The Grandparent Project

That is the working title of my latest personal project. Here is my first instalment. If you know of someone who might be a good candidate for this project, please let me know. Thank you.

Anne, Calgary, AB. Canada.

One day I came across a reading by a psychologist in the US. He said: “The great secret of enjoying life is to learn to love yourself and accept yourself and the rest will just take care of itself” and that was kind of new. From my education, you had to work hard and succeed. You had to work at it. Loving yourself didn’t come into it. 

Tommy Drummond and I used to fight for who was going to be at the top of the class. In Junior High, they posted those you know. 

It’s not over. EVER. As long as you are alive, there is something you can do. 

Appreciate who you are and what you can do. 

I stay pretty active, although my body doesn’t do what I’d like it to do all the time. I get tired. I still sing in the choir. I really have enjoyed a musical career. Of course, I have the kids and the grandkids. There’s lots going on. I’ve been president of the social club a couple of times. And I go to church and I am on a committee there…so I keep busy. I’m a soprano. They need me, too. Sopranos aren’t all over the place these days. .

Details

Sometimes I think people wonder what I am taking a photograph of. Family photographs are, of course, supposed to be a certain way. Even those people who know me and my crazy ways...who are used to sitting in front of my camera...sometimes wonder. The thing is, and many people don't understand this, to get the truly great photographs, there has to be a certain level of trust on both sides. My subjects have to trust me to capture things in a way that they find artistically pleasing, as well as, authentic to their own story. And, I have to trust them to show up. To come to a session not ready to behave, but ready to be themselves. It is a heavy demand on both sides the first time around. Lucky for me that most of my clients nowadays have been in front of my camera more than once. A lot of people think that photographers are all the same. That all they do is click a button and, for that, why should they be compensated much--especially enough to make a career out of it. It is so simple after all. Clicking that button. We all do it all the time with our phones. Heck, there are literally thousands of people begging you to hire them right now. A worldwide lovefest of photography has literally exploded across the world thanks to the latest and greatest technology. I got in early...I've been doing this clicking for almost 10 years(professionally for over 7). I am not going to beg you to hire me. What I am going to do is tell you that your family deserves more than photographs that tell you what you look like in your Sunday best. Even if you are sitting in a beautiful park setting or some propped up studio. There are so many photographers out there now that I think, should you decide to invest in family portraiture, you should, in fact, invest in photographs that speak to your heart. There are no rules anymore. And, there certainly is no reason for you to have mediocre memories created with a simple click. No matter how little they cost you.

Well...who knew that's what I was going to blog about on this early winter day? But, there you have it.

I wanted to show you these two lovely photographs. I love when a viewer can see that I was having an unspoken conversation with this little girl. She gave me 'the look'...the look like 'hey, I'm pretty gosh darn lucky here'. That look. I'm sure her parents were wondering what look she was giving me to cause me to quickly jump down and take this shot. I bet they wondered even more when I took the next shot. You see, as a storyteller, I know that sometimes the story can be seen in the details. And, in their handholding, you can see that there is love and peace in that family. Two beautiful things that deserve to be captured with a click.

~ Dana

Beautiful Baby Boy | Calgary Newborn Photographer

I love seeing parents embracing the beauty of welcoming a new little one into their lives. It is such a treat for me to witness. I am currently booking maternity and newborn sessions throughout the winter. Did you know that you should book by your due date? I only take a limited number of sessions a month and that is the best way to ensure that you will have a spot in my calendar. Some months fill up far in advance. I also have specials for clients looking for both maternity and newborn.

~ Dana