Black Friday Sale

I know, it's really a U.S. event - but I want to play too!

The sale is on Special Edition Notecard Sets (click here to view).

Each of three sets contains the ten different cards shown. The two Halton sets are full sized 5 x 7 cards, the Floral set is a smaller card, perfect for accompanying a gift.

The watercolour stock cards are blank on the inside so that they can be used for any occasion, and include matching envelopes. Sets are boxed in clear acrylic - just wrap a ribbon around and they're ready to go as a lovely host/hostess gift over the holidays!

The Halton series larger cards are regularly $40, the smaller Floral cards are regularly $25.

Until this Friday, November 26th at 11:59 pm, the cards are 20% off if purchasing one set, 25% off if purchasing two sets, and 30% off when purchasing three or more sets.

Shipping is included in purchases of $60 or more, smaller orders are shipped for a fee of $5 (or if you're nearby we can arrange for you to pick them up). HST not included.

To purchase, please email me at sandy@theintrepidlens.com, or call 416.888.4230.

A Peek at the Lighter Side of a Session

There will be more photos to come from this session - there are just so many images that I love! You might recognize a few faces from my previous post, this was the second of two sessions booked by my client for her and her husband's families.

We spent most of our time laughing - this is one family that knows how to have fun!

Three Generation Family Session

My client recently arranged two sessions, one for her husband's family and the other for her own parents and siblings. The first took place last month, the other yesterday (thank goodness the weather cleared for a few hours!) What a thoughtful idea! Grandparents, adults kids and the little ones, both families were lots of fun to spend time with.

Here are a few images from the first session. Everyone had gathered from points across Canada to attend a family wedding the previous day, and the photo session was held in honour of a special birthday.

You'll soon see four of these family members appearing in another blog entry documenting yesterday's session!

I came to know this family through the clients featured in my last post (I'm grateful for all of your referrals!) The two sons are away at the same university; I'll have to ask all these empty-nester parents that I'm meeting for tips on getting ready for that first year away at school.

We got lucky with the weather for this session, having had to reschedule our first attempt due to overly hot and humid temperature a few weeks earlier. What a weird year for weather!

This family was a joy to spend time with. I love witnessing when the men treat the lone female in the family with such respect and adoration. You just know that the boys will treat the women in their futures well!

Catching up on Family Session Images

A lovely family, a lovely day -what more could you ask for?

I seem to be photographing lots of families this year with teens and young adults. This family has two sons, one in university and the younger heading there next fall. I have a soft spot for this age right now seeing as my own daughter is heading off to school next fall too. Time is flying by far too quickly!

The older offspring that I've been meeting this year (I hesitate in calling them kids!) leave me feeling very optimistic about the future. Bright, determined - and a particular pleasure to spend time with!

The photo in the top left corner is the storyboard that we created together. 20" x 20" mounted as a three dimensional Standout, it shows off a selection of favourite images from our session.

Holiday Gift Guide 2010 is Here! | The Intrepid Lens

We've had our photo session (or will be over the next few weeks) , and now you're starting to think about holiday gifts. The Holiday Gift Guide to the rescue!

Image gifts start at under $50 with a few splurge ideas too. Traditional prints, gallery canvas wraps, photo jewelry, photo bags and more.

This Gift Guide is only available to past and booked clients - drop me a quick note at sandy@theintrepidlens.com and I'll send it along to you promptly by email.

Holiday Gift orders of $200 or more placed before Friday, October 8th will receive a complimentary set of ten Fine Art Notecards valued at $40.

"That's the Face!" Storyboards

I can't tell you how many times clients have contacted me after seeing their session proofs to let me know that I captured an expression that is simply classic for their child. A face that they make while telling a story, wondering about something new, or even getting a little frustrated at the big ole' world.

An expression that certainly wouldn't appear when asked to smile for a more formal portrait, but just a natural reaction to what's going on around them. That's the beauty of a longer, more casual photo session. A playdate where we just let a few hours unfold and everyone forgets that I'm clicking away.

This gave me inspiration to try something new, a way to present images with consistent lighting to really show off a range of expressions that your little one makes throughout the course of a day.

Introducing "That's the Face!" studio sessions and Storyboards. Here you'll see the results of a recent session with Mr. J. We spent a lovely hour together talking about all sorts of things!

