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Ask me questions.

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 19:10:49 -0700

You see that little title up there at the top of this blog post? That's what this paragraph is all about... questions! Pretty simple. Wait, hold your horses, don't start writing up a comment or sending me an email yet. The only condition is you have to be in Vegas for WPPI. Let me explain some details here. A few weeks ago I got an email from Showit about whether or not I'd be interested in being one of the featured Showit Photographers for a Q+A session in the Showit Suite during WPPI week. My stomach literally dropped (is that the right term? not dropped in dissapointment, but dropped in nervousness!) and even though 50% of me didn't want to, I responded back saying, "I'd love to!"

I'm kinda nervous--because I honestly feel like I don't know that much. I just take pictures, have fun doing it, try to smile a lot, and have been blessed with an awesome business. I have NO idea what kind of answers are going to come out of my mouth. This could be entertaining, folks. And when I get nervous, I laugh. And that usually makes other people laugh, so at LEAST you're in for a good time. I've already told my roommates they are required to come and ask questions if we hit some silence. Kristen is all prepped with some great ones: "Why are you so happy in the mornings?" "Why do you act like a grumpy jerk when your room isn't clean?" "Can you please talk about your love of yellow nail polish? That's kinda weird."

I'll be chatting on Monday, March 8th from 10:00AM - 10:45AM--I think there's only room for about 20-30 people? I'm not sure but I do know that you MUST RSVP to wppi@showitfast.com with the words, "I want to ask Jamie a question" in the email. Or something like that. Anything with my name in it will do. If you'd like to see the full Showit WPPI Schedule, CLICK HERE--it's available in a .pdf format too. Hope to see some of you there! Comment if you RSVP'd so I know what faces to look for!

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UBC Engagement Photos: Nancy and Andy

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 11:16:10 -0700

Nancy and Andy booked me over email last year, so I hadn't met them until our engagement session last Monday on the UBC Campus. Although we had never met, I knew they had personality galore from my first phone call with Nancy. I specificially remember Nancy telling me the crazy events of the last ten years that had led them to this spot called "getting married!" It was 1999 at UBC through clubs they were both involved with that they met. They "gave it a chance" (their words from their cute couple questionnaire, hah!) but then broke up. Four years later, they were an item once again.

Nancy wasn't ready to settle down, and in 2003, picked up and moved to Japan. She was there for FIVE years with little to no contact until 2008 when they started emailing again after Nancy looked Andy up on facebook. Some correspondance later, Nancy flew back home to visit family in early 2009 and she saw Andy for the first time in years. They met again and Nancy realized moving to Japan in 2003 was probably a mistake. And then they were engaged! And now they both live in Vancouver. I think that's a rad story. Onto the photos!

To see more of Nancy and Andy's UBC Engagement Photos CLICK HERE for a slideshow!

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Sunshine and Early Mornings.

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:14:02 -0700

I had great intentions of writing this blog post before I left my house for the airport this afternoon at two o' clock. I even got the photos readyandhellip; and started typing something like "Today, I had breakfast!" -- and then nothing else was typed. It was a funny sort of lovely day--my last morning in Langley for the next week. I was up bright n' early at the 6:30AM hour to cut up some colourful fruit for a salad and grab a dozen eggs from our fridge. My friends Shauneille and Leanne and Sam and I made breakfast together before all our days started. Sam's house-sitting and us girls have been at the house almost everyday this week. Constantly oohing and aahing at all the pretty little details of the charming placeandhellip; It's something special.

Regardless of my puffy eyes, my unwashed hair and my gym clothes (productivity, people! I won't workout if it's not on the way somewhere or on the way home!) this morning, I couldn't help but smile. I'm a morning girl--the promise of a new day excites me. This fact about me comes as a "Well, no duh" to most of you but I'm going to repeat it. Because it's my blog and I can do that. Mornings are fresh and new and potential-filled. Sunshiney mornings make me want to hike around a beautiful lake or drive down to 0 Ave in Langley (a beautiful farm road that is incredibly relaxing!) just for the heck of it or take pictures of a gorgeous couple--hey, I am a wedding photographer after all. Sharing a morning with friends over waffles and eggs and fruit and coffee and bagels in a cute house is a good thing. Try it.

I frittered away the rest of my afternoon, packing my clothes for 6 days at WPPI in Las Vegas over three hours time. Yes, I said three hours. HAH! Step one, lay everything out on my bed. Step two, take a break to call Shauneille and laugh and talk for a half hour even though we spent the morning together. Step three, pack some more. Step four, become distracted by the internet--sometimes I wish it only existed on Mondays and Wednesdays and Fridays or something. It would make my Tuesdays and Thursdays more productive. Couple hours later, I take a trip downstairs to my dad's home office and talk his ear off while he tries to work. I know he likes that. Finally, I finish packing. Suitcase: 44 pounds. AND, I didn't even have to extend it to its full capacity. Dang, I'm good.

