Thursday, December 1, 2011

picture the holidays {dec 1}

today is the first day of a new journey!

picture the holidays was a course i took last winter, that delivered an emailed prompt every morning to my inbox and left the rest of the day to soul search what it meant to me.  this constant awareness of the season we were in made every little moment very special, and i was sad when december 31st arrived and the class ended. 

i tried hard to do a picture a day for the entire year after that, but by mid february i quickly slid downhill... from one a day, to one a week, then one a month, then nothing for months. 

i'm sad that i didn't get through the project 365 but was overjoyed when i found out that picture the holidays was being offered again this year!  it is a little bit of a different format this year, so i will try my best to keep up and keep posting. 

please feel free to comment on my blog posts, or head over to the momography page to join in the fun and add your own photos if you are doing a photo a day project... i'd love to see it, and i know it would help keep me motivated!

ok, ready for it?  31 days of absolute sappiness, coming right up!  ~hehe~



today's prompt: holding onto gratitude



these pieces of home-made jewelery have so much meaning for me, and really symbolize perfectly the thing that i am most grateful for... family.  my husband, my children, parents and siblings, nieces and nephews, extended family and friends who feel like family.  i love you all and am such a lucky person to have you in my life!

love to all, hope you enjoyed the first day of december... only 23 left until the big guy starts his magical journey!

xoxo carrie

Thursday, November 10, 2011

connections | kamloops mom and tot photography

being a mom to three beautiful children, and watching how fast they grow and change over the years, i have learned to treasure every single stage, smile and laugh. 

when approached by a friend and fellow momma about possibly doing nursing sessions, i thought it was an absolutely amazing idea, as it was something that i treasured with my own children and never really captured on film (at least not in a way i'd like to show off to anyone!). 

while contemplating this idea, i realized that by focusing on just nursing it would leave out those that can't or choose not to nurse their children... and i didn't want that.  what i picture are sessions with mom and babe that are not necessarily all nursing or feeding, but are more about showing the special connection that mommas and their babies have together. 


i will be offering these wonderful $100 mini sessions as a part of my regular list of sessions.  they will be available year round, and can be held outdoors if weather permits, or in the comfort of your own home within kamloops. 

sessions will include an initial phone interview and an emailed questionnaire to get to know you and your little one better, followed by a fun and relaxing half hour to interact and play with your babe while being photographed.  our focus will be on documenting the connection and love between the two of you... not posing for the camera ;)

within about a week after our session, you can expect 10 professionally edited images in both color and black and white to choose from in a private online gallery.  you will recieve all the images in a bound proof book, and will have your choice of image for a beautiful 11x14 mounted print. 

please contact Carrie to book your session and capture these sweet moments with your little one before they are gone!


the fine print: although i desperately love showing off the beautiful families that i photograph, i completely understand the desire to not have pictures published online and will respect your wishes, just say the word!

the c-f family | kamloops family photography

this is another family that i tend to see once a year.  i was thrilled to see them again and am happily looking forward to their wedding in the spring!  their little guy is absolutely adorable and i had tons of fun trying to capture him for shots between his giggles and explorations of the studio ;)




the s-b family | kamloops family photography

this family was the winner of a giveaway i did at the beginning of the year, but because of illness, scheduling and many other life complications, we just weren't able to make it happen until now.  i was thrilled to finally meet you guys, and congratulations and happy birthday to your dear sweet little one year old!



the k family | kamloops family photography

another wonderful family battled against the wind for their family photos... kamloops really is quite a windy city in the fall!





the w family | kamloops family photography

this wonderful lady taught rhyme time to my youngest and we've fast become friends.  she is just the warmest soul you'll ever meet and her family is exactly as i'd expected them to be... amazing.

it was windy, but that horrible wind made for some amazing clouds in the sky and the fall colours have been so inspiring to me!  i was so glad that the family brought their two dogs along as well... after losing my own i know how important a pet is to a family and encourage everyone if they can to include their pet in at least a few of the family photos every year! 



little man c | kamloops child photography

i can remember hearing the news on the day this little guy was born, and have heard many tales as he's grown up.  they are most always funny, though some have been painful even to imagine! 

