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I had a great time photographing this family of six last night. I especially enjoyed hearing “Twinkle, twinkle little star” sung by this beautiful and very good-natured 3-year-old!
Family of Six
6 week old baby boy
Beautiful 3-year-old!
November is the time to get your pictures taken for the family Christmas card. I don’t design or offer Christmas cards, so I am making digital images available without the purchase of a print. That way you can use one of the many templates found online for your cards.
Of course, prints will still be available, but for this special you will receive 2 high-resolution digital files of your choice. We will use 2 backdrops in a 40 minute session. This can include up to 5 people.
The first 3 people who contact me will get an additional savings of $50. I will need a $50 deposit to reserve your spot and then an additional $30 when you come for the session; a savings of $50. Don’t delay, as I will have a limited number of spots available.
This does not include newborn sessions, as it would be nearly impossible to do a newborn session in 30 minutes.
I had a very busy fall season this year and I want to thank all of the clients who booked a session, There are very few leaves left on the trees but if you are interested in an outdoor session in the next couple of weeks, I can find some spots with colourful leaves or evergreens as a backdrop.
Here are some of the images from the fall sessions:
Many of you have met my dog, Zara. This week, I wanted to try creating a bokeh effect in the studio with some new lights. I didn’t have a model available, so I decided to use my dog.
Our dogs are never allowed in the studio, so I had to put a leash on Zara to get her down there. The image below shows the look that Zara gave me. It’s the same look she has when she thinks she’s in trouble.
It’s titled “Obedience with Disdain”.
Yours in Photography,
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The question of whether or not to change your name is always one that brides ask themselves. After giving this some thought I have decided that I will change mine, so I will be Christina Kaye in the near future and I might change the name of my website. I’m looking at ckphotos or chriskayephotography or some variation of that. I will let you know when this happens. It won’t be in the next couple of months.
We are also looking to buy a place just North of the city that will hold my studio and also have a workshop for John. I don’t want to lose you, my clients, so we won’t be going too far. We both have work to do on our houses before that happens, so in the meantime, my studio will remain at 86 Taunus Dr.
Here are a few images from our wedding.
It’s hard to believe that summer is almost over! July has been a whirlwind for John and I. We spent a lot of time getting the cabin ready for our wedding and planning our special day. Right after that, we spent 11 amazing days in Newfoundland and then I spent a week in Calgary with my grandson.
Now here we are, at the end of August, with fall coming along very soon.
Fall is the perfect time to update your family portrait. The days are cooler and the colours of the trees make an amazing backdrop. The best time of day for doing your family picture is at the end of the day about an hour or 2 before sunset. Sunset is around 6:30 or 7:00 pm in Oct, therefore the best time for your family session is around 5:00. Mornings around 9:30 or 10:00 is also an option but mornings tend to be quite cool in Oct.
We can, of course do sessions at other times if your schedule won’t accommodate those times.
I am usually at Victoria Beach on the weekends, which is so beautiful in the fall. I would be happy to do your session there. Let me know if that is an option for you.
I will stay in the city for the weekend of Sept. 22nd, so let me know if that weekend works for you.
I am going to waive the session fee for the first 4 families that book a family session in the fall. So don’t delay booking your session. I will need a $50 deposit to secure your session. You can use that deposit towards your purchase of prints after the session. Regular session fees are $80, so it is quite a savings!
People often ask me which camera to buy. There is no easy answer to that question because there are a lot of factors to consider; like what you plan on using it for, what your budget is and how much knowledge you have about photography. The short answer is that the best camera to use is the one you have with you. I would look at a site such as this one https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2369450,00.asp to see what the experts think. I have a couple of Canon SLRs but I also have the Canon G5X, which is a point and shoot camera that also shoots in RAW. I use my iPhone for a lot of pictures and it really is amazing. I don't think smart phones will ever replace SLRs or mirrorless cameras but they have improved dramatically in recent years. These are images that I took with my iPhone 6Plus. I took this first one at Victoria Beach. I had my SLR with me but I had a dead battery and I also had my G5X with me but no cards, so I used my iPhone to capture this amazing scene. I edited the image with Snapseed and only used Photoshop to change the DPI to 300. I blew this up to 24x36 and it looks amazing!I took this one while walking on a trail in Newfoundland. Again, it was the only camera I had with me and again I only used Photoshop to change the DPI to 300.
So take a lot of pictures, using whatever you have with you, use editing software and print the ones you like best. My favourite software for my phone is Snapseed. It does pretty much anything! Have fun and let me know if you need any help.
I recently came across this poem by Spike Milligan and wanted to share it with you today.
Yours in Photography,
Christina
Call out for all pregnant mamas!
