A Scottish affair....

Looking forward to a very special Scottish wedding tomorrow with Jeff, Vanessa & Tristan.
They were one of the first clients to book with us and we are very excited to spend the day
with them.

Enjoy your evening tonight guys!

xo

Capri

My childhood friend Dara and her husband Joe are so excited to be welcoming a baby girl....coming this fall. It didn't surprise me the adorable name that was picked for this l'il darling as Italy is a place that has captured their hearts for many years.

Capri, you are already and will continue to be so very loved. We can't wait to meet and photograph you.

Love,

Wendy

The last forty percent

I am in love with these photographers and had to share their super sweet anniversary post.

http://www.lastfortypercent.com/Blog/?p=23400

Something in the water.

I wear a demeanor made of bright pretty things
What she wears, what she wears, what she wears
Birds singing on my shoulder in harmony it seems
How they sing, how they sing, how they sing

It's a dog's life.

Happy Sunday!

Luck.

Luck has found me. Literally. A gal named Annabelle Luck has made my Madonna life! She had available Madonna tickets in Ottawa, amazing seats with not a soul in front of us, dead centre. To make things even sweeter, I am heading to photograph my idol Natalie Spencer's maternity session. She just so happens to live around the corner from the stadium in our Capital city. We have yet to meet in real life but some time ago, I put a message in a bottle with a note scribbled in Italian asking the Gods to bring her a baby. I tossed it into a rapidly moving stream and someone in power must have found it, opened it up and granted our wish for her. Good thing the bottle was air tight!

We will head from Ottawa to a chalet in the mountains of Mont Tremblant for two nights and from there embark on our trip to Montreal. My husband has yet to see this magical place.

Today for me, is a good day despite my morning sombre of remembering a phone call I received exactly two years ago of a family member's death. She will never be forgotten. My mother always says, life must go on and be lived, for we are on this side and have no choice but to keep on going. One day at a time.

This is my journey. And I feel lucky every single day. Is it luck? Or is the saying true that luck favours the well prepared?

Unsure. Don't care.

Love,

Wendy

An engagement shoot. For one.

I got this cute email from Dea, asking me for an engagement type of shoot. For a single person. Upon further prompting and getting to know her, I discovered she was on her own and ready to mingle. She wanted some photos done for her online dating profile, and sounded so skeptical about it; almost embarassed. I asked her if her ex had broken her heart, and offered a break-up discount. When we met tonight in Toronto, I was greeted with the best hug and the biggest smile.

We had some pretty spectacular scenery to work with. Dea came prepared with some outfits and a permit she had purchased to shoot. Amazing! Most amazing though, was her outgoing attitude which masked a bit of adorable shyness around the camera. Why so shy? My girlfriend commented on my photos that Dea strongly resembles Christy Turlington. I concur.

I'm currently running a few promotions so if you're single and need some new photos that will grab a second look online, or just looking for a pick-me-up from a recent crestfallen relationship, I'm your gal.
What better way to recover from an ex than a beautiful photo shoot, and what's better than a discounted beautiful photo shoot?

Deanne...thank you for a fantastic evening and I wish you all the best in your journey.

Love,

Wendy

Not (yet) retiring newborns

Ever since I mentioned that I was no longer photographing newborns, I've been flooded with calls asking "Please shoot my family?". I have a hard time saying no, especially to former and future clients so for now, I have increased my prices to reflect the amount of work it takes to shoot a newborn session
as well as edit their cute little skin to make it picture perfect.

Here are some of my favourites of Jackson.

Love,

Wendy

Autumn love.

Too many projects on the go. Not enough time. Looking forward to the fall. The crisp nights and mornings remind me that my favourite season is on her way!

Just say yes.

We were both young when I first saw you
I close my eyes
And the flashback starts
I'm standing there
On a balcony in summer air

See the lights
See the party, the ball gowns
See you make your way through the crowd
And say hello, little did I know

That you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles
And my daddy said stay away from Juliet
And I was crying on the staircase
Begging you please don't go, and I said

Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone
I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess
It's a love story baby just say yes

So I sneak out to the garden to see you
We keep quiet cause we're dead if they knew
So close your eyes
Escape this town for a little while

Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter
And my daddy said stay away from Juliet
But you were everything of me
I was begging you please don't go and I said
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/t/taylor_swift/love_story.html ]
Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone
I'll be waiting all there's left to do is run
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess
It's a love story baby just say yes

Romeo save me, they're tryin to tell me how to feel
This love is difficult, but it's real
Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess
It's a love story baby just say yes
Oh oh

I got tired of waiting
Wondering if you were ever coming around
My faith in you is fading
When I met you on the outskirts of town, and I said

Romeo save me I've been feeling so alone
I keep waiting for you but you never come
Is this in my head? I don't know what to think
He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring

And said, marry me Juliet
You'll never have to be alone
I love you and that's all I really know
I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress
It's a love story baby just say yes

~Taylor Swift

Things fall apart.

