All in the Name of GREAT Photos...

On the weekend I had the opportunity to meet up with Kelsie and Jason for a couple's shoot at Soper Park in Cambridge. It was actually our rain date from the previous weekend...thank goodness we waited it out...Sunday was BEAUTIFUL!


The park is VERY close to the apartment the duo first shared and Jason practically grew up in the Galt Arena, so with lots of good memories for both, it was the perfect spot for their photo session!


We had a blast on the shoot...Kelsie and Jason were tons of fun and up for anything....even wading into the Grand River! Shout out to Jason who rocked it out even with a sprained ankle! Talk about love....Kelsie I think you have a keeper!


Check out a few of my favourites from the day below...

Thanks guys! You rocked it!


J

Perfect Imperfections...

I'm sure people will soon get sick of my references to Jasmine Star, but with her workshop so fresh in my mind, it's hard not to refer back to things she has said when talking about my photography life. Her take on all things photography has really changed my perspective on several levels, so I thought I would share just one of the valuable things I learned.


When people look at photos of themselves, they are always looking for perfection. How does their hair look? Do their outfits look good? Do they look fat? What IS that expression on my face? They are expecting the photos to be perfect. As a photographer, I too am always looking for perfection. Perhaps I am looking for perfection in different areas (i.e. lighting, location, etc.), but I am looking for perfection. AND, knowing that my subjects would be looking for perfection on top of what I was looking for really made things intimidating....especially if we were shooting in less than ideal conditions...maybe it was a little dark, or a little one was cranky and not wanting to cooperate, maybe the sun was just SO bright! J* talked about striving for perfection last week in her workshop and her take on it really hit home with me and has allowed me to totally relax.....ok so maybe not TOTALLY, but I am at least looking at my work with new eyes. Things do not need to be perfect. In fact, sometimes the imperfections make an image that much more beautiful. So what if the photo is a little dark....sometimes dark photos make beautiful and dramatic black & white images. So what if the bride's dress wasn't perfectly fanned out for the photo...was her dress perfectly fanned out for the whole wedding day? No. These little imperfections...or with my new take, perfections....are what make these pictures REAL. These are pictures that when people look back on, the emotions of that particular day and that particular moment will come back to them. When a woman sees a photo of herself on her wedding day with her head thrown back, nose wrinkled and in the middle of a full-on belly laugh, she is not going to say "OMG what AM I DOING?!?!" She is going to smile and turn to her hubby and say "OMG remember when uncle George and aunt Mildred got up and did the Dirty Dancing dance complete with the lift to make us kiss during dinner?? Flipping hilarious! I still can't believe they did that!" Then they will both laugh, and move on to the next photo. Mission accomplished. 

My job is to capture moments....moments that if you could, you would freeze to have them last a little longer. Moments with laughter, moments with tears, moments of love, moments of beauty...maybe not Sears Portrait Studio perfect, but perfect nonetheless. In that moment, that moment was perfect, imperfectly fanned dress and all.


Here's to perfect imperfections!

Jenn

*Disclaimer* - Now, obviously this only really applies to minor imperfections. Clearly if your lunch is stuck in your teeth, or if you somehow managed to split the slit in your skirt all the way to your waist, I'm not going to quietly take your photo and pass it off as an amazing photo! New perspective or not, my ultimate goal is to make you look and more importantly, FEEL beautiful...or in the case of the dudes out there, we can use the word handsome instead! No worries, I am only truly happy with the photos if you are happy with them!!

The Amazing J*...

No, although it does have a certain "je ne sais quoi," that is NOT what I'm calling myself these days...

Over the past couple of days, I have had the opportunity to take in an online workshop with the one and only Jasmine Star (J*) as the instructor. For those that have not heard of her, you need to check her out...both photographers and brides-to-be will be inspired by her, her style and, of course, her work! www.jasmine-star.com. Check it out!

I have never met Jasmine, but having followed her blog and website for the past few months and now having listened to her speak and see exactly how she works, I really feel like I know her and would go so far as to call her my mentor. I know it seems strange to call a perfect stranger your mentor, but honestly Jasmine is super passionate about what she does and has done an INCREDIBLE job of branding herself without a lot of overhead and with out traditional marketing and advertising. Also, she is a huge advocate of using social media to your best advantage! Bonus!


I have learned a lot from J* over the time I have followed her and I am super excited to test out some of her tips and tricks (K & J....I am SOOOOOO pumped for your shoot on Sunday!), and to also apply some of her philosophies to the business in hopes of making Blossom Ave a full-time deal. It is no secret that I love photography and some day would love to have it as my full-time job, so using some of Jasmine's ideas, I am a lot more confident I can get there!


A BIG thank you to Jasmine Star for allowing the world (literally) to have an inside look into her trade secrets. She is truly an inspiration to myself as well as many other aspiring and professional photographers!


Also a BIG shout out to my favourite Florida photog Photos by Mavi who tipped me off to the photographic genius of J*! You're a rock star! Thanks!


And finally, a HUGE thank you to all of the Blossom Ave fans out there....we are creeping VERY close to 200! YAY! Keep spreading the word and when we get to 200 FB fans, one lucky Blossom Ave fan will receive a FREE photo session!! 


Cheers to moving forward!


Jenn

Photo Session Giveaway and some other stuff!

As the summer is quickly drawing to a close, I thought I would take a minute to thank you all for the overwhelming support Blossom Ave has received in just two short months!! Thank you!

I noticed this morning that the Blossom Ave Facebook Fan count is at 150! Yay!! But I say, let's make it 200!! If Blossom Ave can get to 200 fans, one lucky fan will receive a FREE PHOTO SESSION! So tell all your family and friends to become fans of Blossom Avenue Photography and you could win! Good luck!

As well, with the end of summer in view, we are now booking fall photo sessions. There are still a number of openings available, however, book your appointment soon to avoid disappointment!

And finally, as the 2010 wedding season moves into fall, we are already booking 2011 weddings! We would LOVE to help make your day perfect, so if you are looking for a photographer to capture your special day, be sure to contact Blossom Ave!

That's it for now....now keep those fans coming!

XO

Jenn