Sessions take place at my studio in Burlington on specified weekdays, including some afterschool time slots. Two upcoming dates are Wednesday Sept. 29th, and Wednesday Oct. 13th (leaving time to order prints for the holidays!).

The costs for a nine photo layout (including the session fee) are:

$425 for a 20" x 20" mounted "Standout" print, ready to hang

or

$275 for a 12" x 12" traditional print

Storyboards for additional children from the same family are 25% off. Prints of individual images from the session are also available at a 15% savings.

Other configurations are available, custom quoted.

For more information or to book a session, please either email me at sandy@theintrepidlens.com, or call 416.888.4230 (cell).

Just too cute for words...

Sneak peek from a session earlier today, Mr. J. has the "pat your head, rub your stomach" act down much better than most adults!

One Really Fun Street Party!

Two days of blogging in a row, I'm hoping that it's the start of being a bit more consistent with posting. :-)

Today I'm sharing images from a fun day last month on our street. Thanks to the hard work of several neighbours we had our second annual Street Party and I was pleased to be able to take snapshots throughout the day.

A different approach for me, with portait sessions I have more control over what's in the background and consult with my clients on location, outfits, posing etc.; but this was lots of fun nonetheless. One thing remains consistent with my portrait sessions though, I prefer to catch my subjects just being themselves and not necessarily posed. Plus getting the close-ups of kids, and there are so many cute ones on our street!

Here are just a few, to see more visit my Facebook page for The Intrepid Lens - and click "Like" to be updated whenever I post new images there!

The Adorable Miss C - Part II

Catching up with the adorable Miss C!

I know, I've been a terrible blogger the last few months. It's been a busy summer and I need to do some catching up!

Starting with this lovely family, we spent a really fun morning at Bronte Creek Provincial Park playing, feeding the peacocks and running around. And I do mean run, the lovely Miss C. is a track star in the making!

More to come, I'm limited to five photos per blog entry and there are just so many sweet images of this lovely family.

Need a Very Young Victim (Um, Subject!!!!)

In my last newsletter I alluded to a new product - a very cool storyboard for little ones, and I need a volunteer to make a sample for you all to see.

I'm looking for a young child age 2 - 3 yrs old who takes direction well, and when caught at the right time of day has a fair bit of patience (gummy bear bribes notwithstanding!)

My volunteer should be able to sit easily on a low stool without assistance, be quite expressive (I promise that I'm willing to do anything myself that I'm asking this little one to do!) and isn't shy once having had a chance to get to know someone new (past clients who already know my fondness for photographing this age range are welcome to contact me too).

I ask that other children in the family are cared for at home to avoid distractions during the photo shoot. The session would take place on a weekday (flexible timing) and take about an hour in my northeast Burlington studio.

Mom & Dad will get a 12" x 12" print within four weeks, with a discount rate on duplicates if desired.

For more information (or to let me know that your little one is a perfect fit for this session!) please email me at sandy@theintrepidlens.com.

I can't wait, this will be lots of fun!

Reflections on Motherhood

For my blog readers, clients & Facebook friends who are moms (or about to be!), enjoy!

Why I Do What I Do

I started out my photographic career as a capturer of the inanimate. Landscapes, flowers, architecture. Of course I took photos at family events and was usually corralled into taking a snap whenever a group photo was required.

Taking portraits however was another story. It intimidated the beans out of me! I felt like I was invading personal space, that I wouldn't be able to make my subject feel comfortable. That I wouldn't do justice to the loveliness that can be found in a gentle smile or the twinkle of the eye.

Years ago I decided to face my fear (as I suppose one should with anything that makes one anxious) and signed up for a five day photography course in Savannah, Georgia with a photographer who's work I'd come to admire - and had heard wonderful things about his seminars. This wasn't to be a specifically technical course, this was to be a journey in discovering who we wanted to be as photographers.

I could write for pages and pages about what transpired over those five (and unexpectedly frigid!) days one April in Savannah, but for the sake of brevity I'll just tell you about one key outcome for me.

One of our assignments was to journal our experience, and we started off on the first page with a request to write down what we hoped to get out of the course. Mine was simple. Capture Joy.

