The Wishing Star Gallery

Wedding | Jennifer + Greg

2012-02-07T20:13:00.000-08:00

This past week I had the pleasure to photograph Jennifer + Greg's Canadian Wedding. I use the term "Canadian Wedding" not because it was themed to Canada, or anything of that nature. Greg + Jennifer will be getting married in Jamaica in a few weeks. In order to have proper legal documentation they chose to have a pre-wedding wedding. These are actually quite common with destination weddings. Think about it ladies, two weddings. Two cakes, two outfits... one love. :)

Cheesy, I know.

But there was something sweet and very loving about Greg + Jennifer's wedding ceremony. Maybe it was because it was a wedding and I'm a sucker for love. Or maybe it was because they chose to declare their love for each other in front of their local church, on a regular Sunday service. No bells, no whistles, just two people and their love for each other.

Either way, it was a lovely way to spend the morning and I am so glad they asked me to help document this important milestone in their lives. Here are a few photos from the ceremony!

Also, I would be remiss if I didn't give a big shout out to my 2nd shooter for the day, Edward Nikkel of Edward Nikkel Photography!

Newborn :: Rayley (Part II)

2012-01-31T19:45:00.001-08:00

Here are a few more photos from Rayley newborn session last week. You can see the first round of newborn photos here and you can see Brooklynn + Cory's maternity session by clicking here.

Family :: The Vogels

2012-01-31T16:56:00.000-08:00

This weekend I might the Vogel Family for the first time. By the end of the one hour session though, I felt like I had known their two little girls for ages. They reminded me of that feeling when you're a little kid playing dress up. They reminded me how much fun sessions with kids can be when you let your imagination run wild. The session was a blast, complete with tutus, fairy wings, lolly pops and bubbles.

Newborn :: Rayley

2012-01-31T16:45:00.000-08:00

Earlier this month I blogged about Brooklynn + Cory's maternity session. Last week I was very excited to their daughter Rayley when they brought her over for their newborn session. Their session was on Thursday, so technically this post is a few days late, but if you ask me: she's so cute she's worth the wait!

Mom and Dad gave her what will be the first of a lot of jewelry. It fits loosely around her wrist and tightly around Dad's thumb!

I'll be doing another blog post later with some photos from the family part of their session, so check back soon!

Casting Call Contest

2012-01-16T18:33:00.000-08:00

I have a dream.

...Okay, it's more of an idea.

It's a themed idea for a photo session.

But... it's a secret.

For the last month or so I have been trying to figure out how I would pick the person who I wanted to photograph for this themed session. I knew I wanted it to be a little girl. But that was about it. Should I save the idea for a client? Should I kidnap (kidding!) a friend's child and just go for it? And then today it came to me. I hadn't held a contest to celebrate 200 fans on facebook and although I abhor businesses that use constant contests as a method of gaining likes and fans, facebook is the most convienant way to spread the word about the contest. I'm hoping for lots of entries!

So here's the details.... this contest is open to parents who want to enter their children...

The entrant must be female (sorry boys, maybe another time)

must be between the age of 1-4 years old

must like having their photo taken (c'mon, that's a given right?)

Parents must email me at thewishingstargallery@gmail.com to enter their little darlings. Please include your daughters name, age and a recent photo.

I will post the photos on the WSG facebook page. And then it's your job to vote (by liking the photo) for who you would like to see win the free session.

The deadline for entrant submissions is Jan. 27, 2012.

The deadline for voting is Feb. 3, 2012.

Lifestyle | Brianna

2012-01-16T17:54:00.001-08:00

This is my second session with Brianna. (You can see the first by clicking here.) Like her last session, this was one was to commemorate her achievement of a very important title in her youth group organization, Job's Daughters.

Job's Daughters (or Jobies) is a youth group for young women between the ages of 10-20 who are related to a Mason. (Shriner, Mason, Knight Templar. You can find out more about Masons by clicking here.) Jobies is an organization where girls learn life long skills like public speaking, etiquette and business meeting skills. The group provides a sort of comradery and friendship, so much so that some girls are so close with one another that they identify themselves as family on facebook! They have fun events like sleepovers, movie nights and picnics. They also have a serious side to their activities, like fundraising for local (and international) charities, volunteering at public events and competing in competitions on a provincial and international level.

You can learn more about Job's Daughters at http://www.iojd.org/ or about Alberta Job's Daughters at http://www.iojd.ca/

Last March Brianna competed in the Alberta provincial Pageant competition. The winner of this pageant gets to travel around the province representing the organization to not only it's members but the the general public. The competition tests the contestants knowledge of the organization among other key elements. Brianna won the title of Miss Alberta Job's Daughters in March 2011. In August she competed in the international equivalent, the Miss International Job's Daughters. And she won!

In the months following her crowning, Brianna has travelled to several countries and been home for only a few days or weeks if she's lucky. I was so happy when she said she wanted to take time out of her very busy schedule to have a second photo session with me. Here are just a few from her session yesterday.

The winner of the International pageant can be from any of the countries in which the youth group is active. Job's Daughters currently has members in Canada, the USA, Brazil, the Phillipines and Australia. In the first 30 or so years of the history of the pageant, only a handful of Canadians won the title. In 2005 I was privileged enough to win the International Pageant. (That's right, I was a member of Jobies. How else would I know so much about it? :) Feel free to ask me any questions if you are interested in joining or know someone who might be!) Since then, Canada has had the honour of having 3 of their Misses win the pageant. And they have all been from Alberta!

So where am I going with this you wonder?

This is the part where it pays to photograph what you know. You get ideas that regular photographers might not.

Believe it or not, many folks from the other countries actually think that Canada is a icy winter wonderland all of the time. Even with 4 Misses from Canada, there are some that don't realize we get to enjoy summer and don't have to wear winter jackets all year long. I thought it might be fun to play up the Canuck stereo type. Here are a few shots we took outdoors.

Brianna was SUCH a trooper. It was at least -15 out and she even took her jacket off for some shots!

Cake Smash | Phoenix's First Birthday

2012-01-16T17:36:00.000-08:00

This month Phoenix celebrated his first birthday. I was so happy when his Mommy booked me to help commemorate the milestone by photographing a cake smash session for him. I have to admit, I was immediately taken with him; his beautifully poignant eyes and ginger red hair is so adorable. I didn't think he could possibly get any cuter... until he was covered in bright blue icing! Here are a few of my favourite frames from Phoenix's Cake Smash session.

Cake.

Baby meets Cake.

Phoenix a lot of fun painting the backdrop with the icing.

Maternity | Diana

2012-01-07T21:45:00.000-08:00

I'll be the first comment on how this session was not my usual style. I've never shot an entire session in black and white nor have I ever played so much with lighting and shadows in a session. But when Diana told me about the style of photos she wanted for her maternity session I couldn't say no. After all, how can you decide that something is not your style without at least trying it once? And I'm so glad that we tried this route for her session because I was so happy with how these shots came out.

Maternity | Brooklynn + Cory

2012-01-02T21:28:00.000-08:00

I had a great session today with Brooklynn + Cory Heck and although my eyes are bugging out from staring threw my viewfinder and then at the computer screen for half the day, I was so eager to post this sneak peak.

