Today I visited my friend to do grad photos of her son. I knew that her son was musically inclined, but I didn’t realize just how good he was! He played his guitar during the session and was quite good! He told me that he taught himself guitar and he also plays piano and alto saxophone!

Here are a couple of my favourites from today! Thanks so much for having me out!

Have I ever told you about how I got started in photography?  Well, I can truly tell you that it runs in the family.  My grandmother loved photography.  She always had a camera in hand whenever we went somewhere.  There are lots of pictures of my dad and his sisters from when they were kids as well as me and my cousins growing up.

My dad enjoys photography also.  He taught me how to use the Pentax K1000, a fully manual camera for those of you who don’t know!  There was no little computer inside to do any thinking for you!  You had to set your ISO, Aperture and Shutter speed correctly to get the right exposure and you had to get it right in the camera the first time!  (Same applies to dSLRs of course…)

I’ve been taking pictures all my life.  My first camera was some cheap little 110 film camera when I was 10 or 11.  It took the most awful pictures but I loved it!  Over the years I had many cameras and always had one with me when we went on trips with friends and family.  I have albums full of photos – my practice years!

Dad taught me the technical aspects when I was 18.  I got my first film SLR a few years later and went digital in 2008.  Now, my children have been bitten by the bug.  My youngest (13 months) is already trying to get my camera, as you can see above!  My daughter has a cute toy camera that takes the most awful pictures!  I plan to get her something a bit nicer when she’s a bit older and won’t break it so easily!

ETA:  Since posting this, my aunt informed me that my granddad also was an avid photographer.  He passed away when I was 8 so I don’t remember a lot about him.  He had a darkroom in the basement and was very interested in the physics of photography.  Cool.

So that’s my little story!  What’s your story?  I’d love to hear it!  Comment or email me.  I LOVE comments!

I’ve been working on updating my website over the last few weeks and have changed the layout completely!  Today it is ready for all to see!

I just love this new look!  My favourite part is the background image!  I’ve updated all my galleries to include my sessions from the last year and tried to incorporate as many clients as I could.  If yours isn’t there, it will be eventually! 

Thanks for looking, and please feel free to leave a comment.  I LOVE COMMENTS!

Hello everyone!

I’ve got my mind set on photographing twins and need your help!  If you know someone or are someone who is expecting twins sometime this year, please contact me at jennifer@naturallybeautifulphotography.com.  In exchange for the use of the images for my portfolio, I’m offering a free newborn photo session for the lovely darlings as well as one 11×14 print.

Pretty sweet deal, huh?  It gets better!  In addition, if you would like to have maternity portraits done, I’m offering a discount of $50 off my session fee.  The total cost to you would be $100.  That’s a $150 savings off my Maternity & Newborn package price!

There’s no obligation to purchase prints and you will receive a proof CD (disk of watermarked images) suitable for online sharing.

I will come to your home to take the maternity portraits and return when the twins are born.  Maternity portraits are best done between 30-36 weeks and newborns are best photographed in the first 10 days of life, so if you are interested in this opportunity, the sooner you contact me, the better! 

This past week I had the lovely honour of attending my cousin’s wedding at the wonderful Grand Bahia Principe resort in Runaway Bay.  It was a perfect day for a perfect couple.  I know they will have a wonderful life together.  My new cousin-in-law made such a beautiful bride with some truly awesome shoes, and my cousin sported bare feet for the occasion!

Congratulations Dan and Robin!  Thank you for letting me share this special day with you!  I love you guys!

It’s only the second day of 2010, and I’m already hard at work!  Today I had the delightful pleasure of meeting Ashley and Bernie (you know, like from Weekend at Bernie’s?) and photographing their beautiful baby to be, still inside mama’s beautiful belly of course!  I can’t wait to meet this little guy in February.  He is due on Valentine’s Day but both Ashley and I are hoping he arrives a wee bit early so mama can feel a bit more comfortable again!

Thank you both for having me out today!  You guys were wonderful!  Enjoy your sneak peek!

I’m very pleased to announce the winner of my first annual Giving is Awesome contest!  This nomination from Linda’s friend Sharon really touched my heart.

Linda was my boss at my former employer.  She was an awesome boss and became a great friend to me.  One night in September she returned home late from work and could smell smoke.  Her husband had been out earlier barbecuing and she went out to double check that the BBQ had been turned off (it had been).  A while later, she and her husband were watching TV in the basement and could hear a crackling sound.  They looked out the small basement window and could see glowing yellow and orange flames.  They raced upstairs and the whole back of their house was on fire.  They rushed out the door without even shoes on their feet.

Neighbours called 911, the fire department responded and within 30 minutes it was all over.  Every single thing in their house was ruined – either by fire or by water damage.  Nothing in the house was salvageable; including their memories of life lived out in precious photographs.

Thankfully, insurance will cover the contents of their home, and the rebuild of their house.  However, you cannot put a price on photographs that can never be replicated.  I would love to give Linda and her family the opportunity to begin to rebuild their memories by participating in this contest.

I will also love helping this family rebuild their memories through my photography. Linda and her family will receive a 16×20 print and a high resolution CD of their session, free of charge. I can’t wait to meet them!

I want to thank the Academy….wait, wrong speech! 

This past year has truly been one of the best years of my life.  I feel like I’ve been on a high all year long.  My business grew and surpassed my expectations but none of that would’ve been possible with out my fabulous family to support me!  My husband has been my rock and my children my inspiration.  None of this would’ve been possible without them!

To all my clients:  I feel so very blessed to be able to capture the wonderful memories that we created during our photo sessions!

To my new clients, and this year there was many:  You are all wonderful!  It was a pleasure meeting you all and becoming a part of your life, even if only for just a day.  I look forward to seeing you through my lens again next year!

To my returning clients:  Thank you for your continued business and referrals!  I look forward to photographing your families for years to come!

To my friends and family:  Thank you for your love and support!  You are a bunch of amazing people!  Please don’t ever change!

With love, always,

Jennifer

What a better way to ring in the new year than with a contest!?!

The contest is easy – all you have to do is refer someone you know who is expecting a baby between now and March 31.  If that person books either a Maternity, Newborn or a Baby to Belly package with me, your name will be entered in a draw to win a free photo session!  It’s as simple as that!  Also, your referral will receive 10% off their print purchase!  Sweet!

To enter, please email me at jennifer@naturallybeautifulphotography.com and let me know the first and last name of the person you have referred.  In April, I will do a random draw and announce the winner on my blog.

Help spread the word about this contest by sharing it on your Facebook or Twitter account! I’m looking forward to seeing lots of entries!

I had hoped to have this blog entry posted last week, but frankly, I had such a hard time choosing which pictures I felt were my best for 2009!  I tried to choose one from each session so be warned, this post is picture heavy!  Before we begin, I want to say thank you to all my wonderful clients!  It was a pleasure meeting and getting to know each and every one of you!  You’ve made this year simply the best!  I look forward to photographing you all again next year!
Here we go, in no particular order!