And with every person I've since photographed this has been my mission. Yes, sometimes with the little ones I'm also capturing a pout, frustration or the start of a meltdown...but that's what little ones are about! But for the most part, it's about love, affection, humour and above all joy. My absolute honour to be there with my camera to capture it.

The photos attached to this blog were taken a few weeks ago on our street. One very lovely neighbour and her adorable daughter Miss L. As a mom to a teenaged daughter heading off to university very soon, those mother - daughter moments warm my heart like nothing else can.

Pure Joy. For these two, and me.

Thank you to Craig Tanner for helping me to open this door.

Another Gallery Canvas Sale

Ouch, how did I let more than six weeks pass since my last blog entry? More coming soon, I promise - I have some terrific session images that I've been looking forward to sharing with you.

In the meantime, my wonderful canvas company is holding yet another sale. 30% off all sizes!

Applies to:

• Images from past sessions
• Images from upcoming sessions (you'll just need to decide on a size, and I can assist you with that. One of my new layout software programs is designed just for canvases!)
• Fine Art images (from the right side of my website when you get the welcome splash page at http://www.theintrepidlens.com)

Sale ends this Saturday, August 29th. Please call me at 416.888.4230 or email me at sandy@theintrepidlens.com to receive pricing info.

Gallery Canvas Sale - ends Saturday July 10th

Another fantastic sale from my very favourite canvas supplier!

30% off all sizes (from 8x10 all the way to 30x40). Even if you're not yet sure which images you want to have wrapped onto these gorgeous canvases you can still take advantage of this sale.

You can pre-purchase a size and I can send in the images to be printed at a later date (that's where my new design templates mentioned in the July newsletter can help out!)

Contact me (sandy@theintrepidlens.com or 416.888.4230) if you're interested, sale ends Saturday. Oh - and this sale applies to fine art images as well!

Worldwide Photo Walk - Oakville, will you join me?

This post is for my blog readers who like being behind the camera once in awhile too, enjoy exploring and meeting new people!

For the third year, Scott Kelby (a renowned photographer and Photoshop trainer extraordinaire!) has organized the Worldwide Photo Walk for photographers of all levels of expertise. Point and shoot camera enthusiasts are just as welcome as those with pro level cameras.

This year the Walk will be held on Saturday July 24th, I've signed up for the Oakville, ON trek starting at 2 pm in downtown.

If you'd like to join in, please visit http://worldwidephotowalk.com/walk/oakville-on-canada/.
It's free, and there are chances to win prizes too.

I'll be photographing in the area (hopefully finding some great new portrait session locations as I explore downtown Oakville), and I certainly don't mind giving out a few pointers along the way if you're looking to improve your camera and composition skills.

It would be great to see you on the 24th (and to catch up on a patio with cold refreshments afterwards!)

P.S. Gallery Canvas Sale coming this Thursday, thanks to my Canvas printer for the heads up. Let me know if you have any portrait session images that are whispering to you that they want to go BIG and BEAUTIFUL on your wall!

Boys will be boys!

Some families prefer a more sedate pace to their photo sessions, others can be a bit rambunctious! This one was one of the latter, we had a great time looking for caterpillars, jumping, tickling and laughing. A lot. What came across very clearly is how much this gorgeous mom loves spending time with her sons!

Purses, Bags and Wallets are here!

This week I received my samples for a new product that I'm offering - bags with an image from our photo session!

You might recognize my frequent photo assistant (my daughter, Suzanna) on this bag, the Single Strap Bucket Purse. I've been wearing this bag around town this week and I can't tell you how many people have stopped me to ask how they can get one. Good thing this purse has a small inside pocket that perfectly fits my business cards!

The body of the bag is durable microfibre, and I opted to go with the upgrade for leather strap and trim. The purse/image can be cleaned with a soft, damp cloth.

The full range of purses/bags/wallets can be viewed on my website at http://www.theintrepidlens.com/index2.php?v=v1#/featured/. And yes, there are several items for proud dads too!

(And your bag would of course be without my logo).

Catching up on session sneak peeks!

I had the pleasure of photographing this lovely family a few weeks back, the setting was their beautiful property complete with barn, pond and and a couple of horses (one quite friendly, the other not so much!)

