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.

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

Your Ottawa Portrait Photographer,

Vanessa

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

As a new parent, if you are mourning the loss of your date nights and miss going to the movies, you can go on a date with your baby to either Movies for Mommies or Stars and Strollers. The sound is turned down so as not to upset tender eardrums and the lights are left dimmed so you can still see around you. They have stroller parking and changing supplies and sometimes free baby food samples and other goodies. Best of all, no one will glare at you if your baby start hollering or if you need to breastfeed or walk up and down the aisle if your little one wants to stay on the move.

Want something a little more active? My son loves the water so check out the City of Ottawa’s recreation guide for information on swimming lessons and public swim schedules. Trips to museums and the National Gallery of Canada (free admission for children 12 and under) are great when baby is still happy in the stroller.

When they get a little older they’ll have fun exploring things on their own. The Canadian Children’s Museum is fantastic. Another fun one is the Canadian Museum of Nature. Did you know it’s free on Saturday mornings! Bonus! The Aviation Museum has a play room full of toys for kids and who doesn’t love the crazy kitchen in the Canada Science and Technology Museum. My son also loves all the big steam engines there. Once the weather warms up, bring them to see farm animals at the Canada Agriculture Museum and they can see for themselves what goes Moo.

Finally, I recently took my son to Cosmic Adventures and he was a little scared with the big kids playing tag and practically running on top of him so I’d recommend the upstairs section for ages 3 and under the first time you go. Careful! I heard kids get addicted to this place and it isn’t all that cheap!

Did I miss anything? Please tell me about anything other great activities in the Ottawa area. I’ve never taken my son to Gymboree or Star Gymnastics or some of the music classes I know are out there so I’d love to know what you thought of their programs.

Fast forward to the following winter when once again stuck indoors and developing another case of cabin fever, an online search allowed me to discover a free play group that ran 4 days a week from 9:30-11:30am. By then, friends that had been on maternity leave at the same time as me had returned to work so this was a chance for my son to interact with other children, new toys and activities and songs while I could socialize with other parents. They offered snacks to the kids and sometimes had workshops for the parents on various topics relating to child development. These were nice breaks while the facilitators supervised the kids. Right now on Fridays, one of the facilitators comes in half an hour earlier to teach a parent and tot yoga class.

I have been so impressed with how the play group is run and the diversity of parents and care-givers who use it. The facilitators are well-educated and great with the kids. My son now asks for them by name and loves to give them hugs.

So for any new parent that is sick of winter and tired of the mall, drop by a local play group! The Ottawa Public Library also has some great programs so check them out too – click here and use the Search Library Programs for Babytime or Toddlertime.

I hope this helps! I would love to hear about any other programs that are useful to new parents so I can pass the information along to my maternity and newborn portrait clients.

Anyway, last night’s speaker was a young entrepreneur named Erin Blaskie. Her business is the internet (she claims to be online 20 hours a day – even when walking her dogs!) and helping others make the most out of this powerful tool. Her insight on the world of blogging and Twitter was great as those are 2 areas I haven’t quite mastered. My biggest concern was how do I separate the personal side from the business side. Well, she says don’t. Be yourself and people will connect and trust you more. And I guess in both photography and graphic design, you really are selling yourself and your look and style – which may not be for everyone and that’s ok. So the more authentic you are, the more people will like you and want to work with YOU over anyone else you might have the same skill set. That’s something that another mentor of mine, Dane Sanders, founder of FastTrack Photographer talks about a lot.

I love that the internet has allowed me to get inspiration from so many people – especially as a mother of a young child who works from home. It can be isolating at times so it’s important to feel connected to a community and get encouragement. As I am learning, making a business successful takes more than just talent, it takes a lot of determination and willingness to work hard on areas that might not come naturally to us creative types.

I am hoping that being part Entrepreneurial Moms will give me the same kind of motivation with the added bonus of building relationships on a local level and in person. Ok, so now I need to figure out how to tweet this and go on to my next New Year’s Resolution – join LinkdIn!

Let me know if this blog has been useful and if you have any other great tips or resources I should know about!

Thanks for reading!

Vanessa
Your Ottawa Photographer and Graphic Designer