A great joy is coming. -- Author Unknown

Our photo session had been postponed twice already due to the weather.  I wanted it perfect and so did Cindy.  Pregnant with her first, she was excited and nervous for her photos (and the new baby on the way).  We decided on the West Montrose covered bridge.  It was perfect.  The light, the mom-to-be, the mood.

We stopped at the side of the road because I went...:"oh here's a good spot".  Cindy looked at me with a question mark on her face.  This spot was complete with road signs, neighbours mowing their lawn and hydro wires.  But I had a vision.  A vision for Cindy's maternity photos from the moment we first spoke about them.  It was the tall grasses and peeeerfect light that caused me to abruptly pull my car to the side of the road.  We then moved onto the bridge and after an outfit change in the car (convenient timing for when a family of 5 arrived to go canoeing), we got some amazing shots under the bridge. 

Good luck to you Cindy...you looked gorgeous- as usual!  Can't wait to meet the little one in a few weeks.

To see more of my favourites, please visit Cindy's event page

http://www.greenapplephotography.ca/event/The-Golleks/U2TNQWutIFS82 

“Joy is the feeling of grinning inside.” ~ Melba Colgrove

The light was perfect.  Kate looked absolutely adorable.  I couldn't wait to spend some time with my niece for her Tutus and Sundresses session.  A portion of the proceeds from every Tutu and Sundress booking go to Kate's Kause.  Kate is a beautiful soul.  She can look right into your heart and make it smile - along with your mouth.  She has taught me tolerance, and what real joy is.  It's not the value of your bank account.  Or the accomplishments on your resume.  Joy is about being near the people you love.  It's about laughing (and snorting, if you must) at just about anything.  It's about teaching others to see the joy in their lives.  Thank you Kate for showing me these things!

To see more of my favourites from this shoot.  Please visit 

http://www.greenapplephotography.ca/event/Jeremy-and-K/E96o91y9D5ZEs

How is it that one match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box of matches to start a campfire? ~Christy Whitehead

Saturday we set out to our trailer.  Joe on his bike, the kids and I in the new van.  Its amazing to take the kids out there...they play well - together, they stay where they are supposed to, and they sleep really well.  Joe is a regular outdoors-man (with a trailer).  He loves the fresh air, making a campfire and um...well...peeing outdoors (sorry Joe).  We had told Maria that she could stay up for a campfire and a s'more or 2.  So on Saturday night, she patiently sat in her little lawn chair next to Joe, who was attempting to start the fire.  It took a while.  The twigs were wet...very wet and didn't want to light.  Maria, who was beginning to get tired, decided it was time.  "Mom", she says, "I think Daddy might need some help.  He said he's fine, but can you just come over and help a bit?"  I laughed, Joe put his head down and continued to throw newspaper into the smoldering twigs.  That night we had a great fire. A big fire.  Here's a few shots I took on the weekend.

"I don't care how poor a man is; if he has family, he's rich."

As I walked into the back patio of Nancy and Fred Kinsie's gorgeous home, I was greeted by a table full of family and an offering for some cake and a drink.  I accepted the cake, but regretfully turned down the drink...after all I was working. The family had gathered to celebrate father's day and 2 family birthdays.  The mood was all about fun, I felt right at home.  In runs shy, sweet little G, who hid her face in dad's chest and whispered in his ear.  G is the same age as my Maria and just as shy.  When the opportunity came up, I asked her if she wanted to take some special pictures all by herself.  I was hoping to bring her out of her shell, quietly - just the 2 of us.  Mom and dad were only a few feet away, but it made all the difference.  We discussed Dora and the new Disney movie Tangled - and I managed to snap a few adorable shots of her.

The last few shots of the evening were of Nancy and Fred.  I asked them about their family - they all seemed so close.  They responded " we don't know how we did it".  Darn...I was looking for some answers.  How do you keep a family so close all these years later?  I suppose it has something to do with dinners on the back patio and creating a mood of love, energy and fun.  It was a pleasure to photograph this wonderful family. 

To see a few more of my favourites, please visit the Kinsie family page

"A little girl is a day brightener and a heart warmer."