Brooklynn contacted me in regards to booking maternity and newborn photos to celebrate the birth of their first baby. He or she is expected any time now, which is surprising when you see how absolutely tiny Brooklyn still is. Now before you scroll too far in the photos, I will warn you, Brooklynn may incite feelings of jealousy, especially if you're expecting your own baby. She is still wearing the same size pants she wore before she was pregnant! She's a modern mommy-to-be marvel!

Doing their 'homework.'

In the nursery!

Cory is also somewhat of a marvel himself. He made the crib Brooklynn is kneeling next to. He told me with a smile how it was almost firewood on more than one occasion. Talk about determination!

"What do you mean I won't be the baby anymore?" Asks their lovelable pooch Corona.

The last photo session of 2011 | The Stevens Family

2012-01-02T19:12:00.000-08:00

This year has been one heck of a year for me as a photographer. My December 31 session was a great way to cap off the year! The Stevens family were blessed with an addition to their family in early December and I was so happy to be asked to take their photos. Baby Bentley was so sweet and I loved the energy of their two girls, Mya + Madison. Their session was more than a family session and in the same instance, more than a newborn session. It really was a fantastic way to end the year.

This is one of my favourite shots. He opened his eyes to see his mommy and it was so sweet.

Ringing in the New Year with Miss Alice

2011-12-29T21:39:00.000-08:00

Although I still have two more sessions before the end of 2011, I wanted to wish you all a very happy new year! So here is little Miss Alice to ring in the new year for me. Isn't she just too sweet?

Ummm Alice? Those are for ringing, not eating...

Family | For Toni

2011-12-29T20:09:00.000-08:00

This is post is a little late thanks to the holiday season, but I wanted to post these photos from Toni's family session last week.

And now, for my favourite from the entire shoot...

Rights to Photos

2011-12-28T17:20:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone,

As some of you know, for a long time I believed that the clients should retain the rights to their photos at no cost to them. I have come to the conclusion though that this train of thinking does not protect the vast majority of my photos enough. As of Dec. 31, 2011 I will retain the rights to any photos taken during a session. Now I know your eyes are probably bugging right out of your head right now, but let me explain why.

Clients still retain the right to print their photos and use them for internet purposes. Those are yours and will always be yours.

I retain the rights so that I can legally go after someone who has stolen those photos and are claiming them as their own. I have come to find my photos on various other photographers' (I use the term loosely) sites and they were claiming them as their own. I have even seen the photos I have taken used by those people in contest. In order to be able to go after these people myself I have to retain the rights to the photos.

You can purchase the general rights to the photos if you want, but the rights you are given through our agreement are usually enough for the average person and average use.

I really do apologize if this causes trouble for you but as this little business of mine is growing there will have to be some changes.

Baby | Little Miss Alice

2011-12-20T20:57:00.000-08:00

I've had this background set up for a good 3 weeks now in my home studio that I haven't had the chance to use. Three weeks may not seem like a long time to you, but at the rate this photo season has sped past me, trust me when I say it is a LONG time for me.

I've had a few sessions that were supposed to happen at my home studio reschedule last minute so I've being dying to use this set up. I really wanted to get some practice in with some new lighting (thanks to my super awesome photo buddies Edward + Lori Nikkel of Punky Monkey Photography) and Little Miss Alice (well, actually, her Mommy...) was kind enough to help me out!

Here are just a few photos from Alice's winter wonderland mini session. I'm sure I'll post more as I get to them - right now my goal is just to get everyone's discs in the mail before the holidays.

That's it!
....okay, I lied... One more!!

Baby | Madison's Adventure in Gingerbread Lane

2011-12-20T20:40:00.001-08:00

This past weekend I had the pleasure of photographing two of my favourite families. One can be found below in my previous blog post, the other can be found here! On Sunday I met up with the Grants in Gingerbread Lane. Little Miss Madison is so absolutely adorable that my hearts melts a little every time I see her. She just keeps getting cuter and cuter! I've been lucky enough to be taking her photos for nearly a year now and she is always a highlight for me. Here are a few photos from her adventure in Gingerbread Lane...

Little Miss Madison!

Looking at the gingerbread tree...

Can you reach the Christmas Star?

Working on her letter(s) to Santa....

Getting help from Daddy...

And from Mommy....

Almost ready to put her letter in the mail box for Santa...

Okay! Here we goooooo!

Meeting Santa!

Aria's Christening

2011-12-19T20:45:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I was invited to photograph one of my favourite families. (I have a lot of favourites but these folks have a special place in my heart. I've had the privilege of doing numerous shoots for them including a maternity session, a baby shoot, a birthday and even a Mother's Day session.) I felt both honoured and nervous when Jennifer asked me to photograph her daughter Aria's christening! I was nervous because I've never photographed a christening before. It was a wonderfully planned afternoon thanks to Aria's family and I felt so blessed to be able to photograph such an important milestone. Here are a few shots from the actual ceremony...

Engagement | Brad + Emily

2011-12-11T20:38:00.000-08:00

This Saturday was a beautiful day. It was warm and sunny. It was a photographer's nightmare, haha. (We photographers love it when there is clouds or atleast some sort of overcast. It makes for amazing lighting.)

In the afternoon I met up with Emily + Brad for their engagement session. I am so thrilled that they asked me to photograph their wedding and I was eagerly awaiting this shoot. Here are a few of my favourites!

Family :: Abboud

2011-12-11T20:28:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning to the most amazing snowfall and overcast. It was so beautiful that I actually did a happy dance when I looked out my bedroom window. I was scheduled to meet up with Tony + Jane for their family session in the afternoon and spent the whole day hoping the weather held up and that it wasn't too cold out. Here are a few of my favourites from today...

My favourite shot from the day!

Newborn :: Wishing Star Gallery | Tickled Pink Collab.

2011-12-11T19:49:00.000-08:00

This fall I put out a casting call with Amy of Tickled Pink Photography for newborns. We decided to offer a free mini session to whomever would lend us their little buddle of joy for a few hours. We wanted to try out a few props and poses and figured that together we could achieve some poses we struggled to attain on our own.

We had many interested applicants but unfortunately could only accomodate one baby. Not only do we want to thank all of the wonderful new moms who contacted us, we also wanted to extend a special thank you to Amanda + Cory for lending us sweet little Adalyn. We were both so absolutely smitten with Miss Adalyn at the end of the afternoon.

And so...I'd like to introduce five day old Adalyn: volunteered by her Mommy, delivered by her Daddy and loved dearly by Amy and I.

We put out all of our props in anticipation of the Suttons' arrival

And more props..

Amy gets to know Miss Adalyn

Amy getting Adalyn into the hand hold pose

The pose!! Dun dun dun!

Greetings from Mexico | Diana + Keelon's Wedding

2011-11-28T21:45:00.001-08:00

If you've liked the Wishing Star Gallery on facebook (and you really should, since it's more up to date than the blog. You can find it at facebook.com/wishingstargallery) then you would know that I spent the last week in the Mayan Riveria for Diana + Keelon's destination wedding. I'll do up a more formal blog post about the wedding, with way more photos later on, but for now I couldn't resist posting some shots for the big kiss!

