Theres an app for that

When I first got my Iphone I downloaded a bunch of photography apps and one of the apps I had but completely forgot about is called instagram. Its mainly for sharing photos with other people who use the app and on social media sites like facebook. The coolest feature about it though is that you can put different filters onto your pictures which make the photo black and white or look really old, etc. Here are some of my favorite pictures using the app!

Fish Creek on steriods

Amber came to visit me last weekend and of course I had to take the opportunity to do another photo shoot with her. I wanted to go to Stanley Park again but in a different area then where Lucy and I went. Fortunately Stanley Park is huge so this wasn't a hard thing to do. I had been constantly checking the weather for when she was coming to visit hoping it would be sunny the whole time. Unfortunately on the day we decided to do the shoot it was raining and I was of course not wearing rain proof foot wear. That didn't deter us and we got some great shots! This was probably my favourite shoot that I did with amber. While at the beach taking pictures a group of tourists on a trolley tour drove by and waved at us, it felt like we were famous! Amber helped me edit the pictures afterwards which was cool experience. I lost both my umbrellas during her visit but it was well worth it! Here are my favourite pictures from the shoot.

Here comes the bride

I have been asked to be the photographer at my friend Lill's wedding. I am so excited and honoured to be able to help document one of the most important events in her life! I am also very nervous because I have never done anything like this before. I did get to take some pictures for my friend Kristi's wedding but I wasnt the designated photographer. I have read ALOT of blogs and sites that give tips on wedding photography and will make sure I am uber prepared for the day. I already have written down a shot sheet, some ideas I have on top of that as well as seen pictures of the ceremony which has given me ideas as well. This wedding will be good for me to do because I ideally want to become a wedding photographer once I have graduated from school. If I hate the experience at least I will know that I should pursue a different photography path. The wedding is not until the end of June so I will post some pictures and update how the day went after. Here are some pictures from Kristi's wedding last summer in California.

Lucy you gots some explaing to do!

I was really excited to go to Stanley Park and take some photos since it is so beautiful there no matter what the season. Luckily I got my good friend Lucy to go with me and be my model. This was the first time she had ever done a "photo shoot" but I think she did great.I have become a bit more advanced in my knowledge of editing and photo shop and had taken advantage of this while editing Lucy's photos. One particular thing I love about photo shop is the colour filter option. You can make any picture a little more yellow or a little more green and I definitely used this application with Lucy's photos. On this photo shoot it also made me realize how desperately I need a external flash since the one on my camera just doesn't do the trick in some situations. Especially when it came to take her picture under the bridge. There were some many opportunities to take some cool shots of her but due to the lack of lighting I just couldn't get any good shots. I'm excited for the next time Lucy and I get to do a photo shoot together. She has been watching some ANTM to learn some tricks so that this time her bf wont think she looks "bored" in every picture. Even if she looks bored I still think she looks beautiful! Here are my favourite shots from the shoot.

Diddle Daddle

I bought at Photo shop for Dummies book a long time ago because I thought it would help me understand the basics of photo shop a bit better. Unfortunately it just made me even more confused! So I took the the world wide web and searched a bunch of sites that instruct you how to perform different tasks. One task that I was particularly interested in was making a picture black and white and then having a little bit or a lot a bit of colour stand out. I played around with some of my pics and these are the best ones of the bunch.

It's a beautfiul day in the neighbourhood

I have only gone out a couple of times by myself in Vancouver and taken pictures. I havent gone very far just around my neighbourhood in East Van and a bit farther. I have taken some good shots though as there are lots of things to shoot. I am still a bit shy when I have my camera with me and I tend to just keep it in my purse until I see a shot I want to take. Hopefully going to school will make me less shy as I have no option but to shoot in front of a bunch of people! Some of these shots are taken literally in my neighbourhood about a 10-15 minute walk from my house. The rest were taken on a day where I got off work early and since it was sunny out decided it would be a good day to take some pictures. I was directed to go to an area where there were some nice houses and abandoned building, some good oppurtunities to take pictures. I must have gotten a bit lost because I never found the houses or the buildings. I have found that the sun is very decieiving in Vancouver though. Even if it is sunny out as opposed to the regular cloudiness of the day doesnt neccisarily mean its not going to rain. I learned this the hard way on my walk to the site by not having a hood on my jacket or an umbrella. I ended up getting some good shots despite being soaked by the end of it!

Here are a couple in my neighbourhood

Here are some more from around East Van

Rock Star Wonderland!

When i went home for my birthday to Calgary I really wanted to do a photo shoot of my friend Amber. There hasn't been any snow in Vancouver and when it is snowy out you can take some really beautiful pictures. We decided to go to fish creek park because we had shot there before and there would be lots of opportunities to take some good pictures. It was freezing out and Amber was wearing clothes that were definitely better suited for the summer then -20c weather! It was a fun shoot and by the end of it we were both frozen. The last picture I took of her however turned out to be the best one of the day! I used it in my application for school as well. I love amber for always being up for doing photo shoots with me. It has definitely helped me out a lot and I hope she will never get tired of doing them because I most definitely wont! The first two pictures are from the very first photo shoot we did together. We both have definitely come a long way since that first time!

These are my favourite ones from when I went back to Calgary for my Bday

A little bit of this

 Here are some of my favorite pics that I used for my application to school. The one of the dandilion was taken in north glenmore park in calgary. The next two were taken near sandy beach in calgary by my old work. And the last was taken in calgary as well in fish creek park.

Today is first day of the rest of my life

September 13th. This date will forever be etched into my memory. This is the day that I finally moved to the city I have been dreaming about for a long time. Vancouver!!! It also helps that Vancouver is home to the school of my dreams too! I have been thinking about going to Vancouver Institute of Media Arts for a long time. After a trip to visit my dad on Vancouver Island I realized that photography wasnt just a hobby to me anymore. It was something that I wanted to pursue as a viable career and that I was going to do whatever it took to make this come true. I found the link for the website for Van Arts around Christmas time 2009. I remember showing my mom and how her reaction was a little more towards the "i dont think so" side then the "yes what a wonderful idea" reaction i was looking for. But after I got my first camera (Canon Rebel xsi) and she saw that I had some talent behind it she has been supportive ever since.


Alright back to Vancouver. I hadnt even been excepted to school yet but it didnt matter. I had moved and I wasnt looking back. At first I was pretty scared to apply and kept putting it off. What if I didnt get accepted? What if they told me to try again later? Am I even good enough to be applying to photography schools, especially ones where they only let a limited amount of people in each year?! Finally after I realized that the longer I put it off the less my chances were of getting in since the program fills up fast I just did it. The week it took to hear back was the most nerveracking week of my life! Then the email came at work one day when I was at lunch. I had to read it over and over for it to actually sink it. I pretty much stood up and jumped up and down like a fool then proceeded to tear up and couldnt stop smiling for the rest of the day. Even now when im having a bad day I just read that email and its makes me happy again. I havent taken as many pictures of Vancouver as I have liked but everyday that I am here makes me fall in more in love with it and hopefully I will start to take more pictures since the weather is starting to warm up.

I have never been much of a writer. I have tried making blogs before but either I didnt know what to write or I got bored of the process. This time however will be different! Like the blogs before me I wasnt writing what I was passionate about: Photography! So I promise myself this; that I wont let this blog die in the vast internet graveyard of forgotten words but will instead let it thrive and grow through the pursuence of my passion. Through this blog I hope to document my process of becoming both a professional photgrapher and all the lessons I learn about myself along the way. Come sail away come sail away come sail away with me!!!!!