I'm super excited to finally offer the details of my next special promotion.  "Tutus & Sundresses".  I was inspired after I spent an hour with my 3 year old daughter, playing in the grass on Mother's Day.  I captured some amazing "little girl" moments and can't wait to do it again...but let's be real, Maria won't be interested in being chased by the camera again for a while.  I also connected with Jackie from My Little Sweet Pea Boutique to see if we could work together on this one.  Yay! She's just as excited as I am.  So here are the details:

Saturday July 9 & Sunday July 10

45 minute photo session

1 free tutu (custom colour & size)*

$10.00 print credit

For only $75.  It's an amazing deal!

*please book 2 weeks in advance to ensure your tutu size and colour are available.  

*Additional tutus can be purchased for $25.

For more information please check out my special events page on my website.

Love one another and you will be happy. It's as simple and as difficult as that. ~Michael Leunig

They met in the school cafeteria in grade nine.  Although she knows he doesn't remember her, he made an impact on her.  Not a romantic one, it was just a meeting she always remembered.  They had classes together throughout high school including an OAC (grade 13) Kinesiology class during grade 12.  And since they didn't know a lot of people in the class, they stuck together.  A strong friendship developed over sharing notes and note paper.  As they entered University, they ended up in the same program, at the same University and even as lab partners in first year Chemistry.  She heavily relied on him for Chemistry help - and for laughs. But since each of them had a significant other at one point or another, they never connected on a romantic level.  But for both of them something was definitely there.  Years later that strong friendship and that 'something' grew into an amazing relationship.  It just fit for the two of them.  It still does.

www.greenapplephotography.ca

Yoga is the practice of quieting the mind. ~Patanjali, translated from Sanskrit

The Window Box is a cute (and very tiny) floral shop in downtown Elmira.  It has amazing window displays and I'm not going to lie, I stare EVERY time I walk by.  I highly recommend you walk by - and stop in sometime.  All this staring, lead me inside the door on a February morning.  I briefly spoke with Christine, the owner, and congratulated her on her newly aquired business.  She seemed lovely.  After visiting the shop and seeing all the great floral wall decor she had on display, it made me want to do that too.  In fact, I used to do a lot of garden photography and I missed it.  Like a good massage, or an amazing dessert, garden photography makes me go "Ahh."  I decided it's time to get back into the garden.  But since it was only February, I had to wait.  And wait. And wait. Finally I got my chance.  I met with Christine last week and she is going to display my floral art in her shop.  I'm super excited.  I LOVE portrait photography, but this gives me a chance to be alone with my camera, quietly in the garden.  It's my photographic yoga.  Quiet, soothing and solitary.

Flowers seem intended for the solace of ordinary humanity. ~John Ruskin

I randomly picked up a local publication called the Parent-Child Guide Book a few weeks ago.  It's a little newspaper with articles on summer camp, local events and more.  I thought I might find some fun things to do with the kids this summer.  As a flipped through, I was surprised to find a Wedding section.  I was curious so I read a few of the articles.  One article about wedding flowers caught my eye.  It had an unusual photo: the bride and bridesmaids were each holding their flowers over their face.  I thought it was a little bizarre that such a photo was taken.  As I looked again, I realized it was one of mine - from a wedding I shot this past fall.  So now that I've insulted my own work, here's the back story.  I always tell the bride and her girlfriends to think of their bouquet as a bellybutton cover.  Weird, I know, but throughout the day - especially at the ceremony - the bouquets tend to creep up to their chin and can sometimes cover their faces.  This tip always works and they remember to keep their flowers down.  As a joke, this particular group of girls pulled their bouquets up over their faces - and I snapped a shot.  I kept it in the final product, since it was unique.  It was a moment that no other wedding or bridal party will have.  So now that I've explained my odd photo, here's the second part.  There was no credit to me or my company associated with this photo in this publication.  In fact, the photo had the florists name adjacent to it.  I love it that venders want to use my photos.  I love that they use them to advertise their work.  I only ask that they give credit to me when doing so.  I'm more than happy to offer any photos to any venders when I'm shooting a wedding.  Just put Green Apple Photography alongside the image.  Thank you!

www.greenapplephotography.ca

www.greenapplephotography.ca