A Winner has been chosen.

Thank you for all the nominations and support of the Giving is Awesome giveaway.  A winner has been chosen and notified.  It was really hard to choose just one winner, so hard in fact that we have decided to offer a couple of runner up prizes that will be awarded today.

I am not sure yet if we will be sharing the stories of the winners, that will be up to them.  But, I do know that it made a difference in my holiday to know that so many of you out there are caring and loving towards others and there is a lot of goodness in the world that I live in.

Thank you all for sharing with me.
Anna
aka. BeachMama

Giving is Awesome

I have been gearing up to offer a Giveaway for Christmas and thought I had it all figured out.  Then, I met a wonderful photographer on Twitter named Jen.  Jen is from Toronto and she participated in a Help-Portrait  event on December 12th. I really wished we had something like that here I could participate in, then I saw she was giving away a photo shoot.  Not just any photo shoot, but one that you must nominate someone for.   After reading about it and emailing with Jen, I have decide that this is what I would like to offer in my Christmas Giveaway.

You probably know someone. Someone who has experienced a tragedy, is struggling to stay afloat, is raising kids while holding down more than one job, or is volunteering selflessly despite extenuating personal circumstances. You know someone who can't afford custom photography, but who would cherish it this holiday season. You know someone who deserves a year-round reminder of their family's spirit, love, and beauty.


You know someone. I guarantee it.


I want to know who they are, and I want to give them the chance to experience complimentary custom photography -- $500 worth, to be exact. This awesome giveaway will include my creative session fee, a high resolution cd of our session as well as a selection of prints of their choosing.



Oh, and the best part? The person who nominates the winner receives a $100 print credit towards their order when they book a session with me (full session fee still applies). What better reason to show some love could there possibly be, people?


The rules:
* You cannot nominate yourself, and the person nominated must sincerely be incapable of purchasing my services. 
* The nominee must reside in Greater Ottawa Area. Tell me who you know, what they're experiencing, and why they deserve my artwork. Please include a way to contact both your nominee and yourself as well.
* You must nominate someone by telling me the full story by sending an email to me at anna@anneppphotography.com. 
 
The winner will be announced on Christmas Day -- get nominating! I can't wait to read all of your entries!


Open your heart to someone this holiday season -- and thanks for giving me the opportunity to open mine.


With love,
Anna 
aka. BeachMama 

Family Day - Ottawa Family Photographer

On Sunday I was not only blessed with two wonderful photo shoots, but the Sun peeked out at just the right moment to provide this outdoor shoot with some beautiful light and warmth.  We were meeting at the Chapman Mills Conservation Area, just off of Prince of Wales.  The water is gorgeous and there are some nice trails that are open in both Summer and Winter.  In the Summer when the boardwalk is in the water you can walk all the way to Manotick.

Thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity to spend some time with your gorgeous Family.

Baby C - Ottawa Newborn Photographer

I had the opportunity to photograph this beautiful baby boy on Sunday.  We first met his Mom back in October when she came to see me for some Maternity Photos. At seven weeks he is just the sweetest little guy.  Wishing you a wonderful holiday season.

Shear Perfection Photo Shoot - Perth Photographer

I had a wonderful shoot in Perth yesterday.  The only thing that would have made the shoot better was if I hadn't woken up with my first head cold of the year.  I took it easy in the morning, went over my gear and prepared myself to meet with Stacey and Rashelle of Shear Perfection Hair Design.

And what a treat awaited me.  I got to work with some gorgeous models.  All were so sweet and let me pose them and move them around the store.

Here are a few samples, you can view more on my flickr page.

Thank you Ladies for such a wonderful time.  Stacey and Rashelle you did such a fabulous job on the hair and makeup.

Family Photo Session - Ottawa Family Photographer

Thank you to A Crafty Mom and her family for letting me spend some time with them capturing some smiles and a little bit of fun.

 

 

 

 

Siblings - Ottawa Children's Photographer

Sometimes all you need is a moment to see that two brothers really love each other.

Here is that moment.  Priceless.

Christmas Cards

I have been working on some Christmas cards for a while, and wasn't happy with what I was coming up with.

