And then there was Jackie....

I've spoken about a beautiful talent named Jackie before. She is the owner of The Flower Studio, here in Waterloo and she does some pretty fanciful work with blooms. Here are a few brides we've worked with who asked Jackie to create their dream bouquets: She single-handedly brightens people's day with her gorgeous arrangements, and her cheery personality and smile somehow make the flowers even more beautiful. Today, she came by the office bearing gifts!! I am so blessed to call her a friend. She is warm, funny, caring, and will do anything to make someone feel special. Aside from a warm hug, also known as a Skinny Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks, here is what's currently blessing my desk with its Autumn beauty:

Autumn is my absolute favourite season of the year - summer coming in a close 2nd. It's the brilliant colours everywhere, the pumpkins, Halloween for the kiddies, especially the cozy sweaters, warm lattes, homemade soups and stews! Jackie is really one in a million,anyone would be lucky to call her a friend,and the special magic that she adds to brides and grooms wedding day is just awesome! Here is how to find her!If you are getting married, or have any type of special something coming up that you know a hand tied bunch of her flowers would be a cherry on top, you MUST call her! Jackie Steenhuis flowerstudiodesigns@hotmail.com www.flowerstudiodesigns.com

Back to school Already?! yesss. *fist pump*

After an amazing month of August which flew by feeling like it was about a week and half long, I can say that coming back to the comforting routine of Back0To-School is welcome. Last month we photographed 5 awesome weddings, back to school photos, had consultations, debuted the Hollywood Red Carpet (more on that later...) and used duct tape to keep our heads on straight. What a ride! These days we are chained to our computers backlogged with edits and trying to stay afloat, but none the less as the leaves will be changing colors soon, we must plan our 5th Annual Fall Family Photo Extravaganza!! The dates have been announced and it's already booking up wonderfully! This year's venue is absolutely stunning! We are thrilled to have been allowed access to such a beautiful venue. Contact Danielle if you'd like more information about the Extravaganza, or if you'd like to book your date! Signing off, here are a few photos of 2 GORGEOUS!! little dudes from their 'Back-To-School' session last week!!

Herakovic Photography steps up the awesomeness with a unique package add-on!

Introducing the Hollywood Red Carpet entrance! Your reception will be the talk of the town as your guests walk into your hall in style. Photographed on the spot as they walk through the Red Carpet just like their favourite celebs, they will get a taste of what it's like to be famous and chased by the paparazzi! This awesome add-on will replace the need to come up with "the perfect" wedding favour, and offers your guests the best souvenir of all - memories from your wedding day! During supper, the photos are sent to print, and hand delivered in their hands before the night is through. The best part, the new husband and wife will receive an album filled with memories of all their guests! Step up the fun with the Prop-Box and enhance the celeb power with hilarious, fabulous, glamourous, silly props!

The first dance....

Is always so romantic!! What's your style? Will it be choreographed to perfection? Soft and romantic? A song that tells your story? Many a time I have been behind the camera watching the first dance, as husband and wife, and have had a lump in my throat. Yes, being a true romantic at heart, I'll admit my eyes have definitely glazed over a bit at the private, quiet moment completely undisturbed of a new Mr.& Mrs. Sometimes I see them sharing a laugh, or murmuring the words of the song to one another, talking about the part of the day where the other one wasn't there. Nothing grabs me more when I see them looking at each other with a look of amazement that "they did it", they're 'finally' married, and whisper "I love you" to each other. It's no doubt that times like these describe perfectly why I'm SO in love with my job! It's a beautiful thing from start to finish. So much time and thought goes into selecting the perfect song - the one that will be the most meaningful and memorable.

1st Birthday Cake Smash? The answer is YES!

I have met people who didn't like the idea of a 1st birthday celebration inclusive of the famous "cake-smash". I can't help but shake my head when I hear this. As a photographer, I know what kind of images I will get of this precious little toddler diving into a mountain of sugary, colourful icing. It always starts with trepidation to full on thrilled excitement. Seeing them look to mum or dad, waiting for them to say, "don't touch honey!" as per usual, and just getting encouraged to make a giant mess and live it up is priceless! The only answer I can think of when parents ask me if it's really worth it is YES!! It absolutely is! Disappointingly enough, and I know there will always be those photos out there, I have seen way too many photos of a baby strapped into the high chair at home, sand a photo taken from across the room probably with bad lighting, and no detail shots. Well my friends, here are a few samples of the 81 images from my most recent cake-smash session!! (yes, you read that right - they got 81 images from this shoot! Totally worth the money to see a professional - I even included the cake!) For those wondering, all my child session start at $175.00 and go up to $225.00 and ALWAYS include a disk of ALL your best images. Not 10, or 20 images like some photographers, ALL. Just a nifty little perk I like to offer my friends, and clients. Aren't we great? Oh - and that's not for a "mini-session" either. I offer many mini-session specials throughout the year aside from our fabulous pricing, making it possible to have tons of precious photos taken by a pro all year long.

Cottage life and the working girl....

So here I am at the cottage, the long weekend is here. Despite being successfully self-employed and in charge of making my own hours, which I am very lucky to be able to say, I still can't bear to be too far from my work. My trusty iMac wears the badge of honour to this testament with it's poor cracked screen from a few weeks back when it tumbled out of the back of my vehicle. The fabulousness that is clear masking tape dutifully holds it together and like the little engine that could, the iMac just doesn't give up. Today I worked on editing some of Shari and Ryan's engagement photos that we shot last week. Here is a sampling of my favs:

Fabulous Father/Daughter session!

“A thing of beauty is a joy forever.” ― John Keats

Such could be said of the beautiful loving relationship between a father and adoring daughter. Their bond is strong and I could see that every moment they share together is appreciated. We got together for a session in the park last weekend, lucky to have missed the rain, and snapped some fun shots of them together. Their last session having been a few years back made this even more special.