I’m looking for some models for maternity photos. The purpose of these images will be to build my maternity portfolio and possibly enter the images into competitions. I have some new gowns and some exciting ideas that I want to try out.
Applicant for this model call must:
The benefit of doing this model call:
If you are interested please email me at chrismcwilliamsphotography@gmail.com.
I will forward an application to you with further details.
Please share with any of your friends who might qualify or tag them on Facebook or Instagram.
Thank you,
Christina
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Costco has had their Christmas decorations up for about a month and other retailers put their stuff out the day after Halloween. Yesterday, while walking my dog in the dark, I noticed a decorated Christmas tree up in a neighbour’s window.
Yes, Christmas will be here before we know it. And snow isn’t long in coming either. Boohoo on snow!
That means it’s time to get your holiday/Christmas photo session booked. And just in time for Christmas I am running a special.
This special is for sessions in the studio or at The Legislative Bldg for bigger groups.
Don’t delay. We have some new backdrops and look forward to hearing from you!
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What is the perfect Christmas present? I’m sure that a lot of us are asking this question right now What can I give to a special someone that will be appreciated and treasured.
I think that buying someone a gift certificate for a photography session is as perfect a gift as you can get. Many people with small children cannot afford to get a professional portrait done of their child or their family. It’s a gift that will be treasured for years to come as the receiver looks at the photos and remembers that time in their lives.
I offer gift certificates at all times, but for the next 3 weeks I’m going to offer a “Buy One, Get one Free Special.” That means, you can buy one gift certificate for $100 and get another one free.
And it’s easy too. Just send me an email at chrismcwilliamsphotography@gmail.com with the particulars and I can get a customized gift certificate(s) ready for you.
If you are concerned that all you are giving is an envelope, why not also buy a picture frame to wrap and put the gift certificate inside. A note could be put inside the frame that says,”Fill me with an image of ______________.”
The best part is that you get to avoid the malls to do your shopping!
Christina
Are you enjoying your summer?
I’m having a great summer and have enjoyed all the sessions that I’ve done outside ( as well as some inside ones). One of my favourite spots that I’ve been using for family portraits is the Legislative Building grounds. I like using the steps of the building for photos as well as some of the trees and benches that are on the grounds. The fountain is also a great backdrop but is sometimes a bit tricky to use on sunny days. The bears are a huge hit with the kids and lend themselves to some great portraits.
Here are a couple of images that were done at the Ledge:
Other spots that I really like are The Forks, Kildonan Park and Kilcona Park, but I am open to suggestions, so let me know if you have a location in mind.
I am offering a new category of pricing for those who are interested in purchasing the full DVD of images from their session. Instead of paying a session fee of $125, plus $350 for a DVD of all the images ($475), I am reducing the price to $350 (plus $28 PST) for both. A payment of $200 will be due at the time of the session with the balance to be paid when you receive your DVD. It’s a savings of $125!
I am keeping this pricing for the summer to see if there is any interest.
Did you know that if you purchased a Groupon in the past and are interested in booking another session, I will give you the same deal that you would get if you purchased another Groupon? It’s true. The reason is, that if you purchase a Groupon for the session, I only receive 60% of your payment, so it’s in my best interest to give you the same price as you would get if you bought another Groupon. It’s a win/win situation. You save money and I earn more. Works for me! How about you?
My ad has stopped running for now but I will be posting another Groupon in the fall.
I had a blast shooting at Julie’s wedding shower a couple of weeks ago. Julie’s future mother-in-law hosted the shower and she wanted to do something a bit different to create some laughs. And laugh we did as you can see from this video! Click on the link below to view it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4JzDSCz19s&feature=c4-overview&list=UUV6URtGrdVY21LWBFZC1Ffg
The 50s Photo Booth was a great idea for making the shower less formal and considerably more fun! Here are a couple of the images from the shower.
The possible themes for bridal shower photo booths are endless. How about
lingerie (or a pin-up of someone in a sexy outfit) or the beach,
or the 70s? I think a gaudy wedding dress and veil along with some
tacky flowers would make for some great photo booth pictures as well.Let your imagine go, come up with an idea or talk to me about one and we can
plan your fun photo booth together. Email me if you are interested and I will put
a package together for you!
Something funny;
And something to think about.
Yours in Photography,
Christina
Newborns are some of my favorite clients, so for the month of March, I am offering a 50% off special. For $125 (the price of one session fee) you can purchase both the maternity and newborn sessions and for $350 (the price for all the digital images from a session on a DVD) you can purchase a DVD from both sessions. That’s a $950 value for $475. If you know someone who is expecting a baby and you refer them to me you also get a $59 credit towards your own session. It’s a win/win offer. But don’t delay. The offer is good for the month of March only. What about if you are due later in the year? If you want to get this special, you can pay half now and half later to get this amazing price.