Friday, April 29, 2011

finding light

I've been enjoying my new lens' and getting to know them a little bit better.  I'm set to put them to work tomorrow on a new shoot for Grooster.  I have to admit that it's taking some time to adjust to new ways of shooting and managing the various depths of fields now available with my new tools.  There is so much opportunity and I am eagerly trying to take it all in. 

I finished the book Understanding Exposure and have been practicing some of his tips.  My next photo class is all about light.  Something so simple is yet so elusive and complex for a photographer.  Here are some lovely morning light shots of the girls in their jammies.



After a slow morning we all headed out and walked up to Broadway to visit our usual haunts; the toy store, book store and then grabbed a quick lunch at Calhouns before pre-school drop off.  The sun came out in the afternoon and we did some biking riding in the alley.  The girls have loved having their Nana and Papa around and Lila managed to grab a quick bedtime story with Nana before they went off to bed and the house became quiet.  Ahhh.  The sweet sound of silence.  CBC radio 2 is our backdrop tonight.  Just the way I like it. 


When did this little girl grow up??


She is out of control cute lately.  Talking up a storm and SO in love with life.   It's such a beautiful reminder of what it's like to see the world anew.  She teaches me so much every single day and I just burst with love for this little lady.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

the path






    Finding my way around the dark corners and having fun at the same time.
    Living out loud and not apologizing for it.
    Seeking the unknown.
    Asking the hard questions.
    Relishing the everyday.
    Making plans.
    Drawing visions.

    Happiness follows.

    Sunday, April 24, 2011

    the wheels are a turning

    When the sun is out in Vancouver, everything just seems a little bit better, doesn't it?  The temperature was warm this weekend and the city was OUT.  I got to take my new lens' out for a spin to Commercial Drive, Main Street and then down to South Granville.  Wooweee, those babies (Canon 70-200mm F4 and 50mm F1.4) were saweet.  I hung out two nights in a row down at Spanish Banks soaking in the big orange orb in the sky as it made it's way down to the horizon line.  It was a magical feeling.  There is a physiological process that is transmitted when I watch sunsets and see the stars in the sky.  It is so special and I will never ever tire of it.



    After a mondo Seder at my in-laws last week, we took a few days to digest all the amazing food.  It was definitely one of the nuttier Seder's we've ever had.  The combo of four children under the age of five and several vodka shots to kick off the event (god bless that eastern European custom), made for one rowdy meal.  Fun!






    After celebrating the Jewish side of things we had a quick visit from the Easter Bunny this weekend, much to the girls' delight.





    Sprinkled with a bit of sunshiney love from Spring and a new path to follow, I'd say I'm one pretty content gal.  I had a photo shoot on Friday in Yaletown and it was a fab learning experience and I'm hungry for more.  Good thing class is tomorrow.  I've got lots more questions!!




    An update on the status of our house coming soon.  Till then I bid adieu and bon nuit. 

    Sunday, April 17, 2011

    the suite life

    I'm tired, but it's a good tired.  This was truly a special weekend and I feel like one lucky girl (again).

    It was a girls sleep over in a swanky suite at the Fairmont Pacific Rim.  Highlights include; BIG laughs, bubbles (the grown-up kind), hot tubbin', old yearbooks, dancing, eating, drinking and general merry-making activities.  It was so delightful to be with my best pals in the whole world, whom I've known for 20 years.  These woman are my family and I love them.

    Visual snippets from the events:










    Nighty night!

    Tuesday, April 12, 2011

    butterflies

    Sometimes you have these moments in your life where you feel like you are walking on a high balance beam and you can see the prize at the end, but your knees get wobbly, you heart starts to beat fast, you are sweating and it feels like you might fall.  Well, guess what?  I'm on that high beam and my knees are sure wobbly.  I've never quite felt so passionate about anything as I am for photography.  Something happens when I get behind my lens.  I get butterflies and I get lost in the moment.  I get butterflies during my photo class talking about F Stops, Composition, White Balance and Exposure - oh, that elusive world of exposure.

    a friends little sprite

    All of this excitement/anxiety is fueling me to do things I've never done (hello Facebook) and making me want to stretch myself, introduce myself, challenge myself, scare myself and grow myself.  I've never felt so ready to jump.  It's exhilarating and so bloody terrifying. 

    a special visit to see Uncle Minky@ Mink









    Friday, April 8, 2011

    the real deal

    Welcome to the world Celina!  My bestie Jenna gave birth 5 days ago to a beautiful baby girl. I am always in a awe of what it feels like to hold someone so new.  Someone so fresh.  That's the thing about newborns, their innocence is intoxicating.  There is nothing that compares to it.  I held this sweet girl in my arms and soaked in her delicate beauty and immense fragility.  I'm so excited to see who this little person will be someday.  I know that whatever she does she will be surrounded by love and that's just one of many advantages she will have in her life. 


    little birdie looking for food


    I got up this morning and the weather people proudly confirmed (is that possible?) that this would be a sunshiney day before the rains arrive again.  I just knew we had to get out there for some vitamin D and I wanted to shoot some pics.  I've got a new photo project that I am working on and I need to get out there and get busy in the city with my camera.  Since I most always have my two little sidekicks, they came along for the ride.

    We headed down to Yaletown to walk along the water and visit each and every playground we came upon (3 in total).  While the girls busied themselves, I went crazy takes shots of the scenic shoreline.  There is no shortage of subjects in Vancouver and I was having way too much fun seeing life through my lens.









    This forsythia tree lives right outside our front door.  I can't tell you how happy this bright yellow plant makes me.  It's blooming and growing and the colour is phenomenal.  Yellow is definitely a pick-me-up.

    Tuesday, April 5, 2011

    tea for two

    practicing her mad new skills in Steveston this weekend

    The sun came out for a short while this afternoon and streamed in through the living room window.  With Lila sound asleep and Annie wanting to spend 'quiet time' with me, I decided the only thing to do was to make tea.  So I steeped black spicy tea for myself and raspberry goodness (with lots of honey) for my girl.  She made a train out of cushions and we talked about taking a family trip via train across Canada.  We had tea in the dining car and pretended to ride through the Rockies.




    It's nice to imagine my small fingers once wrapping themselves around this cup and now watching my daughter enjoy tiny sips from it.

    a childhood cup of mine

    There were also many frustrations and irritants from the day, but as I get closer to putting it all to bed, I'll choose to focus on the good.

    My eyes are heavy and my head is full.  Good night.