My Vision Board (Winnipeg Photographer)

I’ve thought about making up a vision board ever since hearing about them from the authors of The Secret and The Law of Attraction. I remember seeing these two women on Oprah and hearing them talk about vision boards.

The idea behind a vision board is that when you surround yourself with images of who you want to become, what you want to have, where you want to live, or where you want to vacation, your life changes to match those images and those desires.  So today I made up a vision board by cutting and pasting images from the web. And this is it!!

So this is how I want my life to go. First of all, there is the photography. I can’t ever imagine my life without my camera gear. I defines me in a way that very few things ever have. I love taking pictures. I love holding my camera. Then there is the teaching. Teaching has been a part of my life for so long I can’t imagine not being with kids and helping them to learn and to grow. I love being with children, whether photographing them or teaching them, or just hanging out with them.  I want to take pictures of more places in the world. I especially want to go to Peru and to China. I hope to get to those two countries in the near future so they are on my board. My dream is also to have a house with a lot of window light so that I can have a window light studio. That’s why I picked the house that I did. The men I picked are all from my favorite tv shows. Did you notice that 3 of them are doctors? A coincidence? Not sure but even grumpy Dr. House is kind of cute! And what is there to say about McDreamy? WOW!! And John from Lost is very heady, but I like how he looks into the meaning of things and how he perceives the world. I did miss one thing. My dream car is a Honda CRV; candy apple in colour. I forgot about that and I don’t want to redo the collage just now.

So there you have it. My vision of my future.  It is possible. It is even likely. But the important things are the love and the joy and the fun. Without love, joy and fun, the rest would be meaningless.

I don’t have pictures of my family or friends on there. I think I’ll do a network board with them.

Anyone else do a board? Want to share? Would love to see more boards.

Christina

And The Winners Are (Winnipeg Landscape Photographer)

A week ago I shared my entries into the January Open for the Manitoba Camera Club. The winners have been announce, so I am ready to share with you how I did. Thank you to everyone who told me their favorites.

Honorable Mention went to the graveyard shot. This was in the colour print category. I actually took this picture over a year ago, but it stayed with me and I kept going back to look at it. I worked on it, importing the lens flare from another image and changing the colour and contrast. I also made the sky pink, which one person told me he didn’t care for. I thought it made for a nice backdrop to the bluish grey crosses.

Graveyard

Third Place in the black and white category went to this print of a little girl running at The Forks. I had done a shoot of this family that day. After I was done with the posed pictures, I asked the kids to go and play and said I would keep shooting. That was when I got this amazing shot as well as some others of her and her brother. It just goes to show you that the best images are not the posed ones.

I got a second for this black and white church in Morley, Alberta. My daughter in law had taken me to this church a few years ago to take pictures of it. I got some great shots at that time, but I wanted to go back again. Morley is about 40 minutes from Calgary. So the last time I went to Calgary I decided to go back  to the church. I drove around in circles for quite a while before I found it. If you like photography, this is one place worth driving to.

Leading the way...

And I got a first for this image in the projected category. I took this at Delta Marsh at a workshop in May. It was freezing cold out when we lined our cameras up at the shoreline at sunset. The logs were actually facing the other way, but I did a horizontal flip with them in Photoshop so that the lines of the logs would lead to the sun.

Sunset at Delta Marsh

And that was it. I place in 4 images out of 6 entries, which I was very happy about. Next theme is environmental portraits and I plan a few trips to the north end to see what I can find.

A Dream Baby (Winnipeg Newborn Photographers)

My first newborn of 2010 could not have been more perfect. She slept, she hardly fussed and she is as cute as a button, with tiny features that are doll like and perfect. This little girl made my day and since her parents bought the First Year Club plan, I’ll be seeing this little one grow.

January Photo Contest Entries (Winnipeg Photographers)

I wanted to share my entries for the January Open Competition at the Manitoba Camera Club. Open means that you can submit images pertaining to any subject.

I am going to show you the images that I entered. The judging was last night and I am on the Judging Committee, so I know how I did. I am wondering what you like the best of these 6 images. On Tues. night  the winners will be  announced and I will let you know how these images did.

Have a look.  Let me know which ones are your favorite. I am looking forward to hearing from folks.

Bridge in Canmore, Ab

Church in Morley, AB

Graveyard

Runner

Steyr, Austria

Sunset at Delta Marsh, Mb

Join me on facebook. Click on the link or copy and paste it into your browser.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chris-McWilliams-Photography/117360924043

Choosing your Wedding Photographer (Winnipeg Wedding Photographer)

If you are getting married in the near future, you may wonder what you should ask your wedding photographer.

The following  are my  suggestions for questions to ask and also the answers that I would give people.

How would you describe your style?

I like to create images that capture the emotions of the moment. There are many such moments on a wedding day;  the emotion of walking your daughter down the aisle, the loving glances between a bride and groom, the reaction of family members during the ceremony, etc. I usually set up poses that are interactive, in which people are talking, walking, laughing, hitting golf clubs etc. Once people are interacting, I start shooting. I also do traditional poses for family pictures and any other that are requested. I like to add an artistic touch in the digital darkroom to further enhance photos.

Will you have an assistant or second photographer?

I always have a second photographer. It helps to ensure that I am able to capture all the moments of your day.

Do I get the digital images?

All of my wedding couples receive a DVD of the digital images in high resolution jpegs.

How long will it take before I receive my DVD?

My goal is to get the DVD to you in 2 weeks. It may be a few days longer, but my goal is always 2 weeks.

