Never Give Up

It is so easy to think that life is hard.  To sit in sadness and misery. To be in a dark twisty place because of what you feel surrounds your life. This week I made a choice.  To be happy. To live a life of grace and ease.  And I repeat that choice consciously throughout every day.  Because I have sat in the dark twisty place for awhile now - and it isn't serving me anymore. I love the feeling of sunshine on my face and the joy I see in my daughters eyes.  And I have realized that this is my life.  The one that I have been given.  And while that may sound cliche, like something that we have heard a zillion times; we have heard it because it is true. So when I saw the link to Nick's video and watched it, I cried.  Cried because I was so touched by the true heart of this man.  He has the sunshine on his face, always.  And I strive to be as joyous as he is.

Funding Cuts to Calgary Schools

PETITION TO SAVE ARTS PROGRAMMING IN CALGARY SCHOOLS

URGENT NOTICE FROM SAVE OUR FINE ARTS

The Calgary Board of Education (CBE) announced they will have to cut up to 165 teachers as a result of a significant funding shortfall. To read the announcement, check out the front page of the May 5th edition of the Calgary Herald. You can also read the article on the Calgary Herald’s online website – http://www.calgaryherald.com/.

SOFA has learned from a very reliable source this will mean the layoff of approximately 3 – 4 teachers per school. We have also learned this will definitely have a negative impact on the CBE’s ability to provide funding for a number of locally developed courses, including a number of fine arts programs.

It is clear because of the Alberta Government’s cutback in education funding; this will not just affect the Calgary Board of Education. In fact, it will negatively affect every school district in the Province.

Without substantial increases in education funding, we will potentially lose many fine arts programs across Alberta. Further, students currently in the school system will not be equipped with the necessary skills (creativity, critical thinking, communication, innovation, etc.) to compete in an ever changing world (read the articles on Dr. Stephen Murgatroyd in previous posts on our website at http://www.saveourfinearts.ca/).

Now is the time for every parent, student, teacher, business owner, and concerned citizen to stand up, be counted, and make a difference:
Please read and sign the PETITION at: http://www.gopetition.com/online/35101.html.

Please ask ALL your family members, neighbours, friends, co-workers, and anyone else you know to sign the petition as well. There is no age restriction to sign.

If you are an educator, please make sure your students are aware of the announcement by photocopying this note and handing it out.

Please send an email note to your Premier, Minister of Education, and School Board Officials/Trustees expressing your concern about education funding cutbacks. For a listing of contact information please check out our SOFA website at: http://saveourfinearts.ca/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/SOFA-Education-Advocacy-Contacts.pdf.

For those of you in Calgary, you can write to your Calgary Board of Education Trustee by checking out the following website: http://www.cbe.ab.ca/trustees/trustees.asp

Please register on our SOFA website at www.saveourfinearts.ca and click on the red registration button.

There comes a time for each of us to stand up and support what we believe in. If you believe in the value of education, in particular fine arts education - NOW IS THE TIME.
Please check back to our www.saveourfinearts.ca website regularly for future updates. If you have any questions regarding SOFA, please email us at saveourfinearts@gmail.com.



Your truly,
SOFA Organizing Committee

Caleb

I so enjoyed working with Caleb and letting his personality shine through. I especially loved his attitude towards developing his craft. Here is his final choice!

May Newsletter

My May Newsletter is out - click here to view it or on the title of this post! For the month of May, I am offering an unprecedented 30% off of Portrait Sessions to celebrate family and legacy. And - if you are a Facebook or Twitter fan/follower - you will get an additional 10% off!

She loves me...he loves me...

Dave and Christine are one of my favourite couples of all time.  They are so open and charming and most of all, fun to work with.  Their album was a dream to design and I can't wait to get it back in my hot little hands! (To give to them of course!) Here are a few of my favourite pages.

Amrit

This is the second time that I have had the pleasure of working with Amrit. I love that he takes his burgeoning career so seriously.  Good luck Amrit - I know you'll go far!

