bed, or under the pillow. He’d be sitting on the kitchen counter, or laying open by a blanket on the couch. He’d have writing in every margin. People would be able to recite his words by the paragraph. He’d be an eclectic mix of history, knock-knock jokes, riddles, and captivating fiction. You’d laugh out loud at his dialogue. You’d fall in love with his characters.
Abbie, George’s old owner, stopped in to see him yesterday. It’s been two years and a lot more white in George’s coat since they’ve seen each other. Neither one missed a beat, both smiling when they realized who they were looking at. Abbie flipped to her favourite page, cuddled in, and picked up right where she left off. Same story, different setting.
opposites. and some attraction.
June 21, 2011 | Filed Under Photoshoots, people, personal, weddings | 3 Comments
The Secret.
I’ve talked about it a lot, and I’ve lived it even more. Like attracts like. Think good things and good things will happen. Do good things and more good things will materialize. Without knowing it, this applies itself to almost every facet of our lives- from what we eat to how we think, from how we dress to who we’re friends with. My friends, though all different in wonderful ways, are all a bit the same. That’s probably why we’re friends- because we seek out the similarities in each other that we can relate to, and our friendships grow from there.
Rarely is it that we seek out those who are complete opposites to ourselves. Sometimes though, those opposites come into our lives. And when they do we’re given the chance to embrace something completely different from what we know, what we have known, and what we were expecting to know. We’re given the chance to learn and become more tolerant, to love and become more understanding. Those opposites enforce the notion that our first impressions are not always correct and that what we know is not always the right, easiest, or best way to do things. They give us the chance to become better thinkers, better people, and better friends to those who are not so opposite. More importantly (and in my case) they make you take a good look at and into yourself- and if you’re lucky you get to come out a better person. And if you’re REALLY lucky, you come out that better person along with a really different, hip, nothing-like-you’ve-ever-had-before friend.
So maybe The Secret hasn’t got it all figured out. Maybe a bit of opposite in your life isn’t such a bad thing. And even if like attracts like, sometimes being mashed together with ‘totally unlike’ isn’t so bad after all.
Jenna is Dane’s best friend, and Dane is Jenna’s best friend. It’s been that way for awhile. I got to know her a few years ago. First through stories Dane would tell me, and then over meals and drinks. And I’m still getting to know her. She’s my really different, hip friend. We couldn’t be more opposites: where I’m outgoing, she is reserved. I have short hair and her’s is long. She is athletic and artistic and I am…not. She listens and pauses, I talk and continue on.
I used to think that we were total opposites with only Dane in common. Not now though. Now we’ve got her wedding in common. We’re both planning on being there (her as the bride, me as the photographer)- it’ll be in the Dominican, so you can bet I’m not going to miss that :) In great anticipation for what’s coming, we took a day and shot some engagement pictures. Jenna’s fiancé, James was perfect. He smiled when he was supposed to and kissed her whenever he wanted to. Jenna was flawless- she was herself in every shot and she was in love. In typical fashion, our location choices were complete opposites, but what a dynamic, interesting, and FUN shoot we had!
Congrats Jenna and James, here’s to you guys ♥.
Surprise! I’m awesome again!
June 18, 2011 | Filed Under Photoshoots, horses, personal, random | 3 Comments
Everything Julie’s done with Mexi has left me in awe. For real. That little horse is SO damn quiet. She is curious and happy and sweet and very smart. She rarely gets scared and if she does, it’s almost like she laughs herself out of her fear and continues along, albeit a bit more cautiously. She’s got enough personality to fill the entire barn and learns SO fast. I find myself starting sentences with “I can’t believe Mexi…” and finishing them with some description of how awesome she is. Julie tells me most of Kevin’s horses are like that. It’s not new to her and she’s not surprised. I’m surprised enough every time for the two of us!
Yesterday I finally caught myself and noted that it’s really quite funny that I’m continually surprised by her awesomeness. She’s good EVERY TIME, by now I should be accepting of the fact that she’s great and be more surprised if she acts up.
She’s had one bath in her life. A year ago. This is what she did the second time we turned the hose on her. Julie couldn’t stop grinning. Rightly so.
the best one.
June 15, 2011 | Filed Under Photoshoots, dogs, people, random | 5 Comments
As I sit in my new office of my new house on my new 27″ iMac (thank you Dane for all of these things!), Carrie sits not 5 feet away in her (read: Dane’s) white armchair, wheezing. She only wheezes when she’s happy and relaxed- which is most of the time. She is the best one.
She follows me from room to room, and comes running as soon as she hears any sort of movement from the kitchen. She makes herself as flat and motionless as possible when I walk into the bedroom, moving only her eyes from her camouflaged position amongst the black blankets on the bed. “I see you, Carrie,” I say to her, and she can’t help but wag her tail softly, totally giving herself away, the speed increasing as I get closer. I pull my hands inside my sleeves and before I can sit down, she pounces on me, attacking the clothed nubs that were once hands made for patting and giving treats. She will only bite and play if you have something covering your skin. I often wonder where she learned these things- how to play-fight, knowing exactly when to stop, how to sit pretty and how to sing to me in the morning, how she got so saucy if I didn’t put her leash on fast enough, how she balances on sidewalk curbs when we go for walks in the morning. Then I realize that she learned it all from me. She is saucy and neurotic and demands to be fed on time. She prefers walking to running and doesn’t really see the need to get all panty and out of breath. She loves having visitors come to the house. She likes rolling around in the grass. She loves cookies and shrimp and Dane.
