Near miss with Easter Dinner-The magazine made me do it!!!

I'm blaming it all on Style at Home Magazine. Okay, maybe it's not fair to lay ALL the blame at it's front door. In hindsight, I believe it was a combination of a number of elements that led to the near disaster of Easter Dinner being super late. All right- my "photoholic" tendencies took over at some point that afternoon in combination with my propensity to wander from one action to the next. My creative juices had been stirred by the magazine cover-plain and simple- it was a cosmic chain of events leading to the near disaster.

I guess I should begin at the beginning...(always a great place to start!) It was this past Thursday, a busy day in the grocery stores, everyone buying "stock piles" of food before their holiday weekend feasts. Therein lay the first "catalyst". Me in a grocery checkout line is never a good thing. My eyes wandered from heaping cart to heaping cart and then rested on the cover of Style at Home. The beautiful soft hues of blue, pinks and creams seemed to call to me.."Pick me up! Pick me up!" (Enough with the theatrics. ) Like every second person in line, waiting for their turn at the cash resister hoping for some sort of reprieve from the noisy chaos, I leaned over to the magazine rack, grabbed the magazine that promised me some sort of feeling of "calmness, relaxation with a breath of Spring" and began to flip through the pages. I then found myself placing it beside my pile of groceries, chalking the purchase up as some imaginary "health and well-being" expense.

The magazine spent the night resting comfortably on my kitchen counter. Every now and then I'd glance at the cover and sigh. Why was I sighing??? I thought about it quite often the next day as I prepared to have my extended family of 10 over for dinner that evening. As I wrapped the potatoes and made the salad I began to think about what to do as a table setting. That's when it happened-I'm sure of the moment now- Dinner had just taken a bit of a detour!

The cover of the magazine seemed to inspire me-Hummmm- pink, blue, and creams..... I don't have a lot of the "fancy" items showcased in a lot of the magazines, but I did have a few nicknacks that could pass. I took out my cream linen tablecloth, and a faded plaid blue and green relic of a tablecloth from a few years back. I had been given a beautiful bouquet of bright pink colored Gerbra's just a few days before and I had a collection of "flea market" inexpensive milk glass vases hiding in a pantry. They would do just nicely for what I had in mind. As I arranged the table and stood back to observe the room I was instantly "struck" by how beautiful the side light from the patio doors were illuminating the milk glass and the flowers. That's when the "photoholic" tendencies kicked in!

Yes, sad to say, that's dinner on the counter, (Above), sitting ontop of the stove, sadly forgotten over the next couple of hours that afternoon.

The next couple of hours were not only an experimentation with lenses, light, angle, and still photography but a self-realization that as much as I love this type of photography -it's excruciatingly painstakingly, detailed and difficult to do. Since January, I've been on my own as a photographer and not in the constant shadow of a mentor to whom I can constantly barge with photography related questions and glean valuable "how to" information from tagging along with on shoots. I've had to search out other avenues of learning. The best I've found - Just try it and learn.

The following day as I edited through the images I learned a lot. I was a little disappointed with the results. I learned I need to look for details as I photograph. I got sloppy- focusing on light, not the details filling my camera's frame. Details like, ripples in the tablecloth, crooked lines on mirrors and picture frames, etc. all went unnoticed till I edited. Ultimately the goal is to give the client the perfect Full Frame resolution file.

Most important of all, I realized what the "sigh" was all about. I remembered that not two years ago in a photography class -when I was asked what my dream photography job would be- I said I'd like to work for Style at Home/House and Home and do that type of photography. LOL. I have a lot of practicing to do till I get it right!

Don't worry- Most stories end well-and I'm happy to say I came to my senses and did remember at the very last second to get the potatoes into the oven, off of the stove. Supper was a bit delayed - I didn't say why. No one knew or would have guessed. Well, alright- maybe those who love and know me the best would have clued into the "tell tale" tripod sitting in the corner of the room. If they did, they didn't say.

Thank you to "Style at Home" for putting together a beautiful publication that can inspire individuals both personally and professionally! Special "Hats off" to the photographers that do commercial work for magazines such as this! Oh, by the way, I did look into one photographer's work, Virginia MacDonald (she was mentioned in the magazine.) I enjoy her work-click on her name and check it out!