Family | Nikkel

2011-11-13T14:25:00.000-08:00

This weekend I had the honour of photographing the very talented, Mr. Edward Nikkel (of Punky Monkey Photography)and his wonderful family. Ed is an upcoming life photographer and I was so flattered when he and his wife Lori asked me to do some family shots for them. Despite some very chilly weather and some very sick kiddies we did manage to have some fun and get some good shots.

Family | Purcell

2011-11-11T19:41:00.001-08:00

This summer I was asked to shoot a newborn session for Laura & Joey to celebrate the birth of their son Jackson. This weekend they came to my home studio for a 6 month session/Christmas photos and I couldn't get over how adorable Jackson is. I could still see that little newborn I had met earlier this year in this inquisitive little boy. Here are some of my favourites...

Birthday | Anita

2011-11-11T17:12:00.001-08:00

The last week of October I was invited to Ramin's home to take some photos to celebrate his daughter Anita's birthday! The cake was so imaginative and tied into a theme I love... Disney. Here are just a few of my favourites from their session. More to come later, when I get to their halloween costume photos! ;)

My 2nd favourite shot from the entire session!

My #1 favourite!

Sneak Peak | Tammy's Family

2011-11-08T21:20:00.000-08:00

Between my internet provider (also known the big pain in my butt) and being out of town this past weekend, I am trying desperately to catch up on sneak peaks from the last weekend of October. My apologies to Tammy and my appreciation for her patience!

A lot of people don't have much patience for the fact that any photography I do is in addition to my full time job and life... But Tammy has been nothing but understanding with my work schedule and shotty internet service! These are a few of my favourite frames from her family session.

I did some portraits for the more cooperative family members too and took the chance to practice something I had learnt in class. The wall behind them was very plain so I added a little pizzaz to it!

Family | Nicholls Family

2011-11-02T21:28:00.001-07:00

To celebrate the birth of her 3 week old son Kane, Tara contacted me to have some newborn and family photos done. I have to say that although Kane was a little uncooperative at times, her family was so delightful that I really enjoyed getting to know them during their session at my home studio. Here are a few of my favourite photos from the session!

GMA After Party Photo Booth

2011-11-02T20:08:00.000-07:00

I had the honour of being asked to run the after party photo booth for the Gospel Music Awards last week. I had been the photographer at last year's photo booth so I spent the event month of September hoping I would get asked to return this year. As strange as it seems, it felt like running into a lot of old friends, who were in reality folks I'd met only last year. They were just so friendly and outgoing from the get go it was impossible not to like them immediately upon meeting them. Their passion for their art is inspiring. My second shooter for the evening, Chris Pearson of Turtle Soul Photography agreed that they were a lot of fun to not only be around, but also to photograph. Thanks again to the GMAs and Candy Consulting for asking me to be a part of this amazing event!

One (very big) happy family

2011-11-01T21:28:00.001-07:00

Sneak peak time! Now just as a disclaimer, I don't usually do this large of a group for photos, so please don't get any ideas folks.

I've been trying to stay up to date but this session had so many photos that it was taking forever to get through even just the sneak peak photos. Here are some from my family session from the weekend before Halloween!

Happy Halloween...Again!

2011-10-31T18:27:00.000-07:00

Couldn't resist posting this shot from this evening while we were awaiting ghouls and goblins!

Happy Halloween...again!

Happy Halloween!!

2011-10-31T18:25:00.000-07:00

Family :: Gamble Family

2011-10-22T19:09:00.000-07:00

I had a great time today with this fun family! If you follow this blog, you may recognize them from another session they had earlier this year. You can find it by clicking here. In particular, you may recognize the absolutely adorable, melt your heart, cutie patootie, Liam. It was a little colder than we would have liked but overall it was a fun shoot. Here are some of my favourites...

Bucket of shame!

Fall Family Fun (Airdrie)

2011-10-17T20:53:00.000-07:00

It was a very busy weekend for me for photography. Like my other two sessions this weekend, I was really looking forward to this session. I drove out to Airdrie to meet with Andrea & Colin and their kidlets for some fun fall family photos. These are just a few of the many photos I took that very sunny afternoon...

Ryan's 2nd Birthday

2011-10-16T21:32:00.001-07:00

I've had the pleasure of photographing baby Ryan for over a year and each time I see him I am in awe of how much he's grown and how adorable he really is. You can see his first session with the Wishing Star Gallery by clicking here and his most recent session in June by clicking here. When I went over to his house this weekend for his 2nd Birthday photo session I was once again surprised by how much he's grown. Here are some of my favourites from his Mickey Mouse Birthday Party....

Introducing himself to Mickey Mouse.

Blow out the candle birthday boy!

We also did some Halloween themed photos. As you can see, Ryan is going to be a police officer. He's such a cutie!

Baby :: Ellie

2011-10-15T21:19:00.000-07:00

This weekend I hopped in my little red truck and drove out to Cochrane, AB. I'm a little embaressed to admit that even though it's not even an hour away from Calgary I had never actually been there. My purpose for the adventure was to photograph this darling little cowgirl! Here's a few of my favourites...

Photoshop :: Spot removal

2011-10-14T21:43:00.001-07:00

I make it no secret that I'm an amateur photographer. I've been taking photos "professionally" for over a year, but I still count myself as an amateur because I am always learning about new photography aspects and techniques. (There's a bit of a paradox in my way of thinking because I also believe that no one is a master of photography. Photography, like any art form, continually changes and evolves, so by that extension of thinking - Photographers are always learning. But I'll save that rant for another time.)

As some of you know, I finally got myself Adobe Photoshop. Up until this point I have used various programs and the "get in right in the viewfinder, not on the screen" mentality. Well, do I ever wish I had invested in photoshop earlier!!

My photo editing skills and techniques have jumped in leaps and bounds in the last month. I try to keep my edits simple thought, so I'm not sure that you might notice without seeing a straight up comparison.

So, while editing photos from a shoot from September I came up with the idea for a little blog post about the subject. The photos below are exactly the same except for one aspect. During the shoot the vehicle on which my subject was sitting was very hot to the point it was painful for her rear end. So she sat down on a cloth she happened to have in the SUV at the time.

Well, in the bright light of the sun I didn't notice how visible the cloth was. (A bad move on my part, but I'll admit, I felt a little rushed because we had asked a couple to move their car out of the way while we snapped off these photos.)

Now before I got photoshop and went to class, I would have had 2 options. Leave the cloth as is or use a brush tool on the cloth while hoping and praying that it the brush colour matched the various colours on the SUV, including the shine. It would have been an agonizing minimum of 45 minutes on each photo.

But now, in under 20 minutes I have a much more presentable photo.

So the photo enthusiasts (or photonerds as we call ourselves) are probably wondering what tools I ended up using to edit the cloth out. I used the lasso, brush, burn, feather, patch and clone tools in order to hide that sucker.

Now I'm no photoshop wizard, that's for sure. After all, if I was you can bet I would look 20 lbs slimmer in my facebook profile photo! But photos are definitely getting a lot more TLC here at the WSG nowadays.

Until later! Thanks & Shutter Clicks!

Newborn Models Needed

2011-10-13T19:41:00.000-07:00

Two heads are better than one! Time for a colab project!

