Sugarbush = Springtime

Spring is right around the corner which means it's time for a trip to the Sugarbush for some Maple Syrup and Pancakes.  I participated in a Photo Workshop hosted by Alain Simard at Foulton's Pancake House and Sugarbush.   http://www.fultons.ca and got some wonderful pictures of our outdoor adventure.

The weather was a little cold so the sap was only running on certain trees that were in the sun.  The old tree behind the cooking shed was one of the few trees with the sap running.

Our Workshop included a sleigh ride into the Sugarbush.  Beautiful!

The horses hard at work.

We had breakfast before our Workshop. (Pancakes, Sausages and Maple Syrup ofcourse)  Very yummy.  To complete our day, we got to sample some Maple Taffy.

This is the Old Elephant Tree that is found on the yellow trail.  Thanks to Alain for lending me his coat so I could lie on the ground and get this shot.

Janice and her Baby Bump

I had a great opportunity on Saturday, March 5th to take baby bump photo's of my friend Janice and her future little bundle.  She's due with her first baby, a little girl,  in April.  This was my first attempt at doing baby bump pictures and thanks to the help of my friend Alain (www.alainsimardphotography.ca) who provided me with the studio space and assistance, I think I caught some excellent moments with Janice and her little bundle.

Janice and Baby Bump

Janice needed a little assistance at first to bring out that smile.  Thanks to Alain`s dancing and singing dog, Janice was giving us a great belly laugh.

Black and white photo of Baby Bump and just a touch of color.

A lovely picture of Janice`s Baby Bump.

Janice giving us her belly laugh in black and white.

What Janice didn't know is that we were out taking her baby bump photo's, her Mom and best friend Stephanie were preparing for her surprise Baby Shower at her house.  My part of the plan was to keep her out of the house until at least 1:00 PM and then bring her in for her surprise.  It all worked perfectly and Mommy to Be had a great overall day.

Thanks Janice for the great day and letting me part of this special time with you. I can`t wait to meet your little bundle and hopefully do more baby photos when she arrives.  Congratulations!!!

 

Hockey With Bite - The Ottawa 67's Part 2

Hockey With Bite!  I had another opportunity to take photos of the Ottawa 67's in action on Friday, February 18th.  It was the 67's VS The Belleville Bulls and thanks to the press pass that I got through Valerie who does the Ottawa 67's fan blog (http://ottawa67s.blogspot.com) I got some special access which included the press room, access to the ice and the players bench during warming up.

#77 Mike Mascioli from the Belleville Bulls

Ottawa 67's player enjoying a few minutes before the game starts.

A little action on the ice.

Belleville Bull's goaltender #20 Tyson Teichmann.  The 67's won the game 5 to 1.

Ottawa 67's #36 Taylor Fielding and Bull's #27 Dylan Corson having a little disagreement on the ice.

Winterlude 2011

Living in Ottawa we have the great opportunity of hosting one of the best Winter Carnivals in North America.  Thousands of people descend into Ottawa to celebrate Winterlude which includes the World Longest Skating Rink (7.8km), amazing ice sculptures and of course the world famous Beaver Tail! For those of you that don’t know…it’s not really a beaver tail…it’s a deep fried pastry with toppings like cinnamon and sugar.

Life in the Balance was the winning entry for the ice sculpture competition.

This is the view from the Rideau Canal.

Skating on the Rideau Canal.  It was very cold so not alot of people were out enjoying it.

Winterlude 2011.  Part of one of the ice sculptures on display.

 

Hockey With Bite - The Ottawa 67's

I had a great opportunity on February 6th where I got to do a photo shoot with our local junior hockey team...The Ottawa 67's.  This was a workshop offered as part of my ProProgram through Harry Nowell. (www.harrynowell.com)

Bobkov is the London Knights goaltender.  He was in net when Russia beat Canada in the World Junior Tournament last year.  It didn't help him much. The final score...4 to 0 for the Ottawa 67's.

A little action coming up the ice. 

This is one of my favorite pictures.  Close up of one of the Ottawa 67's players.

This is the Ottawa 67's goaltender.  I loved the back of his helmet.

Teenagers Just Want To Have Fun!

A few weeks ago, I participated in a Natural Light Portraits workshop with Harry Nowell as part of my Pro Program Course and I wanted to get some additional practice so I mentioned this to my friend who said her daughter and her daughters friends would LOVE to do a photo shoot with me.  She was right and I had a few eager models to help me out.

On Sunday, January 30th, I hooked up with Taylor G, Taylor B and Karalee at the Carp Fairgrounds to try taking some portraits.  It was a beautiful, sunny day but it was still minus 13 out and the girls weren't really dressed for winter so we had to take a few breaks so they could thaw out in the car for a bit.

The girls were so much fun to photograph and the hour and a half we spent shooting just zoomed by.  I just dropped the CD's off for the girls and I really hope they enjoy the pictures.  I had a great time taking them.  I still have a lot to learn but this was a great experience and I have a few additional shots to add to my portfolio and the girls have a ton of pictures to post on Facebook. 

Below are a few of my favourite shots from our photo shoot.  Thanks again ladies.  It was a lot of fun and we'll have to do it again....when it's warmer outside!

Gene Simmons from KISS would be so proud!

A shy little smile and a great picture!

Awesome close up shot.

Having some fun in the park.



The girls in a great shot by the trees in the playground.



The World from Rough Stones by Malcolm Macdonald

The World from Rough Stones is Book One in a trilogy following the Stevenson Family written by Malcolm Macdonald.

Another book that I found wandering around Chapters.  It caught my eye and reading the back of the book saying, “Rich and exciting” from the Washington Star.  “You can’t put it down” Chattanooga Times. Well, what does Barbara McKenzie say????

I couldn’t finish this book.  There are only a handful of books I’ve never been able to finish and The World from Rough Stones will now be added to this small group.

I never felt any pull to any of the characters and the story seemed very dry and I actually skimmed through certain sections because it was just so boring.  I read about 400 pages before I gave up.  Very disappointing.