Calling all Ottawa-area parents with cute babies between the ages of 0 and 2.5 years (and we all know your baby is the cutest, right?!)! Mini Maestro, a new Ottawa-based cloth diaper line created by a local Mom who was tired of leaks and bulky bottoms is looking for models whose images will be used in an upcoming promotional campaign. How does this model search work? I will be offering FREE mini-sessions between 10am and 4pm on August 17 & 18, 2010. Each session will be 15-30 minutes and result in 3-5 final edited images that will be posted in an on-line gallery. Participants will not only get special prices on prints but also a discount on these fabulous diapers. PLUS, one beautiful babe (and their lucky parents) will win a GRAND PRIZE package worth $400 that includes: one 8×10 print from the mini-session, one family portrait session to be scheduled in the Fall of 2010, one 11×14 mounted print from the family session AND one package of 3 Mini Maestro diapers in the size and colour of your choice.
Spaces are limited so please sign up ASAP by sending me an email and I’ll reserve a spot for your little one. If you can’t come do take a look at this great new product – as a Mom who used cloth diapers (my son just got potty trained in the last month – yay!), the difference to the environment and your pocket book is HUGE and so worth the initial investment and the few moments of holding your breath when throwing them in the wash.
Click here to download the flyer for this event and feel free to email it to your friends!
Pour la version française, veuillez cliquer ici.
At the end of May, I did a fashion shoot with dresses from Luxe Bridal Boutique. Well, today they officially opened their doors at 206 & 208 Dalhousie St.! Congratulations to Lisa and Madeleine, the two owners who first dreamed about and then worked tirelessly to bring some exclusive designer gowns to Ottawa in a very swank atmosphere that puts emphasis on the client experience. I can’t wait to hear what brides-to-be think about Ottawa’s newest bridal salon. The buzz is already starting with an appearance on A-Channel to discuss trends in bridal fashion and a feature on Bride Scouts blog that includes my images. Six of those images will be on display in the store – all printed on metallic paper and custom framed (LOVE the results!). It was so much fun and I hope we can do more in the future. I wish them great success and kinda wish I wasn’t married yet so I could try on some of their gorgeous dresses!
These are two questions that I get a lot. I’m sure most photographers do. My answer is simple: what is your reason for wanting to hire a professional photographer? Do you want to capture a special time in your life by an artist or do you want snapshots? Artists like to see their art showcased in a form that honours it and photographers are no different. As an artist, my goal is to create something beautiful to display in your home, whether as a gallery wrap (an image stretched on canvas like a painting – see example below), a framed print or an album. To give the digital files would be like giving away a sketch of a painting and not even the canvas to reproduce it on. In other words, incomplete art. I do, however, include the finished files in my top collection and top two wedding packages because I also understand wanting copies of those memories for safe keeping and this is a way of thanking my clients who have invested in finished art and value my work and the time I spent creating it.
Back to the first question, most people understand what an 8×10 is in terms of size and think of it as a substantial enlargement because we got so used to getting 4×6 prints back from the lab and now seeing even smaller images on our computer screens. The amazing thing about photography is how accessible is has become with the advent of digital cameras but the tragedy is that photography as an art form has been hurt in the process. You cannot compare what it costs to get a vacation snapshot enlarged to 8×10 with what it cost to purchase an 8×10 gift print from professional photographer. It would be like asking why a painting sells for x amount when you know the canvas and paint only cost so much. Or why a meal in a great restaurant costs so much more than the ingredients used to make it. It’s not about the size and type of paper the photograph is printed on (though quality professional paper does cost more than what the 1-hour lab uses!). The real value comes from the years of training, technique and time it takes to create something worthy of calling art. Art is about making you feel something. If done well, it will be worth so much more than any price tag attached to it. I recently attended a workshop with photographer Doug Box. He had a client that grumbled about how much a large framed print would cost him. Doug then asked how much he paid for his leather couch under where the frame would hang. When the man told him what he paid, he asked what would be worth more to him in 20 years, the leather couch or a portrait of his family. It was a light bulb moment!
Yes, professional photography requires an investment and yes, like in other industries there are star photographers who have managed to be seen and hired by the elite so the demand for them warrants their higher prices but there are more affordable options. But beware when it becomes too affordable! You may save money but you may be sadly disappointed with the results. Read my blog: Avoid Hiring a Cheap Photographer to see why I feel so strongly about investing in a quality professional photographer for your wedding. And for a more in depth breakdown of costs associated with being a professional portrait photographer and why an 8×10 costs more with us than a big box portrait studio, please read this wonderful article: Why Does Custom Photography Cost More?
I hope this helps more people see the value of investing in professional photography to capture those important milestones in your life and your children’s lives.
Your Ottawa Portrait & Wedding Photographer,
Vanessa
We have always wanted to reproduce the world around us, beginning with cave drawings to painting on canvas and eventually leading to the invention of photography. Now everyone has a camera, whether it’s simply the one on your phone, a point-and-shoot or a digital SLR. We have all these tools to capture moments in our lives and the people who are a part of it. And boy do we use them! Ask any new a parent how many files they have on their computer of their baby. Do you have any young friends on Facebook? They seem to post every photo that comes off their memory cards so I almost feel like I was there. So is there still a place for professional portrait photography in our personal lives? I believe so. We hire a professional (I hope!) to capture our wedding day but for some, the birth of a child is an even happier occasion. It definitely is the most life changing. Even the parents who rushed out to buy a brand new camera before baby’s arrival will appreciate a professional capturing all the sweetness and beauty not only of their newborn but of them as new parents. It’s hard to be in a portrait if you are the one taking it! And I know I cherish the images of me with my parents when I was young. And now, as I remember my mother-in-law who passed away just over a year ago, I realize just how important all the pictures we have of her are – especially those with my son who was only 15 months-old at the time and probably won’t remember her. Portraits are links to the people we love most in our lives and honouring them by allowing a professional to create artwork to display in your home or in an album ensures that you never forget who they were at various stages in their lives. In my opinion, you can’t place a value on what that’s worth.
Your Ottawa Portrait Photographer,
Vanessa
I’m so excited about meeting new and expectant parents as well as having a chance to display my work at Baby Palooza this coming Saturday. Here are the details about this exciting event:
Calling all Moms, Dads, Parents-to-be, Grandparents and Grandparents-to-be!
Over 40 exhibitors with exciting products and services! Door Prizes and give aways!
Baby Palooza
March 20th 2010
10 am-5 pm
Kemptville College W.B. George Centre
830 Prescott St.
Kemptville, Ontario
Demonstrations
10:30 – Asleep, Safe and Sound SIDS Ottawa
11:00 – Covering bump and baby Fashion Show TL Annie’s Little Seedlings
11:45 – MAKE YOUR OWN BABY FOOD–the No Fuss Way!
12:15 – BeautiControl
1:00 – 5 things everyone needs to know about Epicure Selections
1:30 – Melaleuca
2:00 – Creative Memories
2:30 – Asleep, Safe and Sound SIDS Ottawa
3:00 – BeautiControl
Only $2.00 admission per person! Children 12 and under are free! 1/2 of the door proceeds will go to the Red Cross Relief fund
Seats Coalition will be there to teach you safety for your Car Seats
Lunch will be available for purchase.
Any questions please contact Norma Smith: 613-213-4006
Hope to see you there!
Keep an eye out for my table and I might even have a bonus for anyone who signs up for a portrait session at the show.
Your Ottawa (and Kemptville!) Maternity and Baby Photographer,
Vanessa
Main Website
LinkedIn
Twitter
Facebook
RSS Feed