As I sit here on Saturday night, a rare evening where I'm not at work or out and about or editing, I've had time to read a friend's blog, think about my own recent struggles and cry. Really cry. The kind of cry you stifle because you've only known how to be strong for so long. The kind of cry that pours out and you're not even sure where it's coming from or whom it's directed at. The kind of cry that reminds you that things fall apart...and if you're really lucky, you are able to read someone's words that equally reminds you that things do get better.

http://myaltardlife.wordpress.com/2012/04/24/things-fall-apart/

My husband often scolds me for pouring my heart out to those who don't return the favour. But when I stop and think about this one crack at life we are given, what's to lose but a little bit of pride in return for telling someone you love them. What the hell is pride anyways? Who's right? Who's wrong? Does it make a difference when you're one foot into the grave and one day, we're all gone and all that's left are the words that were or were not said?

I've learned to do the right thing, even if it's the hard thing. I've learned to make the first move, even if the other person doesn't deserve or reciprocate it. I've learned that everyone has their own struggles and the power of a loved one's comforting words are priceless.

I've learned and I've learned and with every goodbye, I've learned.

My altar'd life (play on words)

Amongst my wedding plans, I met Mary. Living somewhat parallel lives, we were planning our weddings together and inspiring each other to later lay the foundations of our own businesses. Mary is a wedding planner and was a bride. Her plans for the altar were somewhat altered and somewhere between neuroscience and garter belts, here she is. I asked permission to share her blog because, well, sometimes I feel I can no longer offer the kinds of advice I used to when I was single and wandering.

She's living her life and writing about it in an honest and candid way and I'm so proud of her and the person she's become.

Mary, looking forward to hearing more about your adventures and I will see you at the wedding next weekend!

Love,

Wendy

xo

http://myaltardlife.wordpress.com/

Action Jackson!

Baby Jackson was the strongest and most alert baby I have ever photographed. It was tough getting some sleepy baby positions as he just did not want to miss a thing in the land of the awake! This will be one of my last newborn sessions I will be shooting as I am focusing almost strictly on weddings (and the occasional family photos of my past brides and grooms.)

I'm sure somewhere along the way I will not be able to turn down photographing these gorgeous cherubs.

Introducing....Jackson.

xo

Wendy

A cute l'il family beach session

I grew up with Chelsea and we had a blast photographing her and her swiftly moving boys!

Conviction. Live with it.

I got to talking with a friend about why it bothered her so much that an ex removed her off of Facebook. I mean other than the fact that the cardinal sin of this century is to delete them, what exactly is it about this social media phenomenon that irks us so badly? She said to me....think about it. Facebook is exactly that. A book of faces. And when you take the time to remove someone, you literally do not want to see their face ever again. Or so it would seem.

Last night, a group of friends got together to celebrate my birthday. One friend hosted the pre-party, another drove, another came with thoughtful and beautiful gifts and made the best slumber party sleepover ever, others booked time off work and when I showed up to the bar, I was surprised by a huge group of friends and clients who were able to pull off a secret that they had all planned. I was so confused, mystified and elated that we were all there. Together. For me.

A series of recent circumstances has allowed me to reflect on myself, my friends, my flaws, my assets, my fortunes and misfortunes. I realized that who you surround yourself with is a direct reflection on your image, brand, morals and self. I also realized to have a friend you have to be a friend. You can't replace one with another immediately after a fall out. You can't use them for what they can do for you. You can't listen to their secrets and then later throw that in their face.

At the bar last night I got into a deep conversation with an old friend who's husband destroyed their marriage. We started to talk about mutual friends and just how she realized who was truly there for her. Whatever happened to living a life with conviction? For saying what you mean and not being afraid to walk a social tightrope? For picking a side or getting involved when others hide behind the ambivalence of the saying "I'm not getting involved." We keep these people on Facebook and are constantly irritated for their laissez-faire actions, but in real life, where the hell are they? Why see someone's face on the internet when in real life they bite the hand that feeds them?  For so long I have been asking myself...is it just me? Or has the world gone crazy? And then I realize...there is one of me in every group asking the very same questions, shaking our heads and agreeing about what does and definitely does NOT constitute friendship and loyalty. I told this friend, if I ever saw this scumbag, he would hear it from me. It doesn't directly involve me. But her feelings do. And I want her to know I'm there for her. 

And I am. I'm there for the rare few that deserve my heart and my time. And every once in a while, in the middle of an ordinary birthday, 23 people show up to make it anything but. Thank you for being normal and good hearted people and reminding me that where I came from and who I grew up with is a great place to be and be around.

Love you all!

p.s. I've kept this blog mostly business but every once in awhile, I think it's important to share personal triumphs, sadness and of course accompany it with photos.