These two are finalists for me.  Tell me, would you pick up these Christmas Cards at a Craft Show?

My Constant Companion

When the weather is right.

Take it outside.

We seem to not be having many sunny days this Fall, well this year quite frankly. So when the opportunity arose to get out, get some sun and fresh air we took that opportunity.  And I took my camera.  The kids were getting a little tired of me and my camera but, they were troopers.

It was late afternoon so the sun was nice and warm and getting low.  The kids were playing in the few leaves that we have on our lawn (mostly from the neighbours tree) and were willing subjects for a few minutes.

Here are two of my favourites.

ISO 400

1/500 at f5.6

45mm

Slight Lighten and Crop Post-Processing

ISO 400

1/320 at f5.6

60mm

Slight Lighten Post-Processing

Tom - Ottawa Wedding Photographer

While everyone was off shooting the bride, Della, I realized that I had a prime opportunity to work with the groom, Tom.  Tom was just as easy going as Della, but clearly knows that the bride is the one that most photographers want to work with.

As much as the wedding day is about two people joining their lives together, we all know that it is usually the bride who has been dreaming of this day since she was a little girl. But, Tom was here and available and so I started setting him up in a few poses and was quite pleased with what I got.  Because the groom still needs a few shots to remember his day by.

This is my favourite, which I put in black and white, simply because I forget about black and white and realize that sometimes photos just look that much better when the colour has been taken out.

Della - Ottawa Wedding Phoyographer

One of the nicest things about the Wedding Workshop I attended last weekend, was that we could just keep on shooting until we got what we wanted.  And Della was just so sweet.  Willing to pose with her bare arms on a sunny, but chilly, Fall day.

The next best thing is that I get to play and play with the photos from the weekend.  This one of Della is one of my favourites.  The late afternoon sun was shining and I happened to catch a few rays in my lens.  I added a bit of a seventies finish and rounded the corners.  I just love it.

Finding My Way

Today I had a few minutes to myself and decided to play with the light I had yesterday with the meringues.  Which was partial natural light and partial studio light with an umbrella. Unfortunately today was a much darker day outside so my natural light didn't come out as nice.

I am playing with Christmas ornaments in the hope that I can make some Christmas cards of my own this year.  I also love China, especially tea cups, so I took a few out and played around with them too.

Not sure which is my favourite, perhaps I haven't shot it yet.

Shooting Food

I have a love/hate relationship with shooting food. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't.  Today I think it worked.  I got the light just right and the meringues were calling my name.  And I wonder why I can't shake the last ten pounds.

Wedding Photography Workshop

Meet Della and Tom.  This week I had the pleasure to photograph them at a Wedding Photography Workshop at Algonquin.  It was a great weekend.  Getting to shoot such an adorable couple, who are going to be married in just a month, was such a treat.

Della and Tom are the dream Bride and Groom.  So sweet, so patient and willing to let you shoot them over and over and over again.  When their time comes next month they will be more than prepared for their big day, at least when it comes to pictures.

As for the workshop, it was really great to shoot with fellow photographers.  Feedback from our intructor  directly on the spot, was great.  We had the opportunity to test out different lighting both inside and outside.  I feel that much more prepared for future weddings and feel that I could bring some of what I learned into my portraits as well.

Rule of Thirds

I have joined an online photo class,  12 weeks to better photography.  This is week two and this weeks assignment was to take two or three shots using the rule of thirds.  These are the shots I took.

A New Mom and A New Baby - Ottawa Maternity and Newborn Photographer

I had the pleasure last Friday of photographing two family members.  One who is due with her first baby in two weeks.  And the other who was just a week old.  Two beautiful Ladies, both of whom were very easy and fun to work with.  I look forward to meeting the next member of their family.

Playing with Light

I have been  playing with light lately, both off camera  flash and  ambient lighting only .  Here are two recent  shots I have been playing with.

 ISO 200

1/30 at f3.5

50mm

SOOC

Only one light in the room, a table lamp about ten feet to the left of the piano.

 

ISO 200

1/60 @ f3.5

70mm

SOOC

One off camera flash at 90 degrees to the left of the bulb.  Three ambient lights one to the left, one to the right and one behind.