Apples, and babies, and weddings... oh my! | Chilliwack Photographer

Wow, it's been a busy month... and it doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon. (No complaints here tho!)

My new Summer resolution, to blog more, seems to be as successful as all of my New Years Resolutions... i.e. not very... so I thought I would chain myself to my desk until I had at least 1 post done. A few weeks, a few commercial shoots, 2 weddings, 2 online courses, a couple of baby shoots, and a lot of Summer activities later and here I am back again to try to get at least 1 post finished!

Of course, all the photo sessions and Summer fun means that some home duties get abandoned. Last weekend was the first chance we got to stay home and catch up with all the jobs we have just talked about for weeks! First up - apple harvest! Our poor heaving apple tree could take it no longer... after 2 years of poor or no apples, it was making up the difference with a mega-crop! So, we dropped everything and launched into a mass harvest and freezing session...

My husband wasn't overly impressed that the workflow slowed down every now and then so that I could record the memory and "pose" the apples (hey, I'm a photographer... what does he expect?!)... but he soon became distracted by the discovery that he could use the apple corer/peeler to make curly fries! (Boys with toys!)

Cool Photo Blog Spotlight - The Little People Project

Sometimes the simplest ideas can be the coolest... and I found one online that I just had to share... because it is soooo cool! Whilst procrastinating on the web, sorry, researching on the web, I found a really awesome blog entitled The Little People Project.

It is the brainchild of London-based "Slinkachu" (Yeh, he is staying anonymous to the masses... but we do know he is a scorpio... not sure what relevance that is.. I digress!) and he simply puts tiny, railway model people into cool poses or scenes on the street, photographs them and then leaves them there!

Described as both a "street art installation project and a photography project", it has been amusing and bemusing passers-by (well, the ones that actually show awareness of their surroundings!) since 2006.

Love it!

Project 12

OK... it's official... I suck. Alright, maybe I should clarify what I am sucking at before jokes fly a-plenty! This year (so far), I have sucked at following my Project 52. So, with my head held in shame, I have decided to demote myself to the simpler and less-pressured Project 12.

Yes, I am already 1 month behind on a Project 12 too, but being 1 image behind feels a little nicer than being a whopping 8 images behind, so I'll take it. :-) Once again, I am looking to MCP for subject ideas. January was "Resolution", and February is "Love" (or "Leap" for the heartless anti-Valentine cynics... just kidding... about the cynics... not the alternate subject.). Let's see how this one goes...

Loss of a Legend

I roll my eyes at the term “Moms with a Camera” (aka MWAC). It sounds like a fairly harmless expression but, in case you’ve never heard of it, it is a term to describe the growing group of amateur DSLR-owning Moms who start part-time photography businesses, and can often undercut experienced or formally-trained pros, on account of their low overheads etc.

Whilst, to a large degree, I understand some of their frustrations (helped by way-too-frequent evidence from many that the camera does NOT make the photograph!), I have an interesting consideration for them, and one to encourage any good aspiring Photographer battling the prejudice as they start out – the late, great Eve Arnold,who passed away last week at the grand age of 99, was a suburban housewife when she first started her career!

Yup… that’s right, the inspirational pioneer who became the first female member of Magnum, the woman behind so many iconic and powerful images (varying from statements of social injustice to classic Hollywood royalty), the holder of many accolades including an OBE for services to Photography, the woman who broke the mould and defied prejudice was… once upon a time… a Mom with a Camera... in it's literal sense! Ironic.

Many a lesson can be learned from this legend - I just hope I can be a good student.

Project 52

Just like last year, I am throwing some of my energy into another Project 52 (or, at least, intending to!). In case you have never come across the term before, it means I will be following a list of 52 subjects for the 52 weeks of the year, and aiming to shoot a photo that fits the theme of that week.

Last year started well... but life happens, aaaannnd... I kinda slacked off a bit after a few months. At this precise moment, I have every intention of keeping up with this year's, but since I am already a week behind, the forecast doesn't look good!

This year's list is coming courtesy of MCP Actions - they are running a far more attainable Project 12 themselves (maybe that would be a better idea for me? Hmmm... let's just see how things go...) - but they ran a Project 52, last year, and it is their list of suggestions that I will be using.

So... let's get cracking with the first 2 subjects (yes... I know... slacker!):

Week 1: "Something around the house"

Week 2: "Illustrate a song"