On second thought...

...I like this crop much better.

Jilly

I love love love painting my images.  There is a sense of meditation and peace that comes in the process. So perhaps it's not surprising on the heels of yesterdays post that I found myself in the midst of a painting.  Of course, it was in the guise of needing a new sample for my wall.  But I can (and will) procrastinate on that forever.  It was that I needed to get in touch with my artist.  And in the hours and hours that it takes to craft a painting, I relax and slowly zen-out. The movement of pen on tablet is relaxing.  I love the colours in this piece.  I find the interplay of pink and teal so lovely.

Ebb and Flow

Every January/February I go in to burn out. I feel flat. Uncreative. I look at other AMAZING photographers and wonder why I don't create like them. (Because I'm me. Duh - I know that seems obvious). But in that head space, it doesn't matter how many kudos I get for my work. How many people are touched by what I do. I feel incapable. I sit in a deep funk and question if I should just throw in the towel and work at Wendy's. No responsibility, no take-home work. And I question that for about an hour. And though I don't leave my funk for some time, I know that I am so fortunate to make a living doing what I do. I watch the others around me that struggle with bosses, co-workers,schedules and unreasonable expectations. And I am grateful that I answer to myself and to my clients. That I can be with CJ if I need or want to. And while there is this yearly, inevitable low, I also know that come spring I find my joy more and more consistently. And my sense of play is more and more present.


I was blessed today with a video by another photographer filming beautifully and honestly about this very issue. http://bit.ly/9pu4fG I love Zach's video - it is nice to know that I am not the only one who struggles and questions and re-emerges to do it all again. I think most artists deal with this. And perhaps most self employed people as well. But perhaps this year...I can learn from this ebb and flow and be more gentle with myself and allow myself to be in the moment a bit more. Perhaps.

Expose Yourself

I had to go through all my archived images today.  It was a bit of housekeeping on my part, but I was also looking for some specific personal images that I hadn't archived nearly as neatly as my client's images. Sometimes when I look back, I am astonished at how far I have come (and we're talking back to the 90's here). But these files were from 2004-2007 and they were a treat for me to go through.  There is a lot of strong imagery from that time, with some collaborative work that reminds me how much fun that can be! I found a few that I loved and I will share a few here. I have had the joy of working/playing with Sarah multiple times and I love the ideas that she has and that she always takes the time to capture herself and who she is. Imagine if we all did that?  Imagine the legacy that our children would have - knowing who we are?  It's a good reminder to me to leave a deeper footprint. Here are a few of her images that I love.

Molto Bello

I had a surprise creative "lair" date with a good friend last night and it was the perfect excuse to get some of the creative stuff that has been taking up space in my head out.  I have wanted to play more with layers upon layers and it was challenging for me! But in the end I love how these textures are all interacting.  And how I knew when it was done. Sometimes the "ending" is a little nebulous and it was very clear on this piece!

Bina, WAGs and ME

For so many of us, our dogs are not only our pets, they are our children.  We talk to them, we pamper them and we open our hearts to them.  They are our family and our lives are changed by them. Sabina, William and Maggie are three such wonderful children.  They have wonderful stories of finding their ways in to their family and they couldn't ask for a better home.  Petra has started her gourmet dog food company in response to their needs and it is on it's way to being an overwhelming success.  I was so fortunate to work with Petra to capture the essence of her babies.  The four of them are featured on the Dreams and Inspirations page of her website.  However, my heart went in to creating the piece above for her. I love when I am allowed to play and create - thanks so much for that Petra!

What I Have Learned

I have been fanatical about watching the Olympics for the past 14 days. And over and over again I am blown away by the determination of our athletes. These people have single-mindedly focused on getting to these games for the last four years to the exclusion of so much else.  They have sacrificed, suffered and challenged themselves for the chance to compete and win.  And win they have.  Our country, with our small population has gone head-to-head with bigger and more dominant countries and we are holding our own. We are tied for gold with the top two. And yet there is criticism about our athletes performance. To me that is a travesty.  They have brought home gold with a huge helping of pride. And I for one, couldn't be happier to be a Canadian.

