Silver Valley Ranch and the Paynes

When I hear people say that the prairies are so flat and boring, I think to myself "you haven't seen my prairies then". Alberta is blessed with the most amazing skies, rolling hills, lush grasses, copses of trees and all of them come together at Silver Valley Ranch.  When a dear friend asked me to come up north a bit to take pictures with their grand daughter, I didn't know what to expect.  But I could never have anticipated the vistas that greeted me.  A typical one hour session stretched into far more as we explored all the ranch had to offer.  And I came away with a profound connection to the nature I had enjoyed with them.
Angie and Romeo are the facilitators of Equine Enrichment - equine facilitated coaching. I highly encourage you to visit her site and if you are lucky, enter their world.
Here are just a few of the absolutely amazing shots that came out of that day. Enjoy!

 

 

 xo

Jen

Arden

This piece is a composite image that I created from our awesome session last year on the Kathryn fields.  Isn't Arden one of the most beautiful dogs? And I had so much fun creating this canvas for Shannon that captured her in action in so many lovely ways.

xo

Jen

Laurie-Anne - a sneak peek

OMG - I had an old (but looking fabulously young!) friend in for a boudoir shoot on the weekend.  And did we have fun?  There were lacy garments everywhere, a touch of wine, music and some very hot shoes! Laurie-Anne decided to treat herself to a session and celebrate how freaking amazing she looks - huge kudos to her. The fabulous Erin Teolis did her hair and makeup and made L.A. feel like a dream.  It was an awesome afternoon and I can't wait to show her all the shots tomorrow!
Here's your sneak peek...

 

 

 

 

  

xo

Jen

The Power of Photography

 

 One of the things that I love about photographing portraits the way that I do, is that moment when a person sees the images I have taken and visibly relaxes.  95% of the people that walk through my door tell me they hate being photographed or that they aren't photogenic. I always tell them that it's just that they have never been photographed properly. My approach is to be relaxed and bring out that inner energy that gives you that spark. It's not always about the perfect pose, it's about connection.  And when you find that in a person's soul, and give them a picture that they feel amazing about, you have reached a place in them where their confidence grows. Most people feel some kind of trepidation about being photographed, or seeing pictures of themselves. And the BIGGEST compliment I receive is when they not only can feel comfortable during the shoot and through the whole process, but when they LOVE the images.  This image of Carter and her DD (her nickname for him) is a reminder of that for me.  He hates cameras - so of course dating a photographer is fraught with peril.  But during this shoot he connected to the entire process and actually had fun! Years later we still talk about this moment.  It changed his perception of me, himself and photography.  That's powerful.
Here are my two favourite shots from that day. 6 years ago, but still just as fresh as the day we took them.

xo

J

Oink and Moo!

I have been playing with a new series of paintings that are a complete departure from my Pretty Girls. And I should not be surprised how much I love painting animals - I am animal crazy! But I am surprised at how fun and loose it is.  Here are the first few from the series.  More details can be seen on my Etsy site as well.

 

Oink

  

 Daisy

  

Rufus

Mixed Media Art Journal Video-"Rush"

A look at part of how I created the mixed media piece entitled "Rush".  I worked primarily in watercolours, but with a bit of pen work and a bit more pencil work to create the details the way that I wanted them.  This piece started off as a way to test my new Letraset AquaMarkers as well as my Peerless Watercolour sets. But as she developed I found myself falling in to a rhythm with her...swooping from one part of her to another.  Feeling the colour rather than forcing it.  Then as I added the chartreuse background (pictured but not in the video - sorry!) I fell in love with her lovely pink 'do and the flow of the ink.  This rhythm is why art has become so meditative for me. What do you do to breathe? Is there something that you do to act as meditation without actually meditation? I would love yo hear about it!

xo

Jen