he has a pirate ship in his backyard that his parents lovingly (and creatively) built him, with a home-made treasure chest to go with it courtesy of my dad. 

i was so thrilled that his mom called me and asked if i'd like to be the official "paparazzi" for c for the yearly scrapbook!




although this shoot was supposed to be about c, i couldn't resist the perfect light as he hugged his mom.  pretty sure this is one of my favourite images to date, those soft, happy smiles on both of their faces is just priceless!

the b family | kamloops family photography

i was thrilled to get an email from this momma asking if i still had openings for fall family sessions.  i hadn't seen them since last year around this time so was very excited to see little "b" again and see how he'd grown!


he's just as adorable as I remembered, and look at those amazing lashes!

Friday, October 28, 2011

miss j | Classic Blue Photography | kamloops portrait photographer

i have known this wonderful lady for many years, and had the pleasure of heading out into the wilderness with her for an afternoon of laughing, talking and reconnecting.  life gets busy and although we don't see each other often, and talk just a bit more than that, we always seem to be able to pick up where we left off!


she is a jill of all trades, and is just such a delight to spend time with! 




did I mention that she hearts john deere?




thanks for a great afternoon, j!

Sunday, October 16, 2011

saying goodbye | Classic Blue Photography | kamloops pet photography

Eight and a half years ago we began a new journey as a family when we adopted a little black fur-ball and added to our wonderful family of four. She was a black Lab/Newfie cross and had been called "Rollie" by the SPCA... but my children decided that Blue would be a better name for her, as they were lovers of Blue's Clues.  My husband thought that it was a great name too, as it is a beer name ;)




Blue grew with our family, as we added a cat and eventually another child.  She loved playing with the cats (both Molson 2004-2008 who went missing, and Rockstar, our current kitty that we got for Christmas 2008).  She rough-housed with the cats, entertaining our guests as she held the cats' head in her mouth and the cat grabbed onto her back legs and started gnawing on them.

Many years ago, while out on a walk, we came across a soother that had been lost by an unfortunate child.  Blue picked that thing up in her mouth, brought it over to us and got tons of pets.  That was when her nickname "Baby Blue" was created.  We brought the soother home and though she didn't walk around with it in her mouth, she would often go find it and bring it to us when she was looking for attention.


Yesterday, we had to say goodbye to our beautiful baby girl.  It feels like it was much too soon, but we know she is not hurting anymore and enjoying her days in the warm sunshine...chasing her friend Molson, swimming in the lake and rolling in the occasional cow pie.



We love you and miss you so much already baby girl!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Fall time fun!

Last weekend the family went for a drive to enjoy the beautiful show that fall is putting on for us in our area! My oldest brought along her Halloween cape and we had some fun with the camera.


I edited this image using multiple layers.  The first was with my daughter in front of the trees, followed by two layers at 30-50% opacity of just the forest over top.  I then used the eraser tool to let my daughter's image through.  I love the way it turned out, with the trees looking so ghostly around her and she looks like she's outlined and glowing!

Friday, October 7, 2011

!!! WARNING TO KAMLOOPSIANS !!!

I've always thought "that can't/won't happen to me or my family". 

Today it did.

Today my 12 year old son noticed a small, older, red pickup truck driving by his school as he was leaving. 

Today, about 10 minutes into his walk, my son had that same little red truck pull up beside him.

Today a driver wearing a hoodie and a blue baseball cap, leaned out his window and said "Little boy, do you want a ride home?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My kids are well versed in what to do in situations like this, as I have a social work degree and did work in the field for years before getting into photography full time.    I know the very real dangers and often talk to my kids about potential threats.  I also always make sure to not put names or faces to these potential dangers (or strangers), as it could be someone as innocent looking as a little old lady or St. Nick.

Today, Santa was the bad guy... at least that was the thought going through my head as my son's voice hastily explained to me what had happened and what this man looked like.  Old with a huge white beard like Santa.

As soon as he was home safe and sound, we called the police and filed a report.  When the officer showed up to take my son's statement, more details emerged as he remembered them.  Possible rust on the vehicle, a big metal toolbox in the back, the hoodie.

