Hello all
Colleen and Jochen’s wedding is this upcoming weekend in Stratford and we are headed up this week a few days early to scout out the locations and meet some of the family and go to the rehearsal. I will be checking in on emails and facebook but response time might be a little slower than usual, so just be patient and we will have some awesome photos when we get back!
So just some quotes that I have come across over the years that I love – about love of course!
First one by Susan Sarandon in the movie “Shall we dance”
Why is it that people get married?
Because we need a witness to our lives.
There’s a billion people on the planet.
What does any one life really mean?
But in a marriage, you’re promising to care about everything…
The good things, the bad things, the terrible things, the mundane things,
All of it… all the time, every day.
You’re saying “Your life will not go unnoticed because I will notice it.
Your life will not go unwitnessed – because I will be your witness.
Second one is from Owen Wilson in Wedding Crashers (I know someone else says this but this is where i heard it)
“True love is the soul’s recognition of it’s counterpoint in another”
and finally where would I be when talking about love if I didn’t quote some Browning . . .
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, — I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! — and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
I think that poem is a person favorite of mine as it just seems to get across the pure point and fact that describing your love for someone is almost so hopeless because there really is no measure – no words to really justifiably describe that feeling when your heart just wants to leap from your chest. I always tell my husband I love him so much it hurts, it really does! It feels like my heart will explode and I am rendered speechless at trying to explain it – those of you in love know exactly what I mean! I will leave you this evening with a gem of a poem I found on the internet when searching through for inspiration for my logo.
Cocoon
by Moyra Caldecott
I lie
curled
in the green cocoon
of my garden
spun of sunlight
and leaves…
ready
to be born.
Ok so I kind of warned you when I switched to the vine that I didn’t think it was going to be permanent. I am terribly indecisive person sometimes and I find with my website and my logo that I am constantly wanting to change it. Let me just say though that I believe that problem is over (for awhile at least). I have been playing around for awhile and have finally come up with something I am happy with. You will notice it here on this site now and the main site has been updated (with it and new photos!) as well. Take a look . . .
Super simple, and a clean design and I’ve been able to do a pattern with the trees that I really like for stationary and backgrounds for both the site and the blog. I’ve always liked nature and definitely wanted to include some aspect of that in the logo. The tree symbolizes the same growth I talked about with the vine but more than that – it’s ALP growing with our clients and growing in our knowledge as to how to be better photographers, better business people and well just better people in general.
Here is a screenshot of the new splash page . . .
Now that the logo is where I want it to be I will be working to update the portrait site so that I can finally release that to the public. I just need to add a few more photos and then change the logo so it should be ready to go before the end of the week. I also have a wedding to edit as well as 2 engagement sessions AND two family sessions, albums to design and all before next Monday as I will be leaving for a week. Bryan and I are headed to Kitchener/Waterloo for a wedding the first weekend in August. I’m definitely looking forward to their wedding but I want to make sure that I take care of everyone before I leave!
Today is a gorgeous sunny day and what a better day then to pop by to Jayme’s house for a visit. Only it’s a bittersweet visit to see Jayme and her new arrival, Kyler before Jayme moves away to Windsor next week. Jayme has been mentioned several times on this blog as she was part of a life changing experience for me this year; WPPI. It’s funny how someone you just met can mean so much but I feel that the time we shared in Vegas the conversations before and after have come to mean a lot to me. Today was fun and I know I will miss being able to pop by for a visit (a bit too long of a drive for that) I know we’ll still keep in touch. Kyler is beyond adorable and it’s so cute to see how some of his characteristics from the womb have stayed with him. Jayme was about 6 months or so pregnant in Vegas and if Kyler didn’t get fed when he was hungry he’d let Jayme have it – and we would laugh about it and stop and grab something. Eating regularly at a convention like that isn’t always easy to do when you are always on the go but sticking with Jayme meant that we had regular meal times with real food – You should have seen the feast we had when we had just flown in from 3 missed connections and a three hellish flights over 13 hours to get there. Still can’t find mash potatoes as good – Both of our eyes kinda glazed over when we were talking about them again today! In any case it was nice to spend an afternoon with a friend and chit chat about what’s going on in our lives. Of course knowing there was a new baby in the house I had to bring my camera and just grab a few candids of the little one . . .
He was hilarious – trying to wrap his mouth around anything he could suck on – always hungry!
He’s such a little boy already 
In his mother’s arms is pretty much where Kyler wanted to be
This is a closeup of this adorable little bib he was wearing with a cow on it – The stuff they make for kids is soo cute!
In our family it is tradition to present any friend or family member with a new baby with a blanket – In Jayme’s case I brought over this cute blanket that I found that had this bear that came with it!
I wish Jayme the best of luck with the move and congrats to her and Karsten on such a beautiful little boy.
It is late so I will digress – just be ready for it . . .
When I first started out my business my number one customer was my best friend from college Randi. The girls from college are really what brought back my passion for photography as we had a great two years together in which they would do crazy things and I would take photos. When I got my digital SLR we started taking some even crazier photos – that definitely wouldn’t be safe for viewing by normal people.
As college ended most of us went our separate ways but Randi and I have kept in touch. When I decided to start my business she was right there willing to model over and over again and even trucked it out to a couple of weddings with me. Last year for Christmas we did a calendar for her boyfriend Jason – with a different swimsuit for each month and it was a big hit. So much so that Jason’s sister Janette and Randi got to talking about me and next thing I know Janette and her husband Greg came to me for family photos.
It has been quite a few years since they’ve had family photos taken and I consider it an honour that they came to me. It’s always nice when friends believe in you enough to rave about you to anyone that will listen. On that note I had a great time at Chippawa park last night being silly and having fun with the Chambers family. I really believe that it’s important to get the traditional family photos but also important to get photos of your kids being themselves, this has been the theme for all my family photos recently. They grow so fast that taking photos of them at play stops that moment in time. A little girl so excited at going higher on the swing, pumps with all her might in her dress, this look of pure determination and when she reaches high and a smile that breaks out on her way back. A little boy scared but strong when he jumps up on the monkey bars – unassisted and bites his lip while he supports his own weight from one bar to the next. It’s these little moments I’m interested in because they seem to be the ones that fade over time. I truly enjoyed Janette & Greg and their children and can’t wait to give them their photos. Here are a few from the session . .
Kids being kids right . . . I asked for their silly faces and boy did they give’em to me
I love shooting around sunset
This one was a ham – everytime I pointed the camera in his direction he smiled – at one point moving his sister out of the way – cause she was in his shot – but I managed to grab this candid of him laughing
Thanks again Janette & Greg for sharing an evening with me and hope you like the photos!
You guys can check out your slideshow at www.amandalachapelle.ca/chambers
