Cloudy days and cookies

Thank goodness the weatherman isn't always right. Today, the forecast called showers. This morning, I was supposed to take portraits for the C family at Vanier Park. I brought an umbrella, just in case. It didn't rain a single drop. Maybe it's Murphy's Law. Surprisingly, the weather has been very co-operative whenever I happened to have photo shoots outdoors - especially since this is the rainy season of Vancouver.

It was quite the challenge to get the attention of their little girl A, or any two year old child. A thought there were way more interesting things happening, like the people and dogs walking by, airplanes and birds flying overhead. Thankfully, with a some coaxing from her parents, a yo-yo toy, a new found toy (a seashell), sprinkled in with a few breaks and a few Arrowroot cookies, we made it through the shoot.

New Blog Focus

After a season of taking a break from photography, I dove into photography classes - all sorts, including black and white film and children, to name a couple. Now, I'm taking a break from the classes and am applying what I've learned. I have taken photos for family and family on occasion in the past. No, I'm not quitting my day job. I'm just exploring the world of portrait photography (and some candid) for friends and family. So, this blog will now feature some of my photography.

One of my earlier projects included a maternity shoot. Ironically, when I took the children's portraiture class, I missed the studio shoot for maternity photos. That didn't stop me from trying my hand at this genre. My friend J wanted some maternity pics, so here is one of the photographs. It was a beautiful fall day in late October. I snapped these photos just a week shy of their new baby being born. Talk about good timing. If you like, you can see more of my photos on my flickr page (on the left hand side of this blog).

New York City

New York Public Library
Originally uploaded by shutter_grl

In October, my sister and I visited New York City for fun. The east coast is so rich in history and culture. We visited the New York Library briefly (well, it was mostly the gift shop that we saw). The architecture throughout the city was awesome to see in person. We visited the Brooklyn Bridge, Gershwin Theatre (to watch Mary Poppins). We also visited St. Paul's Cathedral which had a memorial display in honour of those who lost their lives on September 11. We saw the vast space where the World Trade Centre used to occupy. No markings now.

Aside from the tourist traps, we indulged ourselves in the local eats, such as Roberto Passion, an italian place which offered an affordable set menu. We wandered the streets in NoLita, SoHo, Little Italy and Chinatown. And when we weren't pounding the pavement, we were riding the rails of the New York Subway system. We made full use of our one-week transit pass.

And, we enjoyed a couple of Broadway shows, Wicked and, as I mentioned earlier, Mary Poppins. Both were highly entertaining.

It was a brief visit, only five days for me, but a shade longer for my sister, who stayed a couple of extra days after I left. It was a relaxing and refreshing trip. It sparked my interest in photography momentarily, especially at the Ground Zero memorial. The trip inspired me to get in touch with my creative side again.