Mother/Daughter Day: Toronto Family Photographer

Noah was out for the afternoon/evening at a ball game and dinner to celebrate a classmate’s birthday, so Rebecca and I took advantage and had a wonderful mother/daughter afternoon on Bloor Street. I took the Canon EOS-1D MarkIII and the Canon 24–70 mm f2.8L lens along for capturing some photos.

On our way with the lights of Avenue Road in the background:

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Liking how the cherry blossoms play off the pink of her shirt and jacket:

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We stopped at a great used book store (BMV on Bloor) for some book shopping. Rebecca ended up with a huge pile of books, unfortunately I couldn’t find any of the current ones on my list in stock.

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We were going to head over to another used book store, but decided (with light rain falling) that it would be a good time for a lunch break (and it was 2 pm by then too!). We started out on the covered patio, shot this close-up:

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Then zoomed out for the wide angle shot:

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Then it REALLY started to pour, so we decided we would be more comfortable inside, yummy lattΓ© (but not as good as the ones I make for myself!):

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Our table full of food. Rebecca shared with me, but really just wanted toast so she could enjoy/indulge in eating peanut butter (which isn’t allowed in our house as Noah is allergic to peanuts/nuts), as you can see from the last shot of the four, she enjoyed!

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Afterward, back on Bloor Street, the wind was picking up:

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Waiting to cross the street, on our way home, caught some shots of the wind really blowing through Rebecca’s hair:

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We are happy, loaded down with groceries, to almost be home!

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And a little tired too!

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I had an awesome afternoon with my girl, hope to repeat this type of outing many times in our future.

May 2009 EatSavvy: Commercial Food Photography

Another delicious EatSavvy shoot! This month the focus was on beef.

(Equipment Used: All shots were taken with the Canon 24–70 mm f2.8L lens, brought the 85 f1.2L lens and the Canon 100 mm f2.8 macro lens, but neither got much love for this shoot.)

The ingredient shot:

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I couldn’t resist a shot of these yummy grape tomatoes which were sitting on the counter top when I arrived:

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Asparagus was one of the nutritional highlights for this month:

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Think this was the one and only shot I took for this setup, no debate, everyone liked this one:

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Grilled peppers:

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Fresh off the grill:

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The family meal: Marinated Flank Steak, click here for the recipe.

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The dinner party meal: Chimichurri Marinated Flank Steak, click here for the recipe.

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The Make-Ahead Way: Flank Steak Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette, click here for the recipe.

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I made my own version of the flank steak salad today for my lunch. I substituted sunflower seeds for the pine nuts (as my son is allergic to peanuts/nuts, pine nuts are not a safe item to have in our kitchen), and exchanged goat cheese for the blue cheese, which I can find to be somewhat overpowering:

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The dessert was Rhubarb-Apple Crisp, it was so yummy! Will have to make this soon I think! For the recipe, click here.

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Another EatSavvy is done…wonder what will be on the menu next time!

LandonMay 19, 2009 - 11:50 am

Great work Holly! Great eye for detail and such fresh and inviting foodie photos!

Architectural Photography, Toronto: Bellair & Advantage Laser Clinics

I recently did some architectural photography for a new client with two clinics.

Equipment Used: All images were shot with my back-up body, the Canon 5D, for the full-frame factor, with the Canon 24–70 mm f2.8L lens.

First off we did some shooting at the Bellair Laser Clinic:

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Before we moved on to the Advantage Laser Clinic around the corner:

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For those who are watching for the EatSavvy shots, keep an eye out, I’m planning a blog post on them on Tuesday! πŸ™‚

Mother’s Day: Toronto Family Photographer

Last Sunday the kids and I went over to my mother’s for lunch and a nice visit for Mother’s Day. Met this beautiful cat a few doors down from my mother’s house.

(Equipment Used: All shots in this blog post were taken with my beloved Canon 85 f1.2L lens.)