Canvas Sale until Thursday June 3rd!

My wonderful supplier for canvas images just announced a sale and I'm happy to pass along the savings of 30% off any size!

This is a sale of short duration though, so you'll need to move quickly - I'll need to receive your order by midnight tomorrow (Thursday June 3rd).

The sale applies to both portrait and fine art images.

PLUS - for clients with bookings coming up in the next few months, you can pre-purchase a canvas in a particular size, and we'll fill the order after your session. Let me know if I can help with size selection for your available wall space.

Email me at sandy@theintrepidlens.com with any questions.

There must be something in the water!

Boys, boys and more boys on our street! I had a great time photographing a few young men (and their dads too) yesterday evening. When we first moved here five years ago there were a handful of young kids, but we've since had an explosion of little ones - and mostly boys!

Strangely, it was the same on our old street in Toronto, my daughter was the lone girl with a boatload of little guys to play with. I'm quite surprised that she didn't turn out to be a tomboy; she instead held reign over the young lads with the mystique of femininity. We still laugh over how they would fight amongst themselves to unpack her lunch for her at school - and those same little boys have grown into strapping (and polite!) young men. Their mammas taught them well...

There's still time to book a session to get photos in time for Father's Day (June 20th), check my on-line calendar for availability at http://theintrepidlens.com/index2.php?v=v1#/calendar/. Or, consider a photo session as a gift for Dad to take place at a later date!

Ah, Summer! A Random Neighbourhood Shot

I caught Mr. C just out of the sprinker, having obviously enjoyed a red popsicle earlier in the day. Gotta love summer weather!

Getting down and dirty!

Did you happen to catch the season finale of "Modern Family" on TV last night?
(to watch in Canada, http://www.citytv.com/toronto/show/micro/episode/76707 )

I'm not keen on everyone wearing white for a portrait session, but if you want to finish up by smearing mud over each other (at the very, very end of the session of course) I'm all for it!

On a serious note, if your family loves to get messy (anything from a tackling each other on the sports field to finger painting each others' faces) feel free to ask to make your fun family activities part of a photo session. Again, I'll note - the END of a photo session! :-)

As you can well imagine I have plenty of photos of my own daughter, but I'd have to say that one of my very favourites is one where she drew all over her face with marker when I turned my back for a few moments. 'Cause it was just so her at two years old... :-)

Cleaning House...

You know how it happens, you keep accumulatings things - and then someone mentions that they're organizing a street sale. Yeah, a chance to find a new home for things I'm no longer using!

And yes, there a few photography items that will be on sale including books, a tripod, camera case, filters, a film SLR (no lenses, I've sold the ones I'm no longer using through Kijiji) and whatever else I find over the next few days.

If you're interested in checking out what I have for sale, please email me at sandy@theintrepidlens.com for details. The sale is this Saturday, May 15th - you can reserve an item ahead of time if you don't want it to get away from you!

Representation from the Men! Teen/Grad Sessions

My portfolio is jam-packed with image of girls & women, it was my pleasure to photograph this handsome young man recently!

If you'd like to reward your teen for their hard work at school this year, or trying to think of a unique graduation gift consider a photo session. I have some unique locations, and speak with your teen beforehand to get a sense of how they'd like to be captured in their photos. We can incorporate their hobbies, favourite spots and sense of style (clothing changes are encouraged). Even have their friends join for all or part of the session if they wish!

To check availability, please visit my website at http://www.theintrepidlens.com/

50% off Canvas Sale! Ends Friday, Portrait and Fine Art Images

My canvas printer just let me know about a deep discount only offered until this Friday, March 19th. If you had canvas in mind for any portrait images from a session from last season/or have your eye on any of my fine art images - now is the time to jump on it! :-)

This sale applies to the following canvas sizes:

11 x 14 reg. $325 On sale for $162.50

12 x 18 reg. $350 On sale for $175.00

16 x 20 reg. $400 On sale for $200.00

16 x 24 reg. $400 On sale for $200.00

20 x 24 reg. $550 On sale for $275.00

20 x 30 reg. $550 On sale for $275.00

24 x 36 reg. $650 On sale for $325.00

Please contact me if you have any questions at 416.888.4230 or at sandy@theintrepidlens.com.