What equipment do you use?

I use a Canon 40D as my main camera and a Rebel as my 2nd camera. I use  a 24-105 f4 as my main lens, as well as, a 70-200 f2.8 and a 50 mm lens in low light.

What happens to my deposit if  our wedding is canceled?

If your wedding is rescheduled to take place in the next year, then the deposit will go towards the new date. If you are not getting married, you lose the deposit. This is because I would have been able to schedule another wedding on that date.

What about if our wedding photographer is ill?

It is not likely that I will miss your wedding due to illness. It has never happened  but it could happen. I am a member of 2 of the cities’ camera clubs, as well as having a daughter-in-law who is wedding photographer. I know a lot of wedding photographers and am confident that I would be able to find a replacement. I would take complete responsibility for finding a substitute photographer of equal skill for your wedding.

How many photos will we receive?

That depends on the number of hours of coverage that you would like.  I would estimate that for 4 hours of coverage, you will receive 600 images. It is hard to specify a  number as a few factors come into play: the weather, images where someone has closed eyes or an awkward expression etc, that need to be deleted. You will receive all usuable images that are shot on your wedding day.

Do you make corrections on photos for blemishes etc?

I cannot correct all photos but will correct blemishes etc. in the ones that either I pick or you pick for correction. The exact number that I will correct depends on the package that you buy. The larger the package, the more images that I will correct.

What would you say is the most important factor in picking a wedding photographer?

First of all, you need to like the photographer’s style and be confident that she will give you images that are in focus and that are pleasing to you. Aside from that, you need to like the photographer. You are going to spend a good part of your wedding day with this person and you should enjoy their company and feel comfortable with them. Good chemistry goes a long way to make the day enjoyable.

Happy Picking. Give me a call if you would like to set up a meeting.

962-3424

chrismcwilliamsphotography@gmail.com

One Real Cutie Pie (Winnipeg Child Photographer)

This weekend I had the pleasure of photographing a real cutie pie who had just turned 5.  I’ve been so lucky lately in photographing kids who want their picture taken! N was just like that. She wanted to give me her best cheesy grin, but after having some fun with her I got some great shots. Here are a few of them:

Wedding Video (Winnipeg Wedding Photographer)

Are you looking for a wedding photographer for this year?  My partner and I have some dates still available for 2010. And for January, I am offering a 10% discount on all weddings booked for 2010.

Don’t wait too long to book a photographer for your special day.

I can customize a wedding package to fit your individual needs but my basic packages can be found at this link:

http://www.chrismcwilliamsphotography.com/gallery/7024231_Z63P6

Have a look at this wedding video. Give me a call or send me an email if you would like more information and to set up a meeting.

962-3424

chrismcwilliamsphotography@gmail.com

Love was in the air (Winnipeg Wedding Photographer)

The pretty girl in these pictures just got to Winnipeg a couple of days ago. She had been in Siberia. Yes, Siberia. Aileen is studying Russian history and as part of her doctoral thesis she has to go to Siberia to learn about peasant life there.  So if you want to know if it’s as cold as Siberia in Winnipeg,  Aileen would be the person to ask.  Aileen and her fiance live in Edmonton and were in Winnipeg for a few days to visit with family. I had fun taking their pictures and am looking forward to working with them again on their wedding day.

Here are a few of my favorites:

And so it is 2010 (Winnipeg Photographer)

And so it is a new year, a new beginning, a new decade.  I found this amazing quote today that exactly fits where I am in life. Here it is:

Anais Nin:

There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.

I love that. Isn’t it the truth? When I left teaching a few years ago it was a hard decision to make, but the stress of staying was greater than the stress of leaving a secure job with good pay.  Since teaching full time, I have grown and I would like to think blossomed as well. Photography feeds my spirit and my soul and gives me such satisfaction and pleasure.  And fun, I have never had so much fun while getting paid to do something. This last year has also been one of great change with the separation of myself and my husband. And the quote fits that as well. When something becomes too tight and painful, it is time to take a risk. And to me the stress of staying in the marriage was far greater than the stress involved in leaving.

So for 2010, I will try to always be mindful of doing what I can and need to do to blossom. For me this will include:

Going to a photo workshop in another city (not yet decided on)

Going on one major trip (also not sure about that one)

Growing my business

Keeping up with bookkeeping (Not my thing, will need to have a lot of chocolate and red wine rewards for that one)

And accepting that I will continue to gain and lose weight and not beat myself up about it.

I have also decided that I will stay young. Yeah, sounds funny, but age really has a lot to do with perception. My grandmother, who died at age 88, thought that she was old and dying for as long as I can remember. She was always saying things like, “If I’m still alive when you get married (she was), or “I probably won’t live to see your baby born”, (she did) etc, etc. So I plan to live and work and blossom for many years to come.

So those are my thoughts for 2010.  I hope that you all think about what you need to do in order to blossom. It really is never too late, as long as you are living and breathing, to do what will make you happy. So go for it!!

Christina

First Baby of 2010 (Winnipeg Newborn Photography)

I am offering my “First Baby of the Year” shoot special again in 2010.  The first person to book a newborn shoot in 2010 will receive the shoot free.  The newborn has to be under 2 weeks of age at the time of the shoot, but they don’t have to be born in 2010. This is a $75 savings. You can use the $75 towards the First Year Club special as well, or towards a print credit.

Last year the winners of my free shoot were a couple of twin girls. It was a frigid January day when I drove out to their house to do the shoot.  I wonder who will win it this year.