I'm over the moon (get it? Moon=stars=Wishing Stars! Hehehe!) excited to tell you about my collaboration project with my friend, Amy of Tickled Pink Photography.

We are hoping to try some new poses and props, so we are putting out a casting call for newborns! If you or someone you know just had a little one or is due in the next few weeks and would be interested in a free mini session, please send me an email at thewishingstargallery@gmail.com

Technical Mumbojumbo
Your baby must be 10 days or younger at the time of the session and you must be willing to travel to us in the South East quadrant of Calgary. As a thank you for lending us your little addition to your family, you will receive two discs, one from each photographer. They will contain 10-15 photos on each and they will include printing rights to the photos. This disc will be sent to you within 4-6 weeks of the session.

Rates Increasing in January

2011-10-12T21:09:00.000-07:00

I wanted to give everyone a headsup that session fees will be increasing as of December 31st, 2011.

Now normally I don't compare myself to others. I've never liked doing that. But, as my 2nd year milestone in professional photography is coming up, I am faced with a year end evaluation.

Most photographers in my line charge well over $100 for a 45 minute session, where you only get 10-15 photos on your disc. And then prints cost more. Or they have sitting fees. I don't believe in making photography expensive but I don't believe in undervalueing it either.

But why is the rate increasing?
A 1 hour photo session can take up to 1 hour of prep time, 2 hours of driving, gas, mileage, parking within the city limits. It wields anywhere from 1.5-4 hours of photo editing, administrative duties and then there's the cost of supplies. So sometimes when you break it down, I don't even earn $10 an hour. The increase is to cover these costs, as well as to place a fair value on the skills and techniques I have been learning as well as equipment I have been accumulating.

So how will this effect my session?
All sessions booked, with signed photo agreements, before December 31st will be charged as per the $60 rate.

If you want to buy a session for someone else and get the $60 rate, it must be purchased before December 31st and the session must be booked and held before March 31st. After that point they will be charged any additional charges as dictated by the 2012 pricing.

All sessions booked after December 31st will be subject to the new pricing, which works as follows...

Informal/Candid Session $80
These sessions are have a fun photojournalistic feel to them. They are usually at an outside location or in clients' home.

Home Studio Session $80
I'm happy to be able to offer this option now. I'm currently developing a home studio at my home in the South East of Calgary. Here I can guarantee a wide variety of props and backgrounds, as well as the convienance of clients not having to feel like I'm invading their home.

Mock Studio $100
Want a portrait session but don't want to have to leave your home? I will gladly come to you! I'll set up a mock studio with paper backgrounds and props and come to your home. These are great for milestone sessions (like birthdays or cake smashes.)

What does the deal include?
Everything else still stays the same! You'll still get your sneak peak with 72 hours and your disc within 5 weeks. A 1 hr. photo session anywhere within city limits for a maximum of 4 people/subjects. All costs will still include your disc and there is no limit to the number of edited photos on your disc. You will still own the rights to your photos.

Happy Turkey Day!

2011-10-08T10:01:00.000-07:00

Happy Turkey Day everyone!

Since everyone celebrated this fun family festivity at different times during the weekend I figured I would post this now. Hope you all have a great time with your families and that you take time to think about what you are greatful for....and to eat lots of turkey.

I will be spending this weekend with my Mom, husband and Thing 1 & Thing 2 (also known as our dogs, Hartigan & Frodo) and enjoying every minute of it. I will do my best to respond to any emails over the holiday but there may be a bit of a delay.

Newborn :: Seth

2011-10-07T22:17:00.001-07:00

Family :: Erica, Shawn & Hudson

2011-10-02T19:39:00.000-07:00

These are just a few of my favourites from Erica, Shawn & baby Hudson's session this afternoon! They had a 2 hour session so there was lots (and I do mean lots) of photos. The first hour was at a nearby park and then the second was at my home studio. So here's some of the studio ones.

Family :: Amy, Colby & Alice

2011-10-02T17:42:00.000-07:00

I have been looking forward to this family shoot for awhile now. I had the pleasure of doing some of Amy (and Colby's) maternity photos last year. You can find them by clicking here. Amy is not only a friend of mine, but the talent behind Tickled Pink Photography. She has a great eye for cute and unique ideas and accesories. Her daughter, Alice, looks so much like her mother it will be interesting to see which of her daddy's characteristic develop in her.

Bitsy Boutique

2011-10-01T17:39:00.000-07:00

Another prop shot!

Prop shot recipe:
Suitcase - antique found by yours truly
White fleece - simple craft prop by yours truly once again
Hunters hat - by the Bitsy Boutique, with an alteration by me. (I added the lining and buttons.)

I know, I know, this blog post seems to be all about my craftyness, but trust me, I'm not trying to be self centered. I wanted to showcase this adorable hat by the Bitsy Boutique in Kamloops, BC.

Amanda is having a really ingenious contest this fall. She's calling it "Prop it Forward." It's a contest where photographers nominate each other for a freebie item! You can read about it by visiting her facebook page at www.facebook.com/#!/BitsyBoutique

Halloween Decor

2011-10-01T17:13:00.000-07:00

It's beginning to look like Halloween around here! As many of you know, Halloween is my favourite hallmark holiday. I am so excited to hand out candy this year! I hope we get lots of trickortreaters.

The above photo is of our salt and pepper shakers. I LOVE these little guys.

Anyways! I'm doing a 365 photo project about our new house we bought this summer for my family (since none of them live in Calgary) and I wanted to share a few of the photos I took on this blog.

I'm a big fan of fun smelling candles. I especially love candles from a store in the south end of Calgary that I buy a lot of my antique photo props from. This candle is sitting on our fireplace mantle at the moment. Every time I light it, my hubby gets confused and thinks I'm making apple pie! It's just that realistic of a smell.

I just realized that this coffee table has made a lot of appearances on this blog! (Most recently I used the mirrored surface to my advantage while taking photos of my new business cards.) This table runner is an essential splash of colour in our living room. And when the candle in the latern is lit it can cause a spooky shadow of a witch flying through the night on her broomstick.

New Busines Cards :: Moo

2011-09-26T17:54:00.000-07:00

I had a special delivery today! And it was just wanted I needed to perk me up since I was horribly sick last night and this morning. I ordered these beautiful new business cards from Moo.com. I had been waiting and waiting and then waiting some more to order them. Each card is printed on quality photo business card paper and features a different photo.

They're amazing right?

If you're a photographer and want to get some of your own, visit http://www.moo.com/share/6g9p9s for a 10% discount! You'll be linked as a friend of mine (I'm known just as "C") and it will get you a discount on your first order.

It's a party!

2011-09-26T17:23:00.000-07:00

Just a sneak peak for Jenn from her dad's 60th birthday this weekend! I felt so honoured to be asked to take photos for the milestone occasion.

Fall Family Fun II

2011-09-26T14:27:00.000-07:00

Yulia and her daughter were another fall family session this past week. Isn't she just gorgeous?! When we were corresponding back and forth through email trying to set up a session for her, Yulia mentioned that she liked the photos she had seen that I had done last year of a woman on a car so we replicated the shot but made it unique to her.

This one was probably my favourite shot from the session.