I can reload your session proofs if you'd like to review your images.

For fine art images, please visit my website at http://www.theintrepidlens.com/

This Sunday - Burlington Women's Show

I'll be exhibiting this weekend at the Burlington Women's Show, Sunday February 21st from 11 am - 4 pm at Tansley Woods Community Centre.

It'll be a fun event - food, wine, shopping (I'm just one of over 50 vendors) and prizes.

Click here for more info, or contact me directly at sandy@theintrepidlens.com. I'll be in the main foyer!

Retouching - A "Before" and "After"

Lots of clients ask me if I can take care of a few blemishes, a scar or sometimes to lessen the effects of time (yup, those wrinkles!) when I'm preparing their images.

My philosophy on retouching is pretty straightforward. A light touch, take care of anything that's temporary (blemishes, cuts and bruises from the playground etc.), and to make sure everyone look like they've had a great night of sleep before the photo session! Anything beyond that can be requested, and I can advise what's feasible to keep the image looking natural.

Every image is also colour balanced, adjusted for tones (highlights and shadows), and I also scour each image for lint, stray hairs across the face, loose threads, scuff marks on shoes etc. On smaller images these corrections might not even be noticed by my client, but on larger photos they can be quite obvious if not taken care of!

I thought I'd show you an example of the type of retouching that I apply to a typical image. My lovely daughter Suzanna agreed to let me post this before & after comparison. This image was taken in my studio, using strobe lights, reflectors and a background.

Suzanna was looking forward to showing off her new dress (let's call it aubergine colour), but in order to get her face nicely lit it was necessary to bounce some light with reflectors. Unfortunately this also reflected the colour of her dress onto her face - so removing the colour cast was the first step.

There were a few shiny spots (on her shoulder for example) that I wanted to minimize. These hotspots can draw the viewer's attention away, so away those went.

A few minor blemishes and stray hairs across her forehead disappeared as well. Besides removing the purple colour cast, I toned down a bit of redness in her skin. The green background was enhanced a bit to compliment the colour of her dress and hair.

Being a studio shot, I also did a bit of complexion smoothing. But not too much, I still like the texture of the skin to show through (not like those "glamour" shots where the skin appears to be unnaturally smooth, that wasn't the look we were going for on this image!)

A bit of brightening of the eyes, reduce some of the shadows and we're done! Here's the final image. By the way, I've ordered this image as a large canvas to use as a studio sample, it'll be on display when I'm exhibiting at the Burlington Women's Show on Sunday, February 21st. And of course I'd be happy to bring it to any post - session consultations to show you what an impact a large canvas can make in your home!

Readers Choice Awards Nominations - May I Have Your Vote?

I'm honoured to have been nominated for the Burlington Post's 2010 Reader's Choice Awards - my thanks to those who put my name forward!

I've been nominated in two categories:


1) Best Business/Service - Photography Service

1) Best People - Photographer


It's easy to submit your vote.


Step 1: Go to the website at http://www.burlingtonreaderschoice.ca/

Step 2: Register your email address

Step 3: Activate your account from the email sent to you

Step 4: Log-in and vote for your favourites!


Voting commences Friday Jan. 29th at noon, and closes Friday, Feb. 5th at noon.


I'd really appreciate your support!

Thanks,

Sandy

New SlideShow Posted with 2009 Images

Click here to view a new slideshow with images from 2009 Portrait Sessions.

Some great locations, I'm looking forward to going back for sessions this year.

Watch for the February newsletter coming out next week, are you on my distribution list?

The Intrepid Lens Newsletter

I don't know how I let so much time pass between blog entries - sorry 'bout that! Lots of holiday print orders kept me busy at the end of the year. Thanks to all my lovely clients for your business!

I've just sent out my January newsletter to subscribers. This month I'm featuring a January Print Sale, and new PDF pricing/info guides. If you're not yet a subscriber it's easy to sign up. There's a button on the right side of this blog, or you can email me directly at sandy@theintrepidlens.com to have your name added.

Upcoming newsletters will feature new photo packages, new What to Wear guides, Storyboards and more! Plus I'll be giving newsletter subscribers first choice of spring portrait sessions when I open up my schedule.

I'll do much better my blog entries this year...