It’s been a whirlwind to say the least. Trying to plan my year in January, a big music concert in February and immediately following that during the edits, we moved in a span of 48 hours. It was definitely whirlwind material.

With that has come a lot of pressure from myself to remember everything I need to be doing. And on time to boot! Between website hosting, booking shoots for spring and keeping in touch with brides already booked and then getting places on time and editing events I’ve already photographed, I feel like my brain is always on the task 3 down the list from where I currently am. Do you ever feel that way?

My solace through this has been that we now live in a much better environment with room to breathe, figuratively and literally, and have peace to think things through. I think the latter has more to do with not having cable though.

So it’s been my task to remember to remind myself of when things need to get done, not just that they need to be done. My phone calendar is so much easier for remembering than tying a string to my finger. I can never remember what possessed me to tie string to myself and by the time I’d recall, it would be too late.

My calendar on my phone defaults to an hour reminder, I’ve had to change that to 24 hours so I can get in my cranial queue or I’ll end up in a different city an hour before I’m supposed to be somewhere else. I swear, it could happen.

And for what it’s worth, I now have a bi-weekly reminder to update this website with what I’ve been up to. The string just wasn’t working.

Until next time,
Steve

Now it’s time to update the galleries to add the same simplicity and cleanliness and add more and bigger pictures too.

So that’s my pretty new thing I wanted to share. Let me know what you think!

Until Next Time,
Steve

With that said, I do have a lot of things to tell you about and I have to remember many of them because I’m horrible at writing my blog ideas down on paper. I’m really trying to change that, though I didn’t make it a resolution.  But they’ll come to me and and I’ll blog them and share them with you.

The Wentworth Music Winter Concert is coming February 14th and I’ve had the privilege of covering their last two shows and I’m just hooked on them. Yes, Valentines Day. And for this concert they’re doing a tribute to Bryan Adams. There will tons of coolness but I can’t tell you anything other than there will be a non-Bryan Adams special guest that night along with an opportunity to go home with some extremely cool stuff!

Finally, I have some new pictures of me. I know, I know. But I wanted to share. This one was taken by my very good friend from Washington, Ami J. Davenport when my wife and I spent a weekend at Granville Island in November. We had a lot of fun that weekend and I’m definitely going to be telling you more about it soon!

Until next time!
Steve.

Good thing too because there’s alot to get started on.

I’ve started on my annual (seems more often than that) revamp of the website. I think I’m liking the blog themed site instead of having it as an add-on. What do you think? I’d really like to know. The big change this year will be changes to the gallery itself. I’ve finally put some new pictures up from recent events, but the changes themselves will take a little longer to finalize.

Take note that my prices will be changing come October so if you have portraits that need done for Christmas (cards, calendars and the like) or for above the fireplace, now is the time! Same for weddings and engagements, though there are some exciting surprises with the 2 wedding packages I’ll be offering.
So far 2009 is wide open. For now.

I’ve really enjoyed the first year in Kelowna even with the monstrous reduction in work. It’s all coming together and I have no regrets. Thanks to all of you I’ve spent time with on the other side of my camera.

UPDATED:

Prints are now available for purchase!!!

Click to go…

******

This Saturday night is a big night for some 130 children, youth and adults from the Wentworth Music Education Centre. For some of them it will be their first time on stage, for others it will be one more performance done with excellence.

This is the third installment of the music series at the music centre, the first two being tributes to The Beatles and Queen. Both were unheralded successes and this show will have a lot to live up to.

This time the show is a tribute to KISS. Yes, Gene Simmons and company will be taking the stage in pint sized form but with all the glory of painted faces, leather and bedazzled jackets, boots and pants.

If rehearsals are any indication, this show is going to make you want to “Shout it out LOUD!”

Here are a few of my favorite details from the rehearsals.

I’m blogging about them here because, well, this is my blog where you keep up with my photography and occasionally personally when they mix. I really do try to keep it all relevant for you and I might stretch it some today but that’s okay.

I had a few hours to kill today while the house we rent is being shown to realtors so I went out for coffee after dropping my wife off at a baby shower to go through my pictures from the last week and pick out some favorites. Well, I started but I didn’t get past the party pictures from my friend’s anniversary. Honestly, they aren’t the best pictures I’ve made and won’t win any awards, but that really isn’t what they were for. But these were still different.

Typically after a wedding I’ll sit with the pictures and go through them picking the good ones and my favorites in the exact same way. But something was different this time. I was actually reliving all the emotion over again from the night and it really made an impact on me. It’s not that I don’t relive a wedding and smile and get teary as I get to key moments, it’s just that this was something that I was part of. It was personal. I relived the moments like it was happening because there was a connection to what was happening at the moment for me.

It’s moments like this that I think help make me a better photographer. I understand all over again why I do what I do. I get a view into every couple’s and family’s heart when they sit and review pictures from a wedding. They relive each moment remembering and often re-experiencing the emotion as they did when the image was made.

Back when I was starting out another photographer explained to me just what it was that made a photograph special. It wasn’t about it being well composed, sharp and properly exposed. It wasn’t even about it being cool or having a wow factor. Those are important, but they aren’t it. It was about being able to take the person looking at it to the place in the photograph and letting them live or relive the moment. It’s what I did as I sat here going through the party pictures. 40 pictures and I looked at them for an hour before I even realized it. I was excited as we waited for them to arrive, I was teary as the arrived and we all yelled “Surprise!” and I was laughing all over again as we watched the slideshow their daughter made.

It was only after this I was able to go through and pick some favorites from the night and it was really, really hard! I guess now I know why some brides and families take the time they do to pick which pictures they want. They’re busy reliving the moments.

I have to mention the cake here somewhere and this is a good place. The cake was gorgeous and apparently delicious (I missed out due to various reasons). Find out more about getting a wonderfully beautiful and unique cake at www.vangiecakes.com.

With that, I’m off to continue and enjoy a lovely Kelowna day. Enjoy some of the moments…

Thanks Jay, we’ll do it again one day soon.

(Click the images for a biggun’)

Well, I went off to Calgary a few times to visit family and friends and shot my first wedding of the year. (More on that another day.) I also had some new web projects to contemplate and complete. Worst of all, and the largest trial, my PC’s hard drive kicked the bucket, threw me a blue screen and took a week and then some to get back up to speed. All I can say from the last part is that if you aren’t backing up your critical stuff somewhere, you should be!

One thing that came of it is a new tool. A macbook. That’s happiness.

There are still some dates left open for weddings this summer, so if you know someone that hasn’t booked their photographer yet by all means send them my way!

Take Care.

I’ll spare you the long internal dialogue and just share with you the hilites and what’s coming for 2008.

My goals this year, in addition to maintaining this blog are:
- Joining the Professional Photographers Association of BC (Registration sent today)
- Being more active in the National Association of Photoshop Professionals
- Entering fewer competitions and being more selective about which ones I do enter
- Improving marketing strategies (website, advertising, bridal shows)
- and, sticking to the schedule of hours I’ve set out for myself all year.

How do any of these affect you? Well, whether you’re a current, past or future client they all mean one thing. A better level of service, quality of product and reliability. The Associations give me resources to draw on when I’m not sure of a step or just need some help, the competitions allow me to hone my skill and get valuable feedback. Entering fewer allows me to be more deliberate in my entries. The marketing is for the growth of the business and will make clear what I do and offer. Finally, the scheduled hours will mean that I’m consistently and constantly working in and on my business including your photos.

It really is going to be a good year. I hope this blog keeps you informed, interested and entertained and by all means, let me know what you have to say about it, me or my work at any time.

~DP