Photo Adventures

2011-09-25T20:00:00.000-07:00

This weekend I attended the digital camera expo's trade show with Chris Pearson of Turtle Soul Photography. If you haven't heard of Chris, he's an amateur stock photographer. I enjoy checking out his photo blog daily because he does a photo every single day. Surprisingly enough, the best part of the day wasn't the trade show, or the hour and half visit to The Camera Store. It was the impromptu photo walk we went on!

After drooling over cameras we decided to pop to one of my favourite downtown restaurants for a drink and a bite of food. The Laurier Lounge, although too expensive has a great ambiance. I'd love to do an engagement shoot there one day.

I love this shot! I actually took this one to demostrate something to Chris but I loved how it came out.

One of the best ceasars in the city. Did you know the ceasar originated in Calgary.

Chris on the photo walk.

Current desktop wallpaper.

Little Miss Parker. She's just a pup! But she's so adorable. Chris is puppysitting for a friend of ours. I could have played with her all day.

Chris & Parker.

Fall family fun

2011-09-25T19:46:00.000-07:00

Just a quick sneak peak from Erin's family session this weekend. It was a very busy photo weekend for me so I'm trying to get the sneak peaks as best as I can. This session actually encorporated two of my favourite photography subjects: kids and pets! Fall is always a great time for photographs because of the colours, but Calgary fall photos are even better because sometimes you luck out and have 25 degree weather for your session.

Crochet hats by Creative Energy

2011-09-20T22:50:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to blog about these prop shots I've been working on between client edits. So the WSG is showing some love to Jenn at Creative Energy. A stay at home mom, Jenn has her hands full as it is, but she finds time to whip up these super cute crocheted items. (She also has some of the most affordable pricing ever!) You can find her facebook page by clicking here.

This frame is so long overdue! I've had this adorable hat and matching diaper cover since the spring but hadn't had a baby who fit the size. The bow and fringe blanket are just little embellishments I added to bring some colour in.

I have been dying to use this scale in a shoot! Next attempt will have to be an outdoors shot. All I need is a baby and a chinook....

Booking for 2011

2011-09-15T13:35:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,
I just wanted to put a little note here that there are currently only 12 more availabilities for the year. Since the only shoots I do on weekday evenings are newborn sessions, the weekend spots are filling up quickly. Availabilities are as follows…

October: 2nd, 8th, 9th, 10th, 16th, 22nd & 29th
November: Completely booked
December: 3rd, 4th, 11th, 17th & 18th

Please note that if you want to guarantee your discs arriving before Christmas you will want to book at the absolutely latest by the last week in November. I will do my best to make sure all discs from December arrive before Christmas but I can’t make any promises.

There will be a price increase as of December 31, 2011 so if you want to guarantee the $60 deal, book as soon as possible!

Today is a Gift

2011-09-11T21:40:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I took a jewellery photo. But since I got my new lens I wanted to try taking a photo of this necklace of mine. I had been eyeing it for over a year at one of my favourite stores. I finally bit the money bullet and bought it and I'm so glad I did! I've worn it every day since! :) Due to a very sensitive allergy to nickel and just my personal style, I'm very particular about my jewellery. It's safe to say this is one of my favourite necklaces. Stamped into it is an important message we all forget sometimes and this serves as a reminder for me.

Yesterday is History. Today is Gift. Tomorrow is a Mystery.

Family :: Tina, Tyler + Mia

2011-09-11T19:46:00.000-07:00

Here's a sneak peak from today's session with Tina, Tyler + Mia. Although the little lady was suffering from a bout of a cold and it was ridiculously windy, we managed to get some great shots. Here are some of my favourites from this afternoon.

Big yawn... So sleepy!

This is my favourite!

Although this runs a close second.

And this one too.

Big yawn!

Engagement :: Deanna + Trevor

2011-09-10T17:45:00.000-07:00

I had an absolutely awesome time this afternoon with Deanna + Trevor at their engagement shoot. I had such a hard time picking my favourite photos, there were just too many!

Family :: Ariane + Audrey

2011-09-10T17:41:00.003-07:00

Just a quick sneak peak from Ariane + Audrey's family session this weekend! It was a beautiful sunny morning when I met up with the mother daughter duo.

Newborn :: Sneak Peak

2011-09-08T21:01:00.000-07:00

Just a quick sneak peak from Kim's little baby boy's newborn session this evening. I was so excited to do this shoot outside!

Yay! New disc labels!

2011-09-08T20:54:00.001-07:00

Due to some recent problems with clients not being able to read their discs because of the labels I took the opportunity to snaz up the discs! I've got a handful of different templates now so it makes customizing each disc easy and fun. I had a cute cardstock cd slip idea but decided that since I put the majority of clients discs in Canada Post that it's best to keep them in the sturdy slim jewel cases.

New layout!

2011-09-05T21:46:00.000-07:00

Well here we go folks!

I am proud to introduce the new layout for the blog! This is more of what I had in mind when I wanted to re-vamp the blog. I've always had a passion for teal and I can't get enough of damask patterns lately. I've also figured out how to increase the size of my photos without losing too much quality, so I'm pretty excited about the whole thing.

I do want to thank the dozens of photographer's blogs from which I got some of my millions of ideas. I have spent the last 6 months taking notes on code and design ideas to come up with a compilation of the beautiful ideas I've seen both on the net and in my mind. Photography is about creativity but creativity is nothing without inspiration, so I thank you for helping me to find a layout I'm happy with!

Next is the website! Not sure if I ever officially announced it but you can find set your bookmarks to www.wishingstargallery.ca

Ciao for now! I've got to get back to catching up on edits after my external hard drive crashed last month....

Thanks & Shutter Clicks,
Chelsey

Catching up on edits...

2011-09-05T16:41:00.000-07:00

While catching up on edits these last few day, I stumbled across this shot which I absolutely adore. During the dances at a wedding reception I'm often shooting so fast I don't remember every frame I take. This would be one of those times.

About this photo: This photo was taken during the father daughter dance at Julia & Kristian's wedding at the beginning of August. The bride had everyone in stitches that happy day and she couldn't resist making her daddy smile during a solemn moment dancing.

Baby :: Carter

2011-08-27T15:01:00.000-07:00

It's no secret I love dogs. It's also a well known fact that I love babies. :) Well this weekend for Carter's session I got to photograph both! Like any little man, Carter has two of man's best friends. His mom Michelle invited me over to their home for some family photos. Here's a sneak peak from their session today....

Baby fusses, dog cuddles and kisses.

Family group shot!

Newborn :: Matteo

2011-08-26T20:44:00.000-07:00

A friend recently commented on the number of newborn shoots I've been photographing lately. To be honest, I hadn't really thought about it until she pointed it out. Then I started to think about how many new families have let me into their lives. I was filled with a sense of not only pride, but honour. I feel so fortunate to have been intrusted with the privilege of so many babies first photo shoots. It was with this in mind that I pulled up to Marilena + Ryan's house yesterday evening.

Matteo is a darling little boy. I felt an instant adoration for him. Together their little family is the image of everything a new family should be and I am looking forward to being able to watch the little guy grow through the viewfinder in my camera!

So sleepy....

(The shot Marilena was most eagerly awaiting.) :)

Newborn :: Gianna + Mila

2011-08-22T22:16:00.000-07:00

I am so tired but wanted to post a photo from Monica's newborn session this evening. Introducing little misses Gianna + Mila. Aren't they just adorable!! Twin girls!

