Welcome to the Green Apple Photography Blog. By viewing my stories and images, you will get a glimpse into my shooting style and personal experiences. My mission is to get you excited about your family portraits, about the moments I capture of your gorgeous children and the beauty of your pregnant body. I want you to share them with your friends and family and to see quality and artistry in every image.

For the many people who share their comments, stories, and lives with me, thank you!

Monday, January 31, 2011

A meeting over coffee

"You meet people who forget you.  You forget people you meet.  But sometimes you meet those people you can't forget.  Those are your 'friends'."

I've always considered my clients to be friends.  Especially my wedding clients.  Afterall, I am spending most of the best day of their life with them.  I'll be there while they are getting ready, as they try to calm their nerves before the ceremony, as share their first married kiss, and as they dance and party the night away in celebration.

For this reason, I take meeting a newly engaged couple very seriously.  I like to meet my clients over coffee. Just like I would with a friend.  I'm not in it for the "sale" or to force them to hire me - I'm really there to meet them, and for them to meet me.  If we click and I can offer what they are looking for, I would expect them to hire me.  If we don't hit it off, I would hope that they find someone else.  This may seem like backwards business, but I truly feel that a wedding is a special day. The bride has chosen a maid of honour, her bridesmaids and of course, a groom very carefully.  They are people that she wants around her on the wedding day (and beyond). I feel like the photographer should be no different. After all, when the toasts have been made, the bouquet tossed and the coffee is cold, Your memories and photos are what remain.  My goal is that your memories will be as amazing as your photos.






Friday, January 28, 2011

Photo of the Day - January 24-28

When I first started this "assignment" I thought it would be easy.  Snap a photo each day. Post it on facebook. Write about it.  Easy!?  Not so much.  I don't want to just snap a photo, I want to be inspired to take that photo in the first place.   My kids are easy "go-to" subjects but I wanted to find something else. Something that I consider beautiful -or can make beautiful with my camera. I'm looking for inspiration in everyday things or everyday moments. 

Here are this week's images.

January 24, 2011
Maria's 3rd Birthday Cake

Joe has always made the kids' cakes for them.  He does an amazing job - right down to the home-made fondant icing (which was delicious too).  He spends hours on them and the reaction is worth it!  When Maria woke up from her nap to find her finished cake she asked Joe if she could just sit and look at it for a bit.  She was at the table for almost 30 minutes.



January 25, 2011
My Desk - The tidiest part

I've never really been a tidy worker.  It's just the way I am.  I need to spread out, make scribble notes and stack papers.  This portion of my desk is the only part where you can actually see the desk - the rest is currently covered in... stuff.



January 26, 2011
Maria swinging at the farm

Last year we got a trailer where we could spend sometime in the great outdoors with our kids.  It's a place where Joe spent most of his childhood summers.  This photo was taken this past summer while Maria spun around on the ... I don't even know what it is called.  This photo sort of breaks the rules of my "photo of the day" since I didn't actually take it on the 26th...but the past few days have been FREEZING and it made me feel warm - so there - rule broken!

January 27, 2011
William in his crib - from the outside, looking in

Joe got this amazing shot of William.  I was feeling especially uninspired yesterday when I set out to complete my assignment.  Let's blame it on all the accounting I've been doing lately.  Anyway, when William first wakes up from his nap, he likes to play in his crib and roll around a bit - he thinks it's funny and so do we.  Look how proud he is of himself.


January 28, 2011
William - Santa makes a surprise visit

William is the messiest 1 year old eater ever.  He is known in the family for being especially careless with his cuisine. Maybe because he generally feeds himself, maybe because he's one, or maybe, unfortunately this is the "tidy" trait he gets from me.  But he has fun and that's important to me.  So he wore his breakfast this morning, I couldn't resist posting it. 


Wednesday, January 26, 2011

My best friend

No...I'm not writing about Joe again.

Before we had kids, Joe used to joke that TV was my best friend.  I was officially addicted.  When I wasn't working, I was watching.  It got especially bad when my daughter was a newborn.  I had a show to watch at 9am, 10am, 11am, 12pm , 1pm(although it wasn't any good - I still watched), 2pm, 3pm, 4pm (Oprah) and then I made dinner.  It really was kind of sad.  Once my daughter turned 3 months old, there wasn't time and the TV stayed turned off.  It felt great.  Now I really don't watch TV anymore - and sometimes I miss it.  I just want to sit down without hearing "mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy" (I know - annoying to read - even more annoying to hear) and relax.

I do get the opportunity in the evening when the 2 monkeys are asleep to watch a few of my faves.  I love Glee.  I'm a huge fan of Dexter - even though it scares me.  I think Modern family is hilarious.  And I'm a closet Bachelor fan.  There's just something about sitting down in the evening with a snack and totally relaxing. Hmm ... that sounds good and both the kids are napping anyway -  I think I may tune into the latest episode of  whatever happens to be on right now! 

Monday, January 24, 2011

Joe

So, although it may seem weird to blog about my husband, he is a major part of my life and my business.  If you keep up with my blog, you'll remember from "Takin' Care of Business", that Joe is really the reason that I started shooting weddings again.

While shooting weddings, we definitely are opposite.  Joe really enjoys taking candids and keeping out of sight.  I, on the other hand, love to interact with the bride and groom, the wedding party and guests.  Joe is very technical minded while he shoots. I am very focused on are the artistic qualities of the image.  Joe takes care of backing up images on site (and worrying about it too).  I just hand him my full cards and I'm on to the next shot.  Joe is the left side of the brain, I am the right.  Ok I don't even know if that is correct.  I could be the left and he could be the right - but you get the idea.

