I’m having a hard time remembering what year it is already – how did 2011 zip by me so fast?! I keep thinking last year was 2010, but no!

I’ve made one of my New Year’s resolutions to keep both this blog and my food blog more current. After taking so much time off last year, I went back to work in the fall for a school portrait company and my rather fragile organizational skills fell apart completely, so I vow to do better this year!

2011 was a really great year, despite the distance from my family out west. We managed to find time to hang out together on a few occasions, especially to celebrate the arrival of a new addition – my baby sister had a baby!! We also have the added bonus of being so much closer to my husband’s family and friends, so we did a lot of visiting with them, too. Have a look at my 2011 recap:

New Years Eve in Boston with my husband, sister & brother-in-law (it was mainly about the food…and drinks):

Our nephew, Hayden’s first birthday in January:A fashion photography workshop, learning a lot from some amazing photographers and models in March:The 2011 Toronto Image Awards, March/April:

Tucker & I took a brief sojourn in Coachella, CA in April:

A day at Riverdale Farm in Cabbagetown in May:Toronto skyline with new friends from a Meet-Up group in July:

Our awesome vacation with friends and family in Falmouth, Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod, MA at the end of July:

My favourite Engagement photo shoot to date in August:Jon’s parents’ 40th Anniversary in August:Family photo shoots in September/October:Gorgeous Sauble Beach on Lake Huron at sunset on Labour Day:Welcoming Jaxon Miller Scherr into the world on October 10 in Edmonton, AB:Ontario in the fall:Toronto Zoo in November:Help-Portrait 2011, December:Family photos of our darling nephews (the only snow we’ve had so far this winter!) in December:Christmas morning with Jon’s family:Christmas card photos from us:

I did also manage to drum up some photography business in between all the fun, so I hope to keep that momentum in 2012! Watch for a new look to my website in the future weeks, as well. Fresh starts are always a good idea in January!

Happy New Year to all and wishing you much happiness and success in 2012!

Cheers,
Karla

We can always still use some volunteers on the day-of, so if you’re interested, please contact us through the Help-Portrait website.

And a huge, huge thanks to all our awesome sponsors – I’m very proud to be working with them as well!

Cheers,
Karla

So, while I know it’s still only August, with school starting over the next few weeks and all that goes with it, it’s really best to start thinking about the holidays sooner rather than later, right? I know, I know – it’s so hard to have to think about snow and cold weather when we’re still having such a lovely August, but that’s all the more reason to get your location photos done – while we still have lovely weather!

Here is my Holiday Special for Families and Couples, plus some sample cards I’ve designed for myself and my clients in the past. Enjoy!

Holiday 2011 Xmas 2010 front Xmas 2010 back PlumbFrasersFront1 PlumbFrasersBack1 PlumbFrasersFront2 PlumbFrasersBack2

Cheers,
Karla

It would have taken a lot more than just rain to quell the love-vibes coming off these two, however. They were so super-cute, stylish and so much fun to hang around for a few hours. I think we all had a blast!

Thanks again for last night, guys! And congratulations on your engagement!

Cheers,
Karla

Cheers,
Karla

Cheers,
Karla

There was some crazy fog coming off the lake, so it was a little chilly and grey for most of the weekend, but eventually the sun came out for a bit and we got to go play in the lake. The weather didn’t stop us from doing all the fun things you do at a cottage, tho – marshmallows, S’mores (I was the official S’mores assembler as long as someone else roasted the marshmallows – I tend to burn them frequently…) and of course the near-constant consumption of alcohol (for the grownups, not the kids of course).

It was too chilly for me to go in the water, but I love boats, so we managed to get in a sunset cruise. One of my favourite things about Lake Huron is the stunning sunsets they get there frequently. While the one on the boat wasn’t awesome, the next night the sunset was pretty spectacular. I love the smeary look the sun got behind the clouds as it neared the horizon…

Thanks again to Ed & Marlene for the fabulous hospitality! Can’t wait to do it again this summer!

Cheers,
Karla

How it worked was each group was assigned a hair stylist, a makeup artist, a model and a photographer. There were 5 weeks of competition and each week there was a different theme to give you some guidelines for what kind of character your group needed to create. We didn’t get our group member contact info or our theme until after the previous weeks’ competition was over so everyone had the same amount of time to get their ideas together. We were invited to come out and watch the other weeks of competition so, not really having any idea what to expect, I decided to go the first week on a reconnaissance mission. Jon had to be out of town on business, but I took along a trusted friend who consented to stay out late on a Sunday night with me and off we went to Vogue Supper Club for some drinks and fun people-watching. I’ve been out of the night club scene for a while now, so it was a bit of culture shock for me, not to mention the few grey hairs and extra pounds I’d added to my look since my clubbing days made me feel a bit like everyone’s mother…But it was an exciting night and I thought the groups we watched did a fantastic job. I have to say I was relieved not to have been selected for the first week, since I learned a lot about what to expect and met some of the other competitors and other photographers who were there.

I thought our group did a spectacular job of creating an angelic creature for the “Heavenly Escapes” theme we were given. The make-up artist, Diana Mejia, had some stellar ideas with those eyelashes and the overall look of our model, Sibel Altug. Christal Dimakos was the very talented hairstylist (and winner of Most Creative Hairstylist for our night of competition – congratulations, Christal!). Sibel came up with the costume herself, so she gets full credit for the fashion styling, I’d say.

After that, I got another call from the organizers asking me to participate in the forth week of competition. Of course I said I would! This time the theme was “Futuristic Fantasy” and we had to create an android/alien character. I’m kind of a Star Trek nerd, so I was stoked about this character – but it was a difficult task to create the costume! I actually met up with the model, Heidi Felici, to help her with the look and was very pleased with the way it all come together in the end. The hair stylist, Kelly Jogdeo and make-up artist, Amanda Lee, had some great ideas for their parts, as well, and Heidi rocked the look in the end. I made her do the splits too, poor girl!

For the final photos, the photographers were able to take some creative license with the editing and adding backgrounds to further portray the theme. I bought some high-quality stock photos and added them as backgrounds to some of the photos I ended up submitting. I must have done something right, because I got the award for Most Creative Photographer for the 4th week of competition! How flattering!

There is still currently the People’s Choice award going on, so if you’d like to vote for me, click here and here and find the tiny little ‘Vote’ button underneath each photo before May 23, 2011. The competition is crazy-fierce – there are some very cool photos up there – so I totally appreciate your support!

Cheers,
Karla

This is Eileen and Simon, who had a lovely wedding last summer and I was second-shooter for my sister, Paula. They were a lot of fun to hang out with, as was their huge wedding party.

Cheers,

Karla