Baby :: Parmisa

2011-08-20T18:37:00.000-07:00

This weekend I had the pleasure of photographing this delightful three month old little girl. She is so completely adorable I was smitten right away. I had so much fun at Parmisa's session I even forgot for a few hours that my hard drive is currently in the hands of technicians trying to rescue thousands of both edited and unedited photos. I've been a horrible mood since I gave up the drive and a generally cranky witch. Here are a few of my favourites from her session.

Sneak Peak :: Riley

2011-08-19T21:26:00.000-07:00

Although my computer is on the fritz and currently at the repair shop, I wanted to post a few of the photos from last weekend's session with Riley and his mommy and daddy. I hadn't had the opportunity to download the photos from this session until this evening, to a different drive.

Technical Difficulties

2011-08-19T13:36:00.000-07:00

All discs are delayed 5-7 days due to technical hardware problems. Keep your fingers crossed, it may take less time than that!

Sneak peak on the way though!

Newborn :: Tori

2011-08-13T21:52:00.000-07:00

Family :: Sneak Peak for Meiling

2011-08-10T21:54:00.001-07:00

Just a quick sneak peak of photos from Meiling's family session this past weekend! Sorry it took so long for you sneak peak Meiling, thank you for being so patient!

Life :: Brianna

2011-08-08T20:59:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to the 2011-2012 Miss International Job's Daughter, Brianna, who was crowned two weeks ago at the pageant in St. Louis! As Miss Alberta Job's Daughter she represented her province with grace, kindness and dignity not only on stage but also at the various competitions through out the week long pageant. In addition to being named MIJD 2011-2012 she was also crowned Miss Congeniality. I felt honoured to be asked to photograph Brianna as she begins this new adventure in her life.

The above photos features Brianna in her beautiful pageant dress. The below photos were taken of her in her interview dress. Isn't she simply gorgeous?!

Wedding :: Julia + Kristian

2011-08-04T22:39:00.000-07:00

This is a few days late.... I will hopefully get an chance to write about this amazing wedding later, but for now you will have to excuse me as I go collapse ontop of my bed.

Maternity :: Monica

2011-07-18T21:26:00.000-07:00

Click on the storyboard to see a larger copy of the photo!

Just a sneak peak from Monica's maternity session this evening. I am so excited to be invited back to photograph the arrival of the twins!! Good luck you guys!

Birthday :: Jordan

2011-07-18T20:43:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Jordan! I was thrilled when this handsome little fellow's mom asked me to photograph his fourth birthday party. Like any young boy he has great aspirations for growing up: he wants to be a firefighter. So the entire birthday had a fire fighting theme, including a visit from a real life fire fighter! (I don't know who enjoyed that part more, the kids or the moms! Haha!) It was a great afternoon and I felt so fortunate to be asked to help this wonderful family celebrate this milestone.

Click on the photos to see larger versions of the photos.

Family :: Swadling

2011-07-17T18:27:00.000-07:00

I've decided to try a new way of doing sneak peaks. I'm not sure how long this idea will last but we'll see!

Sneak peaks are one of the things I really pride myself on being able to provide. I hate waiting to see what kind of photos someone has taken of me so I always try to get a sneak peak up as soon as possible. Usually it's within 48 hours. But, as my editing skills increase, it takes more time for me to edit each photo - even if it doesn't look like it my post processing process has doubled in time in the last 8 months. This becomes a problem when people except a nice indepth sneak peak, like the ones clients have come to expect. 20 photos has gone from 1 hour of editing to much longer.

Anyways, above is a sneak peak from the Swadling's session this morning. They were a very nice family and I felt privileged to be able to take their family portraits. Feel free to click on the photo to see a larger version of it.

Summer Flowers

2011-07-17T12:52:00.000-07:00

While wandering around the park while waiting for my session with Lisa, Justin & Madison (see previous post) I snapped a bunch of shots of flowers. I haven't had much time lately but made special time to post these. There may or may not be more later. I took more shots, it just takes time to throw them into the story boards.

The template for these boards were actually made by someone else, which I found online ages ago. The website name isn't coming to me unfortunately... But there are lots of sites out there that offer all sorts of templates for free. Lately I've been experimenting with my one. With these ones, I tweaked them (background, font, photos obviously) but the concept of the board was actually someone else's. Fun fact: these are currently the wallpaper for my desktop. That's what I orginally made them for. :)

Life :: Lisa, Justin & Madison

2011-07-10T18:39:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I held a contest to celebrate 150 fans on the WSG's facebook page. Lisa was was the winner of that contest. And then this month, she and her hubby Justin celebrated their anniversary. I was very happy to oblige when she asked that she use her prize, one free session, to celebrate the milestone. I absolutely adore their entire family and had a great afternoon with them. Here are some of my favourites from her session....

Newborn :: James

2011-07-09T22:10:00.000-07:00

Baby James is eight days old... and he is absolutely cute as button. I was very excited when his mom Addie emailed me to ask me to photograph his newborn session. (Truth be told, I get excited about any shoot, but especially when there's little fresh babies involved. It's the girl in me coming out I guess.) Here are a bunch of my favourites from the session. You can see more on the facebook album at www.facebook.com/wishingstargallery Congratulations to Addie & Steve!

Barely a week old and he's already got an OMG face.

Big yawn!

Bigger yawn!

So sleepy...

On a semi related note, I viewed the blog on a different computer than the ones I normally used and realized that when I select the "large" option for photos that get gritty, stretched and overall they look crummy. I'm working to fix this.... So you'll just have to bare with me as I experiment!

Ring shot

2011-07-07T21:34:00.000-07:00

As you may, or may not know, my hubby and I are moving. We recently celebrated our anniversary with a photo session with Morgan Marriott of Creative Bliss Photography. You can see our photo session at www.creativeblissphotography.blogspot.com. I was going to do a blog post about it because although I didn't take the photos I felt it would be nice to highlight another amateur photographer's work. (Plus Morgan is a frequent WSG client.) Unfortunately, I am so insanely busy I just don't have the time to. :( Maybe later.

Anyways, so we had our photo session. And at our session we had a few photos with our jerseys. And now we're moving. So... our house is in a state of organized chaos. Last night I was relaxing (actually I was trying to get my hand working.... I have a flaring case of carpel tunnel I think...Complicated by photo editing.) and I noticed Shaun's jersey sitting on the side of the couch. So, I took the oppertunity to take a ring shot that I've never seen but couldn't believe I hadn't thought of it. I've taken photos of a flames jersey and a dog, a flames jersey and a baby, but never a flames jersey and wedding rings.... well now I have!

Practice makes.....

2011-07-07T21:29:00.000-07:00

Practice makes.... well not perfect. I bought a manual lens from a fellow photographer and have been practising with it between photo edits. What's so hard about this lens you ask? It has the ability to have a very very small focus spot, blurring everything no matter how close to the subject. Take the photo above for example. My focus was on the flower head, but the depth of field is so shallow on this shot that not even the whole flower is clear. So it's a toughie.

Happy Canada Day

2011-07-07T21:12:00.000-07:00

Happy Canada Day!