The officer was wonderful as he praised my shaken son for hurridly walking away and pulling out his cell phone where the man could see it.  Quite possibly, that was the reason why he wasn't further pursued.  He had a phone, and he wasn't going to hesitate even a second to use it!

Please, please, please, learn from this terrifying experience and share this information with everyone you can think of.  Make sure your children aren't walking to and from school alone.  Make sure they know what to do in a situation like this.

This is apparently not the first report that's been made of someone fitting this same description... AND HE HASN'T BEEN CAUGHT!!!

Be safe Kamoops, and hug your babies tight!

Friday, June 3, 2011

fix it friday

every week, iheartfaces hosts a fix-it-friday, where an image is submitted and everyone gets a chance to try their hand at editing it.  it's a great way to see others' work and ideas, and learn more about your own visions.  i don't participate often, but i loved this weeks' image so wanted to try my hand at it.

thanks to angie arthur for the image to play with! 

(pictures edited from a large format jpg, using photoshop CS5, resized to 650px wide and saved for web)



ORIGINAL

Edit one: Florabella's "Sweet Color" (at 80%, with a few tweeks) and a bit of "Sunshine" (30%)

Edit two: Florabella's "B&W Platinum" at 80% opacity & cropped)

Head over to my website to check out more of my work, and feel free to comment here to let me know what program you use and actions you swear by!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

the NATURE DANCE project

here is the application to audition for the NATURE DANCE project...

simply fill it in, click submit, and i will get back to you within 24 hours to book your session.

cheers,

carrie

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

perfect pets at iheartfaces


The face of a puppy, especially this big little chocolate lab named Bear, is always hard to resist! 


"Honestly, I swear I don't have any idea who chewed that!"

Awwww!

Many more adorable pet photos this week at iheartfaces, go check them out.

I Heart Faces - Photography Challenges and Photo Tutorials

Sunday, April 17, 2011

they're blowing away at iheartfaces!

this week at iheartfaces, the theme is wind.  as soon as i heard that i knew exactly which picture i was going to enter...


my little one had just turned two and we'd stopped by a local park for a play in the evening.  it was getting late, the sun was setting and the wind was starting to gust as it often does around here.  that beautiful hair that i love so much was driving her crazy as it kept blowing in her face.

the warmth and memories that this picture brings back from last summer are unbelievable.  i can almost hear the crickets and feel the wind.  i am so incredibly grateful for my camera that enables me to capture moments like this.

head over to iheartfaces to see other windy work! 

I Heart Faces - Photography Challenges and Photo Tutorials

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

helping hearts is...

i am so proud to be able to say i am part of this wonderful organization!

please go to the Helping Hearts website for more information.


Helping Hearts from brellowproductions on Vimeo.
www.brellowproductions.com


www.helping-hearts.ca

Saturday, March 19, 2011

grad reps application

happy 6 months little C!

i had this little cutie in the studio on st.patrick's day for his six month pictures. 
one of mom's favourite things that he does right now is sucking on his toes, so it was definately something that we wanted to try to capture!  our little model worked well with us and we got the shots we were looking for!  hope you like them, momma ;)
  












Tuesday, March 15, 2011

grade 12 grad reps wanted... and a contest!




Classic Blue Photography is looking for representatives!

THE DETAILS:

who: grade 12 grads who are photogenic, outgoing and fun

what: to represent Classic Blue Photography, to have a fun photo session and show your photos off to others!

where: Kamloops, BC and surrounding area highschools

when: March, April or May of 2011 (your grade 12 year)

why: your session at half off, a bonus proof album, and your chance to win your entire session for free. a better question would be "why not?" ;)

how: contact me at classicbluephotography@shaw.ca for an application.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

iheartfaces people's choice - best faces in february

it seems like i am constantly posting photos of my youngest... but when you spend all day with the same child, it's bound to happen that that's what your camera finds most often!

her precious two and a half year old face has changed so much since she was born, i can't believe how fast she's growing! with a purse over her shoulder and a play cell phone in her hand she was ready to head out on the town... well... as soon as mommy took a few pictures ;)






head over to http://www.iheartfaces.com/ for more beautiful faces!