I’m in love with this coffee shop engagement!! Because of the potential for crappy weather, I was wracking my brain, trying to think of a new and interesting covered location in Chilliwack to shoot James & Lissa’s engagement. I thought of this adorable little bakery downtown, Birdie’s Bakery , and decided to give them a call. They weren’t open yet, so we decided to meet there anyway, and when they opened I asked if they would mind us shooting a portion of the session there. They were so accomodating, and allowed us to hang out for a bit, enjoy some coffee, tea and goodies, and get some adorable photos!
I’m so excited to be shooting James & Lissa’s wedding! James is my 2nd cousin, and Lissa is Amanda’s sister. I’m pretty sure they were guests at almost every wedding I shot in Chilliwack this year, so was so excited to get a call from Lissa saying she was engaged!! These two are hilarious together, and if their engagement session was any indication, their wedding is going to be a blast!!!! Stay tuned for part 2 of this session!
Photography workshops, and why I got together with one of my best friends to offer them.
Someone recently posted in one of our photography Facebook groups the following question: “If you were offered a 100 million dollars to never take another photograph again, would you do it? In other words to never pick up a camera again.” He started off by saying 1 million dollars, and most of us commented that we’d never walk away from photography for 1 million dollars. Then he changed it to 100 million. There were a lot of different responses. Like, if I had 100 million dollars I could just pay a photographer to follow me around for the rest of my life, so I wouldn’t need to take pics of my kids anyways. A lot of people said they would take the money if it only meant giving up photography professionally. I’m obviously not sure what I would do, because this is a hypothetical question so I responded hypothetically. I would never give it up for 1 million. Would I give it up for 100? Meh. Probably not. Not having to work ever again, being able to buy whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted it, or go whereever in the world I could possibly dream… Would those things ever be as special as when you’ve had to scrimp and save to be able to afford those things? I think not. I firmly believe money doesn’t buy happiness. And too much money can have the exact opposite effect. So I believe my answer would be no. Especially because being a photographer is one of the main things I identify myself as. I can’t imagine not having the opportunity to meet the amazing people that have crossed my path in the last few years, or pushing myself to think outside the box and come up with a photograph that is new and interesting and makes you FEEL something. Taking away my camera would feel like taking away a part of my soul…
Wow, how philosophical.
So to give that to you in shorthand: I love photography. And I love owning my own business. And I love Charlene Stam. And the logical result of all of this, is to pass all that love and passion on to others! We have developed Focus Workshops ; an amateur workshop for those who may have just purchased their first dslr and would love to learn the ins and outs of all the buttons and functions, and this year for the first time, an advanced workshop! The advanced workshop is one we are super excited about, because it will delve into all the little nuances of being a business owner AND a photographer. From taxes, contracts, pricing, blogging & SEO, to improving and tweaking your shooting and editing. Let us help you grow your business in the direction it needs to go to be sustainable and profitable!! Click the link above to be taken to the Workshop website to see all details, and send us an email through the “contact us” form for registration information! As of today, there are only 2 seats left in the amateur workshop, so jump on it!
For photos and a bit of a peek into our first workshop, click here
To sign up, click here
This session gave me deja vu in a huge way!! Mikayla’s aunt, Jodi, used to babysit me waaaaay back in the day, and I remember her being the best babysitter EVER. She would set up these elaborate play schemes – library, grocery store, you get the idea – and play with us for hours. Mikayla reminds me a lot of Jodi. That smile that spreads from one ear to the other, that quiet but hilarious sense of humour, and just this inner beauty that is hard to explain. I loved hanging out with these two for the engagement session on the base a couple of weekends ago! It was freeeeeezing cold, but we lucked out by still finding leafy trees! Allan, I don’t know you well, but you seem like the perfect person for Mikayla! I’m excited to get to know you both a little better, and can’t WAIT for your wedding next year!!
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Pleasure to watch how you captured their love. Great work! π
What a beautiful engagement session! It is filled with so much love!!! beautiful!
Such a cute couple! Great job on their engagement photos!
Oooh I so love that black and white image…. the emotion in it is amazing… beautiful session…
What a beautiful engagement session. She will make a beautiful bride!
So emotional pictures full of love. Beautiful!