Life’s Sweet Ordinary — through my lens

{This blog entry has been edited from the previous version.}

This is an image I took at a previous photo shoot — a child’s birthday party. This was a pair who were guests of the birthday boy. I only got two shots off but am delighted I turned at just that moment!

Learning the ropes.

The first thing that likely comes to mind when you hear the term still photography is photos of inanimate objects that are not live subjects, such as food, ornaments, furniture, and all manner of a world of objects. The weather-worn dove gracing the top of a gravestone that I shot below is a prime example of still life.

{photo taken at the Valhalla Cemetery, Valhalla, Alberta}

Still life is always a very cooperative subject for a photographer; the object is eternally posing and well, still. Although not at all considered still life, this photo taken earlier in the summer is one I humorously refer to as a dog being still (soaking in her cool pool after a rigorous workout).

Cooling off, being still

I very much enjoy the challenge of taking photos of live, moving and far-from-being-inanimate subjects. Whether it’s people, pets, livestock, or some sort of vehicle.

I’ve been fortunate that some of my photos have been published in a few newspapers and in horse and dog magazines, though I am always seeking out additional opportunities. If you have a photographic need, I have the cameras.

{This post is another participating in Springtree Road’s November in Black & White.}

Can a photograph that is not perfectly focused and cluttered with a busy background be a “best shot”? I say yes, if the particular moment caught is priceless.

While covering a first birthday party recently, these two guests — sisters — were caught in a warm cuddle. Now that is a moment of life’s sweet ordinary don’t you think?

Best Shot Monday is the spark of Tracey Clark over at “Mother May I?” Show me your best shot.

Here’s a few more photos from the birthday party. I can hardly wait until someone else asks me to shoot their birthday party!

Our birthdays are feathers in the broad wing of time. ~ Jean Paul Richter

Of course some of the fun was outside!

And, of course, there was cake!

Oh yes and I took lots of shots of kids at play, the decorations, the laughter, some quiet moments, dad and birthday boy, mom and birthday boy, and oodles upon oodles of birthday boy himself!

I like this saying and believe this is the very reason why taking those photos is so important:

From our birthday, until we die,
Is but the winking of an eye. ~ William Butler Yeats

Please contact me if you have a birthday party planned here in Alberta — whether it’s close to my home in northern Alberta or elsewhere in the province (I love to travel), I’d be honoured to chronicle your special day.

Birthday parties can be so much fun, whether you’re a guest or a parent — or the photographer! I was so excited when I got my first birthday party to shoot a few weeks ago. It was a day of firsts — the birthday was for a little boy reaching his first birthday. The first of many more.

If you hire a photographer for the special day, it leaves Mom and Dad free to plan, greet guests, and just have a fun time! It was so enjoyable melting into the festivities watching for special moments and capturing the candid moments as well as the traditions. I can hardly wait to shoot another birthday party.

Because time itself is like a spiral, something special happens on your birthday each year:  The same energy that God invested in you at birth is present once again.  ~Menachem Mendel Schneerson

If you live in northern Alberta, the Peace River Region, or anywhere within a 100 km radius of Grande Prairie, Alberta give me a call. I would love to capture all the sweet ordinary and extraordinary moments for you! Whether the birthday is for baby’s first birthday, for your birthday, or for a special grandparent, I can promise to capture the day in a special way.