Princesses are in the House!

I'm always amazed with what the results can be from a one hour photo session with children! My goal, always being able to capture a spontaneous moment, a child's natural expression, and of course the natural smile! So often a child arrives to the session so timid and unsure-(I would feel that way if I was only a few feet tall and I entered a room with 4 big towering bright lights and someone telling me to go stand on the largest roll of bright white paper I've ever seen!) I find with each child timing is always unique. Some take but 5 min. to realize there are toy props in the room and "let loose" and others can take closer to half an hour to warm up to the idea of being the camera's subject. Just playing and having a good time I find is always the key! I love it too when the parent brings along props as well that are special to the child. It often gives the child a sense of security and pride, which translate well in an image.

It becomes even more fun when the child brings along their imagination and some costumes to go along with it! These two "Princesses" literally transformed in front of the camera upon slipping into their Princess Costumes, necklaces and placing a crown upon their head! Here are some of the results from last weeks Spring Session..too much fun!

Happy Easter! Investigating Chicks!

Happy Easter! I was trying to figure out a creative way of sharing an Easter greeting with friends family and clients. I began to dwell on the commercial aspect of Easter and a number of questions began to arise in my mind. How did we as a society come to associate Easter with Bunnies, coloured eggs and fluffy yellow chicks?

Maybe it's the mom in me, or my experience with children 2-4 knowing the most asked question is WHY! So I set off to do a journalistic/photographic investigation at least one of the most recognized Easter Icons-The Fluffy Yellow Chick!

I spared no expense and covered lots of ground-literally, traveling to a rural area of Manitoba to get some answers! Think of this Blog as the "Cheep" version of the Discovery channel!(HA HA I had to throw one pun in there somewhere!) Feel free to pass on the "tidbits" of information in the next few paragraphs at you next social gathering, cocktail party, or as your driving your kids to school. All information was new to me!

Let me just say right off the "hop" (something chicks do a lot of!) NO CHICKS WERE HARMED DURING THIS INVESTIGATION. (Only well loved and taken care of, and trust me these little girls have a way of growing on you.)

The "Chix" seen here are from the Bovan strain of Leghorn laying eggs hens ( Don't worry -I couldn't have photographed them knowing perhaps they would end up being dinner one day!) "Bringing it close to home" they are one of 5 types/strains of hens available in Manitoba. They only remain fluffy yellow for a very short while and begin producing white feathers within a few days and by two weeks no longer have their "Downy feel". They need high temperatures of around 33C after they hatch and bright light 24 hours a day. They are fed a high protein diet of oats, corn, and wheat with vitamins and minerals. They are also vaccinated at hatching against common diseases like bronchitis. By age 15 weeks, the hours of light are eventually diminished to 12 and the temperature to 23C. They are called chicks till 12 weeks and then become known as Pullets.

Ever heard the saying "pecking order"? Chickens have a need to peck, so at birth these types of chicks have their beaks trimmed to help protect weaker birds from the others. Pullets begin to lay eggs at around 19 weeks of age. Each Hen can have the potential to lay one egg a day. Think about that next time you order that "Big Breakfast" with three eggs-It took a Hen power of 3 to feed you!

I say potential, because Hens are really quite "Finicky". They need to have just the right amount of food, water, room to roam and light and darkness to produce. If any one of these factors change, they will stop laying eggs. They are definately social but prefer smaller groups. Most birds lay good eggs till around 14 months when the eggs become more fragile in nature.

My son had an opportunity to interact with the chicks. He discovered they quite enjoyed a good back rub and considering their one day old status, had no fear of him and showed a bit of curiosity. Infact after feeding the birds, we found they tend to "flock" towards or follow you!

Hope I was able to enlighten you a little with information on these fluffy little Easter Icons. Now if you know the answer to the question "Why is it the Easter Bunny that hides the eggs? ( Should it not be a Chicken?) Let me know! -I've done my share of research for a while! Have a great Holiday!

Just in time for Mother's Day!

Wow! I love it when I can combine my two favorite types of photography-Pet portraiture and children's portraits! I was fortunate to find the most adorable pet bunny named George for my next promotion! George, an angora rabbit, is not your typical rabbit. Far from the rabbits that hop around outside eating the shrubs in my yard-this bunny spends his days indoors watching T.V., hopping from one room to the next, and yes, on occasion I've seen him shopping at Costco!!!!(Yes, I had to do a double take!!!) His favorite pastime-Snuggling!