So it sounds like it's all rainbows and sunshine - it isn't.  We have our - ahem - "moments" as well.  But I honestly am truly happy.  I would never be the photographer that I am, without him.  He allows me to be who I am.  I hope he reads this because even though we spend a lot of time together, I don't get to tell him how much it means to have him in my life as much as I would like.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Photo of the Day - January 17-21, 2011

I recently decided that I need to take out my camera for more than just client shoots, weddings and snapshots of my kids.  I needed to get back to shooting for myself.  My goal is to practice some new skills and pick up my camera everyday.  And so was born "Photo of the day".  Here are my photos for this week along with the stories that go along with them.

Flowers in my kitchen - January 17, 2011
Copyright 2011 Green Apple Photography

Last week was my 30th birthday.  I know...I'm old.  I bought these flowers and just loved how they looked when I arranged them in a glass.



Raspberry cookies, baked with Maria - January 18, 2011
Copyright 2011 Green Apple Photography

You know when you have a day when you just need something sweet.  This was one of those days.


Bracelets for Kate's Kause (www.kateskause.com) - January 19, 2011
Copyright 2011 Green Apple Photography
I'm very involved with a charity in honour of my neice.  We sell these to raise awareness for Angelman Syndrome and to raise funds for an accessible playground.



Maria - January 20, 2011
Copyright 2011 Green Apple Photography

Maria picked these flowers out at the market.  You'll notice she's checking out her reflection in the mirror on the opposite wall.

William - January 21, 2011
Copyright 2011 Green Apple Photography
William was playing in the window with my kitchen utensils.  I couldn't resist.  He's just too cute with his big eyes.


Stay tuned every Friday for 5 new Photo of the Day images and stories.  

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Twins?

Every morning I pack up my 2 kids and take them for a walk with the dog.  This time of year it involves coats, snowpants, hats, mitts, scarves and boots.  As I make my way around town with my double stroller and 100lb dog, most people smile, some say hello and others say "you must have your hands full?!".  The other day, I had the strangest comment. "Twins?" asked a woman as she walked past us.  No - I said.

My kids are 22 months apart.  They do look a lot alike, but twins? I may know why this particular woman jumped to that conclusion.  Occasionally, sometimes, once in a while, I will put my son in a one piece hot pink snow suit!  Embarrassed!  Cringing!  Hiding in shame! Is that cruel?  He has a handsome, blue 2 piece.  But lets be real - it can be a pain to put a 2 piece snowsuit on a 14 month old.

The first time I pulled out that pink snowsuit, I hesitated, but thought what's the harm in trying it.  It was in the evening and dark and no one could tell - right?  I promised myself I would only do it that one time.  But that one-time experiment led to another evening walk, and another and another.  And now I find myself grabbing for the pink snowsuit everyday, twice a day, just to get through the walk.  It has become a real problem - to the point that people stop and comment on my 2 girls and well - ask if they are twins. 

You tell me - do they look like twins?
Copyright Green Apple Photography
Copyright Green Apple Photography
Copyright Green Apple Photography

Monday, January 17, 2011

'Takin' Care of Business'

So up to this point, all my posts have been about current photo sessions, or clients or wedding's I've done.  It's time for you to get to know a little bit about me and why I'm in business and why I do what I love everyday.

It didn't start out very easily for me.  I completed one year of a 2 year program at Fanshawe college in photography.  At the time, I knew I like photography, but didn't know exactly what to do with it.  I had shot a couple of weddings by myself for some friends and family - and to be honest I hated it...I hated the pressure and worry and stress of being responsible for once in a lifetime moments. 

When Joe and I were planning our own wedding, we found Calvin Photography.  They are an amazing husband and wife team who enlightened me to the fact that weddings should be fun and creative.  I really had an amazing experience and walked away with even more amazing photos.  I would recommend them highly.  The next year, a friend asked me to shoot her wedding and this time I brought Joe along as my second shooter.  It was soooo much fun!  I loved it.  Having Joe there meant that some of the pressure was off me - and I was able to really enjoy photography again.  Since then, Joe and I shoot all our weddings together.  It really is fun and I can honestly say that all my brides (and grooms) have fun too.

Here are a few photos from that first wedding.


Copyright 2006 Green Apple Photography

Copyright 2006 Green Apple Photography

Copyright 2006 Green Apple Photography

Copyright 2006 Green Apple Photography
Copyright 2006 Green Apple Photography

Monday, January 3, 2011

Family Tradition

The Margolin family live almost an entire country apart.  From Vancouver to Toronto to Cambridge.  The West-Coast family members - including their 3 month old daughter, had planned a trip home for the holidays.  They wanted to capture the visit and come to my studio for an extended family shoot. I could tell the families hadn't seen each other in a while, but it appeared that they picked up right where they left off - joking, laughing and having a great time - even if occasionally it was at my expense.  The shoot went smoothly - actually ridiculously smoothly for a family of 9.  Leave it to their amazing organizational skills and collaboration on everything from props to outfits.  The only real challenge was the size of my studio.  It wasn't the actual studio that was the issue, but the rest of my space.  There isn't a lot of room.  We made it work and here are some of my favourite shots.

copyright 2010 Green Apple Photography



copyright 2010 Green Apple Photography
copyright 2010 Green Apple Photography

copyright 2010 Green Apple Photography

copyright 2010 Green Apple Photography

copyright 2010 Green Apple Photography

copyright 2010 Green Apple Photography

copyright 2010 Green Apple Photography

copyright 2010 Green Apple Photography
copyright 2010 Green Apple Photography