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A shot of Simon hanging out on the sofa:

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A few shots of Mylo, who was hiding upstairs away from the kids:

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Poor, sweet Simon has a horrible condition called Syringomyelia, which is currently causing him to drag one of his paws, so my mother puts on a protective bootie before he goes out for a walk:

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Rebecca’s checks out her little tree across the street from my mother’s house. She received this little tree as a sapling from the Montessori school she attended, upon graduation from SK:

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Noah enjoys running with Simon, we are off to the park to have a bit of a break before dessert:

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Some beautiful red tulips on the way to the park:

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Rebecca up top on the Summerhill Reservoir near my mother’s home:

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Noah enjoyed throwing Simon’s kong for him:

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My mother is always so stylish! Doesn’t she looks beautiful in her blue outfit?

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Noah awaits Simon’s return with the kong to throw it again for him:

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Love the out-of-focus dandelions in this shot:

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Noah brought ‘Mr. Bill’ with him for the outing to my mother’s and the park:

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All that running around, you built up a thirst!

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We came upon Mylo on the say home:

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One last shot of Noah holding Simon just inside my mother’s house:

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Hope all the mother’s out there had a wonderful mother’s day!

Project Love: Toronto Family Photographer Launches Project to Celebrate Love

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The winner of the local photography session for Project Love has been announced! Click here to see the blog post announcing the winner!

****Entries for Project Love have been extended (see below) due to an event to be held on July 23rd promoting Project Love. Please click here to view the blog posting about this event, and to see details of who will be helping me to judge the Project Love entries!****

Project Love is officially launched! This project was inspired by the love that I witnessed between Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi in their wedding video.

Part of the dream is to travel to L.A. to photograph Ellen and Portia for their upcoming wedding anniversary on August 16th. (If you are on twitter, please send an @ message to theellenshow to let them know about this project! twitter.com/theellenshow)

Noah, Rebecca and I are fans of both The Ellen Show and Portia’s new show, ‘Better Off Ted’. Noah is especially enthusiastic, and created a wonderful poster for Project Love, which you can see in the following youtube video:

The local dream is to celebrate Love in Toronto by holding a contest in which the winner will have a complimentary photography session with me.

Here’s how to enter: email me a jpg photograph of who you love and why you would love to win the photography session. See below for further details/requirements*. If I can get Ellen’s attention, perhaps she will help with the judging! Otherwise I will be announcing local judges soon.

So, whether you are a family:

A couple:

Or have a pet that you love:


I would love to hear from you! Please enter the contest and help me get the word out about Project Love!

Thank you!!!

* Contest closes at midnight July 31, 2009. Winner to be announced by August 9th. Photography session must take place before September 30, 2009. Jpg image must be no larger then 400x600px, 72 dpi, or 300 kb showing who you love and why you would love to win the photography session (no more then 300 words). You must consent to the image/words being used on my blog. You must agree to sign a model release so that your photography session can be shown on this blog. You must be over 18 and live within Toronto. Please provide name, address and phone number with entry. This session may not be used in combination with any other offer (i.e. donated gift certificate). Standard terms and conditions apply as seen on my website. The session will be a standard 1–2 hour weekday shoot, if weekend session is required additional cost will be due. Judges decision is final.

Cheryl MoirMay 28, 2009 - 10:14 am

Your photos are amazing!! I’m particulary interested in winning this contest for my partner’s business as I would love some shots of him “in action”!
Thanks for the wonderful opportunity!!
Cheryl

HollyMay 28, 2009 - 12:44 pm

Oh, I’m intrigued Cheryl! Looking forward to receiving your entry! πŸ™‚

ChristianeJune 6, 2009 - 6:54 pm

I have a question, if I participate in the contest with a photo of my dog, and I win, will the photography session be with my dog? Thank you!

HollyJune 6, 2009 - 7:34 pm

Thanks for the good question Christiane! The answer is yes, you enter with a photograph of the person/animal you love, and they would be the subject of the photography session.

ChristianeJune 7, 2009 - 10:55 am

Thank you Holly. I’m still trying to choose the photo from tons good ones I have, it’s hard!. I will send it to you soon. Christiane.