Brad and Kari found me through a friend.  The way most of my brides do.  I only take on a few weddings each summer, and this year their’s is the only one I am doing and I have to say after finishing proofing all of their engagement session photos I am pumped for their big day and to take part in their wedding.  FUN FUN!

Just a few of their images we took.  They live out west and will be flying home for their big day.   I think they both thought I was a little crazy but I also think they are a ton of fun and will be great to work with!

young and hip!

in love!!

best friends…

a couple…

and about to get married!

congrats you two.  Can’t wait for the big day.

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I have to say the weather has certainly been cooperative this summer compared to last.  There has been little rescheduling so far due to the wonderful sunny days we have been having.

Getting to hang out with these two little guys was a blast!  They were very well behaved but very much into exploring, climbing and of course when you see a pond and there’s rocks, then one can’t resist to throw some in.

Big brother was very smart for his age and was open to all sorts of discussions.

And he was a very loving older brother to Mr. S his younger brother!

They also knew how to play and have a lot of fun!  One of my favs!

and there were more laughs and quite moments.

Beautiful smiles!

And one beautiful, sweet mom that I so enjoyed meeting!

I love what this does to my heart when I look at it!   It kind of turns to mush!

Thanks Amy for bringing your boys to the park for some quality hanging out time!

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I am happy to share a sneak peek of a family session I recently did.  I have known Jill for a few years as our daughters go to school together.  She and her husband Chris are wonderful parents who make it obvious that their children and family is their focus in life.  The love for their children is so apparent, as is the fun times and pure enjoyment they get out of spending time together as a family.

Chris is always taking the photos so Jill wanted a chance to have him in some and I think we managed just a few!  Actually a ton and I am having a hard time narrowing down the ones to show here on the blog.

The girls loved to give Dad “knock-down hugs”.  There was a ton of hugs, tickles and kisses.  All this makes it easy to photograph the natural interaction of this family.  When my clients can relax, have fun, and even act goofy, I love the result.

Check out some very fun pictures below.  Jill, Chris and their two sweet girls Miss J. and Miss A.

Miss A has the BEST sense of style for an eight year old!  Check out the shoes!

Miss J was definitely a mama’s girl!  And what a great mama she has!

mom and dad have one of those relationships that you can tell they are friends first above all else!

OK I could go on and on with this sneak peek but then there would be nothing left for them when I show them the gallery!

Thanks Jill and Chris.  I had a wonderful morning with you and your beautiful girls!  Thanks for letting me capture your wonderful relationship!

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Well things are getting busy with all the nice weather we have been having.  I did a mini session for fathers day and the spots filled within hours of sending out the email.  I will be doing more so watch for them.  I am finding them alot of fun, to see so many faces in a morning is very different for me.  To shoot in a 10 min time frame is very different for me.  The idea of doing mini shoots was a bit scary to me at first who’s typical session runs from one to two hours!  But I think we got alot accomplished in the 10 min.  When you have such wonderful clients, who arrive on time with their cooperative children… it all works out perfectly.  Even the weather held out just until the last session. Take a look at these wonderful kiddos.

and a few moms and a Dad joined in!

More sneak peeks to come.  I have been getting to meet lots of new little ones… and then some I already know.

Shanyn’s kids are on my blog page topper and I got to see them once again.  This was a family session with the grandparents and I will be showing more soon.

and Mr. D who was a bit quiet and laid back.  I think we still managed to elicit a few great smiles from him.

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Well I guess I am beginning to step into doing pet photography.  There seems to be a few more clients lately asking to have their pets included…. and Daisy was my first puppy this year to be my model.  I have an 11 year old dog so I get how important our pets are to us.  They are part of the family and they love us unconditionally.

I did a photo shoot of Maureen and miss g two years ago and was so happy to be able to hang out with them again.  This time there was three.  Daisy being only a puppy was excited to be out running around.  Miss G was very good with her and she loved to follow her around.  Plus she even listened at times!

Miss G and some pretty light!

Mom and daughter have a wonderful relationship and I am glad to have the chance to capture it.

“Enthusiasm for life or lack of it is what makes each minute we spend either a chore or a treat, we all get to choose”  - Shelley Rankin

I can’t wait to show you your gallery which will be ready soon.

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CONTEST NOW CLOSED

It is that time again.  The 2008 Blog contest was very successful and just alot of fun.  This year we are celebrating our 2009 clients and images with another contest.  Not only can the client who’s image is selected win a free session BUT….the voter, friend or family member who takes a minute to vote and leave a comment here can also win a free session.

How to enter to win….

1.) check out the wonderful images below and select your favorite

2.)  email me here at srphotos@nb.sympatico.ca and tell me which letter/image you are voting for.  Make sure to list the letter of the image.

3.) Now if you aren’t a client, but a friend or visitor and would like a chance at winning a free standard session this year with Rankin Photography then go the the comments section at the bottom of this post and leave a comment.

4.)   Watch the blog to see if you have won the contest as I will post the names of the winners here.

ONE VOTE PER PERSON.  I will be checking. 

The Winner will receive:

A $115 gift certificate from Rankin Photography

2nd prize:

A $75 gift certificate from Rankin Photography

a $35 print credit upon completion of their session.