Carrie barks at me when I tell her to sit, and I raise my eyebrows and laugh- wondering when she became so outspoken. Mary rolls her eyes and asks me when I became so outspoken. I miss the hint- her telling me that my dog and I are exactly alike. I wipe the dirt off my own bum, then off of Carrie’s back and tell her that it’s time to go home. We hop in the car and as we turn up the hill to our house I turn the music down for a second- I hear her wheezing in the back seat I can’t help but smile to myself knowing that I have the best one.
i propose: a photo shoot.
June 5, 2011 | Filed Under Photoshoots, people, personal, weddings | 20 Comments
You belong among the wildflowers
You belong somewhere close to me
Far away from your trouble and worry
You belong somewhere you feel free
You belong somewhere you feel free
It was like Tom Petty was singing to Jenn and Andrew. Like he’d been there, leaning against the car, watching the entire thing unfold with his long hair blowing in the wind.
I couldn’t help but smile as I drove away with this song playing in the background. My head and heart were racing and I was so in love with love at that very minute that I could have kissed the first stranger I saw on the side of the road.
I met Jenn and Andrew at breakfast one sunny morning in the Dominican. They were guests at Jen and Michael’s wedding and though currently living in Ontario, Jenn was originally from Truro. I asked if they’d be my test subjects for lighting conditions around the resort and they happily agreed. Their chemistry was mind-blowing and they barely needed direction.
Andrew knows what he has with Jenn. I could see it from the first moment I watched him looking at her. He stands back and smiles at her, and at himself, for having her. He has an uncanny ability to say just a few of just the right words. When she hears them, she lights up with such beautiful confidence, grace, and happiness that I know Andrew tells her these things everyday. And Jenn believes everything he says.
When Jenn and Andrew came home for the long weekend in May, we got together to shoot another set of images filled with beauty, confidence, love, and happiness. They were so excited- Jenn bought a new dress and had perfect shoes and Andrew, in Andrew’s wonderful way, matched perfectly, complimenting everything Jenn had on, making sure that she was the brightest gem.
These are Jenn’s pictures. Andrew is in them, but he makes them about her. He makes everything about her. He’s always looking at her, smiling at her, being in love with her. She makes these her pictures because of Andrew. Her love for him shines through in every smile, in every pose, in the way she holds onto him like she’ll never let him go.
After shooting around town a bit, I decided to play up Jenn’s beautiful yellow flats. We hopped in the car and drove a little way out of town until we came to a gorgeous green hill that met the sky, covered in millions of dandelions. We brought Andrew’s brand new banjo (it was his birthday, and Jenn gives the best gifts ever) and an old grey wool blanket. My directions were “Just be yourselves, be in love, let me take pictures.”
I asked Andrew if he’d mind going and getting his jacket, just to change up the look a bit.
Well hello, Andrew.
And Jenn, you’re not so bad yourself, you gorgeous, pretty, lovely lady.
I’m not sure of the exact words he used leading up to these next few pictures, but I’ve got a pretty good idea of what Andrew said to Jenn…
Yes, I knew! We planned it in the Dominican. It was an off the cuff question, “Hey, if you ever propose to Jenn, can I be there to take pictures?” I asked Andrew. He pondered for a second and in all seriousness answered, “yes.” We didn’t really talk much more about it until the day I met up with them. Jenn went to the bathroom and we had 30 seconds where he told me the plan, told me the ring was in the jacket, and we winged it from there. Winged it PERFECTLY. As he walked up the hill to ask Jenn to marry him, he turned back and smiled at me, like a little kid, and he was a little lighter on his toes, I watched him try his hardest not to skip up there like a lovesick fool. I cried, of course, thankful once again for living in an age of autofocus cameras.
Keeping my game face on was easy- except for one instance. When Andrew went to the car to get his jacket (with the ring in his pocket) Jenn came and sat beside me on the blanket. While looking through pictures, I mentioned how gorgeous they were, and how much Andrew loved her, as could be clearly seen in every look he gave her. She said to me, “I know. Isn’t he great? I just love him. I wonder when he’s going to ask me.” NO WORD OF A LIE. She asked me that AS HE WAS GOING TO GET THE RING. I kept starring at my camera, trying not to grin, completely ignoring what she just said. Imagine.
Thank you for letting me be a part of one of the most romantic moments of your/my life. Thank you for being absolutely beautiful people and for creating beauty and love wherever you find yourselves. Thanks for being great friends, both to me and to each other.
Your wedding is going to be TO DIE FOR. I can’t wait.
Much love and all of the best things to you two- the schmoopiest lovebirds I know!! xoxoxox