....So I know this post is late. I've been behind on the times lately and I apologize profusely. Work has been very busy. And my "real life" has been even busier. So since this is a part time thing, something had to give.

I am currently working like a fiend juggling packing, work, and editing a bunch of photos. As you may know, May/June was a very busy photo month for me and to be fair to my family I have tried very hard to not be a photo zombie...especially with the stat holidays. (Photo zombie definition: when you have eyes only for your camera or computer because you are editing.) Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you and I am working to have your photos done as soon as possible.

In the mean time, while I am trying to get my external memory to connect to my photo editing programs so I can continue editing, I figured I shot attempt at a Canada Day post. I did have this post for the Canada day long weekend, but unfortunately it seems in my busy photo zombie stat, I forgot to actually click "publish post." So the lovely, well written blog post I had was lost.

Canada Day my hubby took our little family (him, me and our chocolate lab Hartigan) to a man made pond just outside of Calgary that we like to go to. Hartigan used to be terrified of water but as he has matured he's come to love it. Before, he would through himself down on the ground when you brought him within 10 ft. of water. Now it's tough to get him out!

The pond is glacier fed. This gives it a gorgeous blue colour.

Walking around the pond....

Hartigan at a distance.

"Oh hai!"

Swim swim swim

Getting sleepy

Shaun took away the stick that Hartigan found and he didn't seem to care for that... so he shook his fur as hard as he could in Shaun's direction :p

"Please please please throw the stick..."

Newborn :: Jackson

2011-06-25T16:31:00.000-07:00

As busy as I've been with "real life" lately, I couldn't resist blogging about a session I had today. This little fellow came two weeks early, but it's clear that his mom and dad have loved him long before his birth. Here are some of my favourites!

Baby :: Aria

2011-06-18T20:36:00.000-07:00

In May I blogged about my mother's day session with Jennifer and her daugher and mother. I felt so blessed to be asked to photograph the three generations of her family. I returned this month to photograph Jennifer, her husband Vishal and the darling little girl, Aria! You can see Jenn + Vishal's maternity session from last year by clicking here. And you can see their mother's day session by clicking here.

Child :: Ryan

2011-06-18T20:23:00.000-07:00

One of the things I really enjoy about my job is when families call me back for 2nd session. Since I've been shooting under the WSG banner for over a year now I seem to be getting a lot of year-later-photo phone calls lately. When it comes to kidlet shoots, I get to see how much they have grown. I really enjoy that part. For some reason, I get a big kick out of it. Ryan is one of these cases. You can see his first session by clicking here. As a viewer/reader you might get a kick out of how much this little charmer has changed but still managed to stay the same.

Children :: Hanging with the boys

2011-06-18T20:09:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I had a session with Cassandra + Kaala's little boys. They are roughly three months apart and like their mom's they getting along very well. Here are some of my favourites from their session.

Poke!

Looking out on the pouring rain.

Sometimes it's about sharing...

Family :: Morgan, Brad + Co.

2011-06-18T19:57:00.000-07:00

I wanted to blog about this session for one main reason... I adore this family. I met Morgan + Brad when I started documenting Morgan's pregancy. Then I met the two girls, Emily + Brooklynn, and then finally, baby Colton made his debut to the family. Truth be told, when he was born I was a little worried that I would never get to photograph this wonderful family again. But we've kept in touch and Morgan + Brad still ask me to do photos. :) I was so happy to be able to do the mock studio set up for their family photos earlier this month.

This photo is classic Morgan + Brad. I love it. It's probably one of my all time favourites.

Child :: Shasha

2011-06-18T19:37:00.000-07:00

Sugar, spice and everything nice. That's what little girls are made of! The beautiful Shasha makes her 4th appearance on the Wishing Star Gallery blog in these photos from earlier this month. (I'm trying desperately to catch up on my blog posts.) I have had the pleasure of watching this little angel grow up through my view finder and loved getting together with her and her parents a few weekends ago for her session.

Uh oh! The stick broke.

Baby :: Avery

2011-06-07T21:22:00.000-07:00

Sneak peak from baby Avery's session this week! Aren't her eyes so adorable? She's got her daddy's eyes but her mommy's cutey patootie smile. She's grown a lot since her newborn session in December, which you can see by clicking here.

Showing off her brand new two bottom teeth.

Peekaboo!

Changes :: Please Read

2011-06-03T23:16:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

As I learn more and more about the photo busines there have been things I have had to change as far as pricing, fees and general practices. I sent out a mass email but it seems that some recepients never actually received their email, so I'm posting a blog post here.

In an effort to make the best use of both the cilent and photographer's time, the following additional costs are outlined and understood by the client.

Cancellation within 72 hours $60
Cancellation before 72 hours $20
Reschedule within 72 hours $50
Reschedule before 72 hours $20
No show fee of $60.

So if you were to call before 72 hours before your shoot and re-schedule, you will be charged $20 + $60 from when you have your rescheduled session.

When you book a date with me, that date is yours. I will turn down any other clients requesting that day. So if you choose to cancel the night before your session, you have given up your date and taken away someone else's opportunity to have a session.

I want to make it clear that although I do not require the agreement to be signed beforehand and a deposit made, I do this out of goodwill knowing that clients will sign the agreement at the time of the session. The agreement is generally emailed ahead of time to make you aware of the terms.

There is to be no trading of sessions with friends. If you have committed to a session date, I have dedicated that day for your session and no one else's. If you decide you are unable to go through with your session on the date you have chosen, then you have the option of rescheduling or cancelling.

Also, I will no longer be waiving the promotion clause on my agreement. In some situations I have been asked to not display the photos I take, and I have obliged the clients. But since this is becoming a repetitive request, I will no longer be waiving my right to use the photos for promotion. The purpose of my $60 rate is to expand my portfolio, which I can't do if I'm not allowed to display the photos. The only exception to the promotion clause will be boudoir photos.

Newborn :: Baby Gauge

2011-05-31T17:16:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the world to a very special little boy, Baby Gauge! I met him (and his mommy and daddy) yesterday for their newborn session. He is so sweet I just couldn't get over how adorable he is! We sort of mashed two styles of newborn sessions into one session. On one had we have the family's first portraits and the other hand we have Gauge playing around in various props. Definitely my favourite way of doing things!

Wedding :: Rebecca + Greg

2011-05-29T10:48:00.000-07:00

After nonstop rain for five days, the cloudy sky finally opened up and let the sunshine out. The romantic/cheesy person in me would like to think that fate stepped in on Rebecca + Greg's behalf...and who are we kidding, I'm always sort of cheesy and romantic, so we'll go with that! We could not have asked for better May weather... You would think a date like May 28th would promise you good weather, but you never know here in Calgary.

I met this wonderful couple last year when I photographed their engagement session. (You can find that here, incase you're wondering.) The venue was breath-taking, the decor was in mind with the couple (pink for her, gold for the pittsburg penguins-I mean, him :D) and the Bride and Groom were.....perfect.

Here are a few of my favourite shots that are hot off the presses!

The moment he saw her...

Why yes, that is a Pittsburg jersey....

The wedding party/receiving line!

Just hanging out.... Making out....

Shoes!!

Look at all the vibrant green grass! That's what you get when it rains for 5 days.