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White Rock Beach Engagement Photos: Chantal + Dave

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 12:19:19 -0700

Monday morning, I drove down to a spot I love. The beach. The beach in the winter is so beautiful: there's only a handful of people around, the air is crisp, even the beach smell is different in the winter compared to the summer. I walked into one of the local coffeeshops to meet up with Chantal and Dave. It was at that exact coffeeshop that this couple's paths first crossed.

It was a Sunday afternoon and Chantal was drinking coffee and reading the paper. In walks Dave. Chantal was the only other person in the coffeeshop, and Dave, being new to the area, saw this beautiful woman and asked to sit down beside her. And Chantal said yes, of course! And they talked. In Chantal's words, "For hours!" -- she even got a parking ticket because her meter had long since expired. ;) I love love stories like theirs: just a random meeting, in a small little coffeeshop, a conversation that lasted hours as they went from strangers to acquaintances to friends to more.

Their wedding is going to be wonderful and I'm so excited about it! Partly because Dave+Chantal both go to the same church as me. Also, I've known Chantal's soon-to-be sister-in-law's family for years so it'll be one big party with lots of recognizable faces. Thanks for trusting me and stepping in front of my camera you two. :)

Spring is SO GREAT. I was in love with these yellow buds.

I absolutely love shooting on the White Rock Beach pier. So pretty, in any season!

We found this great VW Bus... just sitting near the beach. I love the colour.

These next two are some of my favourite of Chantal. So beautiful! Chantal's fabulous make-up was done by Kristy of Kristy Lee Makeup. Kristy never fails! ;)

To see more of Chantal and Dave's White Rock Beach Engagement Photos CLICK HERE for a slideshow!

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Saturday, Sunday, Canada, Gold, Awesome.

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:22:09 -0700

I found myself awake at seven o' clock Saturday morning, an all-too-common occurance for this early bird. I had breakfast-- oatmeal and almond butter, goat yogurt and honey and strawberries--spent some time reading my bible and praying over my day. Shortly thereafter I got dressed and headed to a cute tea shop with my laptop to continue plugging away at my creative writing homework. After an hour I was sick of staring at Microsoft Word, sick of poetry, and really, really sick of the bad decaf americano I was drinking. Jamie Delaine, it's a tea shop. Shoulda seen that one coming. That evening, I had grand plans of going to another free Olympic concert. I instead found myself alone in an empty house from four o' clock onward with two dogs to keep me company, multiple cups of hot tea to hydrate me and frozen blueberries by the cupful to feed me. I read a book for three hours straight. Then two of my awesome friends came over at ten o'clock as I was about to crawl into bed and we chilled until midnight. It was an awesome night. :)

My Sunday was just as awesome. The Canada vs. USA Gold medal hockey game was electric. My heart was jumping all over the place watching the little puck fly around the arena and I was bursting with pride when Canada won Gold in overtime. Mmmhmm, Americans, it's still our game. After sitting still for almost three hours my bones were jumping for activity.

I get this way sometimes and it's a touch of ADD in me or something. I literally can't sit still. Well, I can. But I have to talk myself through it. And work REALLY hard to fight it. Sometimes I'll turn to a friend and say, "I can't sit here anymore. I can't. I feel like jumping up and running around the block." Usually we leave at that point. ;) I don't like physical inactivity! I fit in almost a four mile run yesterday and felt beautiful after it. And ready to sit in a Sunday night church service, happily not moving.

Running around my house after the Canada Gold win was AWESOME. I'm way in the 'burbs of Vancouver but still there were flags out and people honking and cars waving at me as I ran, everybody was SO PROUD. Man. I'm glad we won. And I'm glad I'm Canadian. And I'm glad the Olympics came to Vancouver and gave us all a healthy dose of patriotism that sometimes we Canadians lack.

My weekend was awesome. The two engagement sessions I shot today were ALSO awesome. Watch for those soon. ;)

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Samantha: Five Months Old

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:40:44 -0700

I always joke that I have very few maternal instincts. I mean, I know they'll kick in when I need them to, but besides just holding a baby, I'm really not sure what else to do with them. Especially when they cry. I like kids. I want more than two. But I'm just hoping I'll be granted the wisdom to know what to do when they come. Haha! I don't photograph baby sessions too often--I used to shoot more my first year or two of business, but now couples are my focus. However, for past clients, I'll pretty much do anything!

Ernest and Mary had a session with me over a year ago and I was delighted to receive an email from Mary a few months ago. They had a beautiful baby daughter named Samantha. What a joy to say the least! I was pumped to see them again and to photograph them as a family of three instead of just a family of two. It's just the most special thing when a couple is blessed with a baby after many months when it's not the smoothest process. I loved watching them care and adore for their five-month-old Sam and I hope they have another one soon. You bet I'll be back to photograph them all!