3rd prize

A $50 gift certificate from Rankin Photography

All prizes must be redeemed in the 2010 calendar year.   The prizes are not transferable and the booking date is subject to availability.

The one with the most votes will win.  So make sure you send the word out to your family and friends.  Send them this blog link and tell them to vote for you.   It will be fun to see the results and I will be announcing them next Monday, April 12th.

Good Luck Everyone.  Thanks for making 2009 such a wonderful year.  I am looking forward to seeing many of you in 2010.

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Just before easter last year, my daughter who had just arrived home from school and was playing on the floor turned to me and asked “Are you the easter bunny”?  Very likely a result of hearing rumors at school.

I was a bit surprised since she was only in grade one and so I asked her why she wanted to know, not really wanting to admit the truth quite yet.  She looked at me and said “Mom just tell me, I really want to know”.  With a strong faith in god and always having emphasized the “true” meaning of Easter I decided to fess up and admit the truth to her.  She smiled and said “that’s ok” and proceeded to play.  She was silent for a few minutes, pondering the now realization of there being no easter bunny.  A few minutes passed and she looked up at me with this surprised, accusatory look and said “are you the tooth fairy too?”.  She is too smart for her own good and definitely inquisitive when it comes to life.  So this year we can enjoy easter for all the reasons we hold dear yet still have fun with our egg hunts and our yummy chocolate.  Perhaps with just a bit less focus on the big furry bunny.

This is a hilarious video to watch.  Make sure the kiddos aren’t in the room as it is a spoiler for those who still believe in the Big Bunny. 

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Life can be so “expected”, predictable, and yes, even boring some days.  The style of photography I love best is capturing people when they are doing something “natural” a special moment or even an unexpected image.  Life is predictable but being unpredictable can add so much to our days and even our life.

Why do the same thing, the predictable or boring thing?  Why not just try and go with it, despite how unexpected it may be.  Feel life, laugh at yourself and try to be a little unpredictable.  This video is the perfect example… of taking the expected and introducing the unexpected. The result… pure fun, laughter and memories that will last a lifetime.

I laughed, I grooved in my seat, I felt the joy and fun.  Take a minute and watch this! Enjoy it.  Feel it!

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I received this quote in my inbox today….

I love the “Real Simple” site and their magazines.  I admit that I admire those who seem to keep things so organized and simple.  Each day I try and purge “stuff” from my house.  When I am out at a store and want to buy something, I try and ask myself “will this add to my life in a beneficial way”.

We all, as humans, tend to collect way too much “junk”.  We let it fill our lives and our houses.  We think we need it only to turn around and find out we rarely use it.  It is truly sad to think of the waste.

MY GOAL?  To attempt to simplify my life.   Each week I try and collect things in the house that serve no purpose ( old magazines, old clothes the kids have outgrown, toys etc.) and put them in the garage to be taken to donate.  My goal is to keep only those things we need and use, and in turn to teach my kids the value of things they do have and to enjoy them.  That more “stuff” doesn’t make us happy!  Yes… a huge lesson for a child, and for adults.  We will teach our kids what to value in life by how we ourselves act.  By what we focus on in life.  If it is the “stuff” we put importance on then so will our kids.

Not unlike every other mother in the world, my “to do list” is always long and difficult to get through when other things pop up and take precedence.  I try and pick away at things and not get overwhelmed with LIFE.  Having said that, it is very difficult not to.  Not to let schedule and activities drive my life and my time.  When it is really busy and I forget to do things or I take short cuts I feel like I have failed.  Too many things to do and not enough hours to do them.  In the end we need to remember to stop and just breath.  To enjoy our life and not look at it as one large, gigantic chore!  I know my kids value the time we spend with them doing things then the stuff.  How do I know?  Because that is what they talk about when we have family discussions.

So today I am going to work at one or two things and see if I can just get those things done without worrying about the rest of my list!  Then I will run my kids to their activities, and take time to hug them, watch them, appreciate them and to remember what truly is of value in my life.  Without them I would have no purpose.

Oh and as for the stuff?  Well I still love to picture my perfect, simple life.  This picture makes me happy and inspires me.  Maybe sometime soon I can manage to get to the store and select some fabrics so I can do this with my diningroom chairs.

Well… maybe sometime soon.  It won’t change my life if I don’t get it done tomorrow right!

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I spent yesterday baking cookies for my DD, sugar cookies and cut them into hearts.  I made pink icing and MJ decorated most of them for her class mates. They are having a valentines celebration today.  Not perfect cookie “decor” but she had fun doing them and they tasted great.

I also made a bookmark for her to give to her classmates along with a folded card for the top of a goodie bag that had a message on it, “U R GREAT” or or B Mine and on the other side “From Mary Jean”.  We stapled the folded card to the bag of candies and slipped the bookmark through the top.  I didn’t grab an image of the finished goodie bags but you can see the folded toppers and bookmark she gave along with the cookies.  She addressed them to each of her classmates.

And here is something I want to make later today from the bakerella site.

She provides her recipes and awesome step by step images of how to make them.

  If you haven’t gone to her site well your missing out.   Her cake pops and cupcake pops were so popular even Martha herself had her on her show.

and a quote for the upcoming day of “love”.

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