When my friends from Winnipeg decided to make Victoria their second home I was thrilled and when I saw the house they chose I knew it had to be a TC House Beautiful feature!

What makes it feature worthy is that it’s not only a gorgeous heritage-designated home, but it has been well-loved by a small handful of owners in it’s 100+ year history.

My friend’s merely had to move in as the gorgeous wood that graces all aspects of the interior had never been painted and the house was lovingly tended to by the former owner and their new neighbour who has lived on the same street for his entire life. Now loved by all, this home is enjoying the joy of friends and family far and wide.

The feedback from my e-blast last week of the Save the Date for the Creatively United for the Planet Earth Week Festival has been nothing sort of fantastic. Thank you to the List Warehouse for making it so easy and for donating the mail credits. Stay tuned for lots of upcoming exciting announcements.

As the photographer for the Times-Colonist House Beautiful section that runs in Saturday’s newspaper, I have the privilege of seeing many fine homes. People often ask me which have been my favourites and the homes that generally appeal the most to me have large picture windows with glorious ocean views. This past Saturday’s Times-Colonist is one of those homes. The best home really is a happy home and this home would make anyone who loves light and bright happy indeed!

Going on location to take photographs is always a fun challenge as you have to work with what you are given and sometimes spaces are fraught with challenges such as mixed lighting or are too small for what is needed. Here are two recent group shots taken in the last week that show what can be done when time is short and/or space is limited.

What a treat to not only photograph but hear the lovely Lorraine Nygaard perform selections from her new CD. Many people know Lorraine from the Esquimalt Rec Centre where she is both a wonderful fitness and yoga instructor… and now as a jazz chanteuse. I’m grateful she chose one of my images for the cover of her CD.

It’s nice to see that all the hard work that goes into making the photographs for the Times-Colonist are appreciated by other media far and wide as this feature which ran just a few short weeks ago in our daily paper is being picked up by newspapers Canada-wide.

What an honour to spend an afternoon listening to this most eloquent friend of the environment and artist extraordinaire! I also had the great pleasure of having some one-on-one time to chat with Robert Bateman who is the tender age of just 81 and has the energy, enthusiasm and looks of a man 30 years his junior. He has lifetimes of information to share on why we need to take better care of our planet. I shared information about my passion project, the First Annual Creatively United for the Planet Festival launching in April 2012 and he was most interested to know more. Stay tuned.

Professional looking group shots can be a scary proposition to new photographers as there are so many things to be taken into consideration, like posing so it looks approachable, flattering and believable. Lighting is another consideration as everyone needs to look their best without unflattering shadows and misplaced lighting.

Time is a huge concern too as there is often someone in a group shot who arrives late or needs to leave early. Money is well spent on professional photography, especially for busy people who value not only their time but their image.

I enjoy the challenge of putting together groups quickly so that no one has time to fidget or get bored. Lighting is set up in advance with anticipation of how it will look and the speed and accuracy to which it is carried out always surprises everyone I photograph.

These short days make me long for the glory days of summer. Here’s a small collection of images that capture those sentiments with the quiet of fall in the air.

Coming to you April 20-22, 2012 Victoria’s best Earth Week Festival ever. Be prepared for FUN as we prepare to celebrate All That Is Good while creatively supporting those charities doing the hero work on our behalf. Stay tuned for the details for this all ages, family event.

Visit the website at www.creativelyunitedfortheplanet.com and follow us on Facebook.com/CreativelyUnited and on Twitter@CreativelyUnite

This couple lives Halloween 365 days a year! What fun it was to photograph this haunted heritage house complete with spider webs and an eclentic variety of art and collectibles.

It’s always a wait and see process when entering adjudicated art shows. I recently submitted the following three pieces to the Sidney Fine Art Show for review to see if I was accepted into their prestigious Oct. 14-16 show. The first piece is a photograph I took from my car window this past summer.  I loved the old world feel of the scene but wanted to make it even more atmospheric so I got out my acrylic paints and started painting.  This was the only one of the three that was accepted into the show but considering they had well over a thousand submissions I’m thrilled.  I’ll have these and other works on display for the month of October at the Mocha House in the Cook Street village where I was invited to hang my work.

FALL PICKUP

BEAUTY IN ALL THINGS

This shot was to be of a beautiful lush green cabbage I spotted at the grocery store but accidentally forgot in my crisper until I smelled something (let’s not go there)…anyways, I pulled it out and still found it so beautiful, especially after I peeled back a few of the most rotten cabbage leaves and saw something of a heart before my eyes in an amongst all the beautiful texture of the peeling leaves.

PASSION AFTER THE BLOOM

Sometimes flowers maintain a beauty after they wither and die and that’s exactly what I saw in this collection of the remaining old blooms from a bouquet that had given me so much pleasure that I didn’t want to see it go. However, I couldn’t bring back the sentiment of the bouquet until I added paint to it and worked it into a lush frothiness of warm sensuality, hence the title.

What a great way to spend an October day, exploring the gift of creativity that lays in wait for time and space in all of us. This workshop will be a chance for everyone to try their hand at all kinds of artsy things and use art supplies they may never have tried before. New life will be brought to average photographs without using a computer forming the basis of new and exciting ways of viewing life and making art from even the mundane. This workshop is perfect for anyone who is interested in making time and space for themselves to explore new ideas and possibilities.

What a pleasure to photograph the home of artist Jim Kirk for the House Beautiful feature section in Saturday’s Times-Colonist. I had met Jim several years ago when I was doing some volunteer work for the TLC (Land Conservancy) and they asked me if I would photograph Jim for a campaign they were running. What a surprise to see the larger than life Jim Kirk himself arrive at my studio covered head to toe in tattoos, with piercings and in a small PINK vintage car! When I found out I was going to see him again and photograph his home I was thrilled! Here are some of the photographs the T-C never used, plus those from Saturday’s section.

Please click on thumbnail to enlarge:

This is one of many features to come for the Times-Colonist. I was invited to be their new Homes Section feature photographer. Watch for more incredible places each Saturday. I am freelancing with the fabulous writer Grania Litwin.

One of the joys of having a studio is being able to create the look of summer at the beach even if the weather is cold and blustery. This little cutie was oblivious to the rain that came down on the day of her session.

What a privilege to work with the ever so talented Elizabeth Mincey of the Luna Aveda Salon who created these magnificent hairstyles for these local beauties who carried them off with such finesse. I love collaborating with like-minded individuals!

Here’s what will be not only a FUN but truly picture perfect trip!!! If you haven’t been to Croatia here’s a chance to see one of the most luscious countries in Europe where ancient architecture and the natural beauty of pristine parks meet in a unique blend that’s a delight for the senses. As an added bonus everyone will have the opportunity to learn more about their cameras and elevate their photography to a new level as I will be offering group and one-on-one instruction.