George's owner Ruth has so generously agreed to share her precious pet to be photographed with children to create one- of- a- kind Children's Portraits session- just in time for Mother's Day. If you know of anyone looking for a unique Mother's Day gift let them know about this Special! Space is limited so book early!

Leigh Konyk Exhibition-Bravo!!!

I had the most enjoyable time last evening checking out the new Cre8ery Gallery exhibit by Leigh Konyk. Her exhibit included something near and dear to my heart-photos! Leigh has an unbelievable talent for picking up and finding "Tidbits of stuff" in her daily life. By "stuff" I'm talking about pattern pieces, photos, magazine clippings-"stuff". "Stuff" I normally might read once, throw away with out a second thought, give away, or, honestly at my age would just plain forget about! Leigh on the other hand carefully collects and "tucks away" these pieces as treasures to be revealed at a later date. It is with this "stuff" that Leigh has created the most fantastic, collages that evoked memories from ones childhood growing up in Winnipeg. I found myself reliving childhood memories with such clarity and I noticed it just wasn't just me with a smile on my face as I viewed her pieces , I caught a few "I remember when..." and " That could be me sitting there..." and I remember when I went with my parents to the ...".

If you find yourself with a little free time in the next week or so-Leigh's exhibit is up till March 23rd. Need a smile-Check it out! Check out cre8ery.com for details!

Above Marilyn, a nurse, enjoys this collage of a Winnipeg hospital recreation.

Lisa J. and her daughter view one of Leigh's pieces that incorporate a picture of her mother and aunt as young girls.

Grand Opening-What an Afternoon!

I love a good party. What makes a good party-the kind that I like best? The best party, most definitely involves family and friends, creating fun memories and just knowing you have a group of individuals that support you and that care about you. I was truly blessed this weekend with that knowledge. I was overwhelmed by the response to the Grand Opening and thank-you so much to all the well wishers -those that came and those who sent e-mails. It was a very enjoyable afternoon . I tried to snap shots of some of the well wishers as they arrived or left. Unfortunately I can't post all of them-way too many! LOL. But know that you'll be "Scrapbooked!" Here are a few highlights and guests of the festivities.

The Studio
"My Men" and Me. They are my biggest photography supporters. For two years now they have had to live, breath, and work with photography and me- I couldn't have done it with out them! Love you guys!

Here are left to right- make-up associate Andrea , Cory A. from Studio 448 (former Boss), and Make-up Artist Morgan. Their "make-up" courtesy of Cory.

Hey -and Congratulations to the door prize winners! Lori H. (above) who won a 1 hour Family photo session with a complimentary 8x10. And Karin J. won a $100.00 value package of dinner at Moxies, movie and snack for 2 and 2 5x7 Crystal frames. Thank-you to Lisa K for being the "lovely assistant" and drawing the winners names!

Associate photographers Scott and Paolo are having way too much fun!!!

"Some ones" have gotten into the props!

Thanks again , to all of you who made the day so wonderful!

Grand Opening!

BIG NEWS! The zoning is in place, the plans underway for the Grand Opening of Ebonie Klassen Photography! Who knew opening a business would be so much work?! Licensing, zoning, invites, etc!

With Zoning in place, I've been able to create a great studio space to use for children and family portraits. Come check it out -Saturday March 6 between 1:00-5:00 p.m. . Drop in and out (Come and Go) to enter to win awesome door prizes and draws-you have to attend to be eligible to win! Have a piece of cake, coffee , enjoy viewing some of my more recent works and upcoming specials. Balloons, children's favors and much more!

As I looked for images to use for my invitations I realized what better models to feature than the winner of my Penny Promotion from December. You may recall the winner won an event session with disk as well as tickets to the Manitoba Children's Museum. The entries were numerous but only one winner could be drawn out of the ballots. But who knew I wouldn't have just one winner but two! I had done a shoot for twins Anna and Noah and both their names were on the ballot for their previous shoot! Timing to use an event session couldn't have been better, for the twins, who just happened to have their 1st birthday in January! Here are just a few images captured at their party.

Hope to see you at the Grand Opening!