Jillie

Imagine your mom taking the time to let you play during a photo shoot.  Imagine getting to be the ballerina princess that you know you are. Jillie's mom did just that and we had so much fun. I have never had a 2 year old perform like this!  She has serious star quality. Here are a few of the shots. Thanks for playing!

My Story

I’ve always been fascinated by how portraits connect us with ourselves and the people we love in a powerful way. Done right, portraits can stop time as they capture who we are, capture our essence and reflect our emotions.

When my daughter was born, the power and importance of stopping time and building a legacy became even more important and personal for me. It became more real for me how easy it is to forget the little but important moments of our lives. Already I have forgotten so much. And those memories are lost to me forever. Those tiny losses tear at me because there are things she did that I can’t see anymore and I can’t always remember how old she was when she reached certain milestones. It’s the simple, candid moments that express who we are and are easy to lose connection with. I love to capture all of these moments - I call them “the Good-the Bad and the Ugly”. Because that’s life! We’re not perfect and I hope to never be perfect. Because in those moments of pure joy, tears, frustration and love, we show our souls. And we begin creating our legacy.

Time is fleeting and life can changes quickly. I have seen many losses, both personal and through friends and family. And they remind me how important it is to capture our memories. Imagine not being able to recall what a loved one looked like at a given age, or at all. Imagine not being able to show your children what their Mommy looked like; how Daddy looked at them, so full of love or how your beautiful dog ran through the field with them where they grew up.

Now imagine the feeling of capturing those moments. Imagine creating a photographic one-of-a-kind collection of artwork that reveals yourself and who you are. Imagine creating your families’ story over time. A story that you get to see, reflect on and enjoy everyday - it’s there in your home, and in your heart. It communicates to our loved ones how important they are to us.

Chipperfield Photography is passionate about stopping time, capturing essence, and building legacy. We all have an essence that is worth revealing and communicating to the people that we care about. It is love - expressed now and in the future.

New Headshots

I had a fantastic session with Lindsay last week and created some awesome shots that will hopefully help her get lots of work! Thanks Lindsay - I had fun rockin' out with you!

An Evening of Stories in Song

In late December, soprano Stefanie Rose-Airey performed here in Calgary along with baritone Michael Hope. The concert was fabulous and not only was I fortunate enough to hear her sing again, but she asked me to photograph her performance. The church was quite dark and intimate, lending to the romance of the evening. Here are some of the shots we loved.

The Raven

I love the things that kids say. They are learning so much, but sometimes the wires get a bit crossed. This was one of my faves; uttered when we were driving around one day. And what I love most about it, is that she isn't self c0nscious when she makes a mistake. Usually she laughs uproariously about it and we giggle over it for days. We can learn a lot from kids.

Dropped out of the blogosphere for a while...

...but I'm back! The Christmas season always kicks my butt a bit and I just realized how long it has been since I have connected on here. I have been doing lots of work and playing with some really cool new stuff - I just haven't been sharing. So I'm going to try and catch up over the next bit with some long over-due blogs.

I had a busy Christmas break and was fortunate enough to get a chance to work with Stefanie Rose-Airey; an incomparable singer who will be taking the world by storm. I was also fortunate enough to do some work for Chris Kerson (an immensely talented actor). There is no bigger compliment to me that an actor would come from New York to work with me for his headshots when there are SOOOOO many amazing photographers in the big apple. Thanks for all your support and know that it is returned one hundred fold. Here are a few shots from their respective sessions.

Break a leg with the upcoming role Chris!

Subway

This is my first real multi-media piece that I have created around my NY experience last year. I love the textures and layers - it brings back the immediacy of the feeling of being there.