Family :: For Nadia

2011-05-24T21:20:00.000-07:00

Just a quick sneak peak for Nadia from her session this weekend!

Life :: Julia

2011-05-20T19:13:00.000-07:00

Due to the nature of Julia's shoot I won't be posting many photos, but I did want to share a few of her stunning headshots from her April session.

This last photo is my favourite. As a tattoo enthusiast I love photographing tattoos.

Hard at Work

2011-05-17T21:20:00.000-07:00

I wanted to do a different kind of blog post from the format I seem to have developed. Every photographer likes to have photos of them taking photos. I don't really have many.. or any for that matter! But now, thanks to Michelle Drummond (of Michelle Drummond Photography) I do. A fellow photo enthusiast, Michelle and I have known each other for nearly a year now and I was so happy for her and her little family when her son Aric was born.

Some photographers would be leary about showing these sort of photos because it can give away how they set things up. Professionals will charge you an arm and a leg for their book or workshop that teaches you a lot of the techniques you might notice here, but I'm okay with sharing because I look at it this way... I've come up with these ideas from a lot of research and thought. So why not share? :)

So here's how this post works! I'll post a photo of me taking the shot (taken by Michelle) and then show the photo I was taking.

Number 1 : Aric in the newborn nest

Number 2: Angel

Number 3: Sleepy Owl

Number 4: Mr. Bear watches over Aric

Newborn :: Aric

2011-05-17T21:04:00.000-07:00

Meet baby Aric! Isn't he just a cutey?

My apologies on the delayed blog post. Aric was born right before the easter weekend, but I was out of town so I didn't get to meet this little boy until 4 days later for his newborn shoot. And while I had a facebook album up for his mommy a few days after the session, I haven't gotten around to blogging some of my favourite photos from his session. It sounds bad to say but he was the perfect guinea pig for my growing prop addiction.

This hat was a little too big for him but it made me think of a line from the Lion King... "Oh I just can't wait to be kiiiinnnng."

My first attempt at a baby sling shot!

Numero #2

Look at those little wrinkley feet!!

The newborn nest makes it's second appearance! Spring eggs for the spring baby!

Baby :: Rosha

2011-05-10T17:26:00.000-07:00

Meet Rosha. She was my Sunday, May 8th session. You will note her shoes. Adorable. The same word can be used to describe Rosha. Adorable!!

This multi-lingual cutie was fun to photograph. Her parents tell me that she is usually very cautious of people and that it takes a couple of hours for her to warm up to them. Well she was shy at first, but in the end she was so comfortable with me that she was showing me how to make phonecalls on Mommy's cell phone! Like any 18 month old she was unsure at first, but unlike most children her age, Rosha understood that I was there to take pictures. It was an interesting situation to say the least.

Here are some of my favourites from her session.

Fish!

Pretending to go to sleep for Mommy.

" OMG! My favourite book!" I love this face.

The Classic Baby Learns To Read shot

Rosha's version of the Baby Learns To Read shot

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-07T22:09:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day Everyone!!

Here's another shot from Jennifer's session with her daughter. Click on the photo to view the larger version... because this resized one just doesn't do this photo justice! :D

Family :: Three Generations

2011-05-07T21:55:00.000-07:00

With Mother's Day just around the corner (quite literally... in less than an hour!) I was getting increasingly excited while uploading these photos this afternoon. Anyone who knows me personally knows that I grew up as the 4th living generation of women in my maternal family. My dad died when I was little so I was raised by my amazing mother with the guidance of her mother and grandmother. So when Jennifer booked her session I immediately loved the idea she proposed to introduce her newly born daughter... 3 generations of her own family!

I had the pleasure of taking Jenn & Vishal's maternity photos in December which you can view by clicking here. You can see more photos from the 3 generations shoot on the facebook page by visiting www.facebook.com/wishingstargallery

Family :: Andrea + Colin

2011-05-07T18:42:00.000-07:00

Aloha! Sneak peak for Andrea (and Colin) from their daughter's photo session. Baby Selene and her big sister Mikayla are two of the cutest little girls I have ever seen. I'm interested to see if Selene will be as energetic as her big sister.

This is my favourite shot! So sweet.

Life :: Tracy (Red Dress)

2011-05-05T15:52:00.000-07:00

I went back and forth and whether or not I actually wanted to post these shots. We'll call them girl on beach version 1.0. Why 1.0? Because we're going to try it again with a different dress, makeup and hopefully bettter lighting. I took these photos after Tracy's session (see previous post) on Easter weekend as the sun was setting. Scratch that, it wasn't setting. It was practically set! That'll teach me to keep shooting and not move onto the next costume change even when I know we should.

These photos were good practice for me but in the end I just wasn't happy with them, even before I uploaded them to the computer. So I wasn't going to post them. Until I was experimenting with post processing textures (cough photoshopping cough) and I took them in a completely different direction than what I had intended. There was only a small handful of them to begin with, so I had no problem picking my favourites.

Life :: Tracy

2011-05-05T15:44:00.000-07:00

So I'm a little behind on my blogging! I apologize. It's been a little hectic here at the Wishing Star Gallery but here's some shots from Tracy's life session on Easter weekend. I travelled back home to Kamloops, BC and couldn't resist the idea of this shoot with my one of my favourite models....who just happens to be my best friend! You can see her past session with "my" beautiful red charger by clicking here.

Maternity :: Chantelle

2011-05-01T20:43:00.001-07:00

Just a quick sneak peak from this weekend's maternity session! Chantelle's due date is just around the corner so I'm very happy that we got the oppertunity to take these photos. We got some great shots and it was nice getting to know the young family. Want to see a few more photos? Visit the facebook page at www.facebook.com/wishingstargallery

Baby Easter Bunny

2011-04-24T10:10:00.000-07:00

Hoppy Easter everyone!

Baby :: River

2011-04-23T20:47:00.000-07:00

Even though I'm on holidays this weekend, I couldn't resist getting together with this precious little angel for a session. Little Miss River is so adorable. She's 11 months old and she already has teeth, is walking and is learning to speak! Her face has so many adorable expressions, I wish I could have posted them all here.... but since I couldn't, feel free to check out her facebook album by clicking here.

Mmmm.... Cheerios...

Oh hello there!

Hi!

My mister moose!

150 Facebook Fan Giveaway

2011-04-18T19:33:00.000-07:00

I'll admit it, I've totally got a case of giveaway fever. It's rampant all over facebook, twitter and just the world wide web in general! Couple my love for giveaways with an idea to celebrate 150 fabulous facebook fans and it's time to jump on the bandwagon friends!

So, how do you win yourself a one hour session and disc with your photos? It's super easy.

Step 1. "Like" the Wishing Star Gallery's facebook page (found here)

Step 2. Show us some love!! Change your facebook status, making sure you link to the facebook page! For example, make this your facebook status "Check out @wishingstargallery, at http://www.wishingstarphotography.blogspot.com/ and enter to win the 150 fan giveaway!" Make sure you place the "@" before wishingstargallery, as this will link to my page, then leave a comment on the facebook page telling me you did so.

Bonus entry. Want a bonus entry? If you've already had a session with The Wishing Star Gallery, write a review from your session on the facebook page.

The winner will be announced when we reach 150 fans!