Photo courtesy of The Canadian Red Cross

As I am sure most of you are aware the republic of Haiti was hit with a magnitude 7.0 earthquake on Tuesday, January 12th. Most of the necessities of life, such as food, shelter and water have been reduced to near nothing and the poor country is now struggling with rescue efforts and the dispersal of much-needed supplies and aid. They have very little to work with. It’s easy to feel separated from things like this based on geography, but it doesn’t mean we’re not all in this together. Every bit counts. Calgary area residents can assist with the relief effort for Haiti by donating to the local Red Cross through redcross.ca or toll-free at 1-800-418-1111. The Belleville office of the Canadian Red Cross is accepting direct donations to the Haitian relief effort, as well. Wal-Mart Canada also launched Project Haiti Relief to raise money for the Canadian Red Cross Haiti Earthquake fund. Starting today, all Wal-Mart stores will be accepting donations for the fund. The chain launched the campaign by making a $100,000 donation. The Salvation Army in Canada is sending $100,000 USD and a fundraising campaign has begun to support the humanitarian response. Contributions can be made to the Salvation army relief efforts in Haiti, by calling 1-800-725-2769 or by visiting www.SalvationArmy.ca My heart goes out to you, Haiti. We here at Infinite Images donated via the Canadian Red Cross. It was simple and quick to do. My heart goes out to you Haiti. – Shawna

At Infinite Images we offer engagement sessions for every wedding couple. An engagement session is a great way for us to get to know each other before the wedding photo shoot. Some people can feel awkward if we have only met you once briefly at your booking appointment! It’s important that you are comfortable with our style and we know you on a personal level so your wedding images can truly reflect your personalities and your relationship.  Because our wedding approach is centered around capturing authentic, “real” moments, anything we can do to help you feel more comfortable around us helps. We usually devote at least 90 minutes and then if you have time we will go for coffee! This gives us time to listen to your story of your love! It also gives us time to hear you talk about how you envision your wedding which will gives us a clear understanding of the story we’ve been commissioned to capture. In addition to understanding the story, the time spent in an engagement session helps us build a relationship. As a wedding photographer, we are with you for almost every important moment on your wedding day.  Because we’ve taken the time to invest in you  – and build a relationship – we’re able to blend into the environment, and do our best to serve you best. We include the images with the wedding gallery, and it’s an opportunity for you to personalize things like you invitations, save the dates, guest autograph books, or signature mats.

Overall it’s about having FUN!

Thank you Claire and Dustin for letting me capture your love for each other and kayaking! We are looking forward to photographing your big day this upcoming February 14th! Shawna

Claire & Dusin – Engagement Video – Click Here -

Wow, just like usual in this part of our world, summer is already winding down.  I had a really good summer this year. I shot a lot of weddings, made a lot friends, and got to know some really amazing people. We still have several more weddings to shoot before the end of the year so it’s not over for me  yet. I also have several new engagement shoots and weddings that will be posted on the blog very soon so there are still lots of love stories to be told through our lens. I hope everyone had a fantastic summer and hang on Calgary as I can feel that fall is coming very soon!

Shawna

The question of how much to pay for a professional wedding photographer is as interesting as one could imagine.  While many brides and grooms think that anyone can pick up a camera and take photo, that is far from the truth.  So how do you decide how much to spend?

Well the 1st thing you have to do is decide what your budget is for a professional photographer.  How much is too much?  Well you have to take a look at each market.  A wedding photographer in Calgary may be more expensive than the same photographer in a rural area of Alberta.

Once you find a professional photographer within your budget, the 2nd thing you need to do is choose a photographer that does the quality and type of work that you expect.  And one thing to remember is that the bride and groom will be working with the photographer to create the photographs, so it is important that you actually like the photographer.  You have to feel good about him and his feel for you.

Do you ever see a photograph that jumps off the page?  You can’t really describe why it looks so good, but it just does.  How does he do that?  Good Training, great lenses, expensive software and good assistants all add up to a great collection of photographs.  “Cheap” photographers tend to not have the training, lenses, software or assistants that would yield outstanding images.

It means what your mother always said….you get what you pay for.

Welcome to the chronicle of this uncommon life…….one that I have been so lucky to be allowed to share with incredible people who have invited me to photograph their lives and love stories. Since childhood, art has allowed me to explore and appreciate my vision of the world as it can be. A dream preferred. My goal is to create and share breathtaking artwork that reflects the magic I encounter in life. Every wonderful moment behind the lens has allowed me to capture joy, love and moments that will last forever. Photography has brought out the voice in me that the people who love me say they always knew was there. Most of them are charmingly smug in their self-congratulations at having known it before I did….and I love them for it.

Find joy here. Find love here. Find something that warms your heart. I will continue capturing these stories and adding to this narrative. All the while attempting to find time for chocolate, cheese and my special friend, my dog Kayla.

Enjoy…

Shawna