cambridge butterfly conservatory

we took the girls to the butterfly conservatory this summer.

we loved it!

(you might notice that emery designed her outfit for the occasion)

while i was sorting through these photos, 

i realized how perfectly they build on what i was doing last night...

 i taught a small photography workshop 

with my friend kate, from novella photography.

we talked with mom's about how to make the most of their dslr cameras.

our focus for the night was on aperture:

what is is, how to change your f-stop, and why you might want to...

 when looking at these images:

see if you can guess what f-stop i was mostly using,

 and try to spot the bokeh!

as you can see, this was a beautiful place 

to play with aperture and shallow depths of field.

~

if you're interested in learning about 

how to create beautiful images with your dslr camera,

let me know and i'll keep you posted about upcoming workshops.

party invitations

the word on the street is that 

emery is having an olympic party this year!

we biked around the neighbourhood last week 

to drop the party 'tickets' in her friend's mailboxes...

looking forward to a fun afternoon,

i wonder who will take home the gold?!

if you have decor, snack or game ideas,

leave a comment below...

birth announcement design

here is my most recent work:

if you're looking for a custom photo design 

and wondering about rates, click here...

santa's village

earlier this month we had a super fun day in muskoka,

at santa's village!

 we went with my brother and his family:

dave, angela and aubree.

 dave wanted to try all the rides...

 as you can see, this mini version of drop zone made my stomach drop!

 emery loved it - but i was only up for one ride!

dave wanted to give it a try too...

 i think his stomach dropped as well...

 this is angela - my sister in-law and great friend.

selah's favourite part was the animals (no surprise).

she could have spent hours with the goats!

 emery, who is in the 'avoid the camera' stage, enjoyed the rope climber.

and just in case you've never seen one,

this is a zedonk!

 being at santa's village brought back memories 

from my trip there when i was 7, with my dad.

this is me 'driving' the boat!

 and this is the very same driver, still at it!

he has worked there for more than 30 years.

any visit to the village wouldn't be complete without a candy cane,

and a visit with santa!

we had a great day - perfect spot for our girls and anyone younger...

have you been?  any stories to share?

buddies

 these two may seem like an unlikely pair

(he is in emery's class and has a brother in selah's).

but when they are together,
it can be hard for other kids to get in on their fun!

his mom is a photographer as well,
so this is often his approach to my camera:

 it's so nice to have caught him in moments of pure joy!

these photos were captured at kiwanis park a few weeks ago.

(have you been?)

i had so much fun watching these two play that day!

big brother

this little guy is a big brother now.

 the other day his mom sent me a message to tell me

that he was asking if i could come over again, 

and that when i come, i should bring my tripod!

 while his sister needed her mommy,

we set up shots and took pictures of each other!

a budding photographer...

and such a sweet little guy.

~

i know he'll take good care of his new baby sister...

best friends in southampton

we went to southampton with our friends this summer, 

and like last year it was just us girls!

(see photos from 2011 - here and here)

~

in 2 days...

 we went for ice cream, 

hiked around fairy lake, 

fed the turtles and fish,

enjoyed the hot tub,

had a campfire with s'mores,

performed songs and dances,

watched the olympics,

pretended to be in the olympics,

made our way down to the beach three times!

i do hope this new tradition will continue for years to come!
so fun for the girls, and their mom's...