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Vegetable Haikus

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:01:59 -0700

Maybe it's all the creative writing I'm doing lately for my online course but... I'm creative-writed out. Which is unfortunate. Because really, I took this creative writing course to become a better writer. Turns out, all I'm getting better at is staring at my macbook pro screen at my corner table in starbucks, tapping my fingers against my forehead, asking the barista for more hot water to fill up my depleting mug of green tea and sending angry venting texts to my mother that includes lots of exclamation marks and capitals: "I don't freakin' want to write a poem about a piece of FRUITTTTTT!!!!!!!!!"

So, I can be a little dramatic sometimes. I'm halfway through this course and praying that we'll soon be wrapping up this poetry unit so I can exercise my writing brain in a different genre. If my next assignment is writing a haiku about a green leafy vegetable, I may chuck my keyboard out the window and go back to my picture-taking. ;)

On a different note, David Jay announced the winners ShowIt contests! I won the Design of the Year for 2009--so incredibly honoured! Honestly, there were a few sites nominated that I thought were just ridiculously beautiful: so... safe to say I'm thankful for your votes.

Here's a sneak peek from a wedding I second-shot last Friday with Michele M. Waite:: such a cute couple!

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I'll help you spend $9.99 today.

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 12:19:05 -0700

Laurell could possibly be in the #1 leading spot for most appearances on my blog. And I'm just about to up her total. I love this girl and she is INCREDIBLY talented. If you've been hiding under a rock for the past two years, she is a Vancouver singer/songwriter and you can check out her website HERE. All photos by me!

I've watched her career grow over the past couple of years and it's all led up to this moment: TODAY. The release of her brand new album by Warner Music Canada on February 23rd. It's also for sale at HMV across Canada AND on iTunes. I just picked it up on iTunes for $9.99. If you only want the single, Can't Stop Fallin' (which her engagement slideshow was set to!) -- you can buy that for $0.99 on iTunes. Just search "laurell" in the music store. Sheandrsquo;s had some amazing success so far with her single, which is being played all across Canada and debuted on the Canadian Hot AC chart at #44. WOOHOO!

I know that I wouldn't be where I am today, with all these blog readers, with these lovely clients, without the support of those around me. Creative careers are built with the help of those who BELIEVE in an artist: built on supporters and encouragers. If you love good music, you'll love Laurell. Let's encourage her and add some sweet music to our iPods in the process. Much love + thanks for supporting my friend!

P.S. I'm not sure if the US iTunes Store (they are different!) has Laurell's album--but please try searching anyway! [edited to add] Americans, it's not available on iTunes for you, but you can buy it on Laurell's WEBSITE and they'll ship it to you! YES!

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Monday Olympic Musings.

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:16:35 -0700

Lately I've been realizing how selfish I am. A lot of my life is lived for me. Sure, I serve in my church. Sure, I listen to my friends--I care about their lives. But the majority of my life is lived for me. I guess that's pretty typical of most single young people: but I hate that. It's something the Lord is constantly pointing out in my life, constantly convicting me about. There is life outside of Jamie Delaine. Surprise! I'm thankful for a God of Grace, a God who allows me to mess up daily, to come to him saying, "I don't know how to do this. Show me how to see the needs of others." -- I'm so thankful for that. // Luke 9:23-24 "And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it."

Yesterday was February 21st. The day of the half-marathon I had signed up for. I didn't run it. I had a frustrated little whiny post a few weeks ago when my feet caused me to take some time off. Lately my knees have been killing: I definitely need orthotics. Two weeks ago, I got the flu. I have a cold that won't leave. Everything in my body started to scream, "Stop!" And I decided to listen. I complained for a while, threw a pity party for one. LAME! Hah! In the grand scheme of things, all I lost was $65 to sign up for this thing. There'll be other races. I WILL finish a half-marathon in 2010. I will. Yesterday just wasn't the day. ;) Life goes on.

There's this little thing going on in Vancouver called the Winter Olympics and I decided I LOVE IT. I pretty much think the Olympics should come to Vancouver every year. I can't believe they'll be finished in six days and never to return again! Sad! I've only been to two Olympic-y things: a free concert Saturday night and I went downtown last night. There are two more nights of concerts I'm hittin' up next weekend. Saturday night I saw Said the Whale (for the second time live), Hey Ocean! and Mother Mother. SO GOOD. Usually I'm NOT a fan of thousands of people, pressed up against one another in general admission. Maybe I'm becoming more of a teenager lately or something, but... I liked it. Once you get over the fact that people are randomly brushing up against your body, s'all GOOD! The atmosphere was awesome and the sound was surprisingly good. Concerts. I LOVE.

I LOVE this song by Mother Mother:

The same artist, Kyle Richtsfeld, who did the motion graphics for my promo video, did them for this music video by Hey Ocean! Sweet hey? Definitely do yourself a favour and check all three of these bands out.

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