My Canada -Maritimes Trip Aug.2016- Lunenburg & Mahone, NS
Part 2 in the Maritimes series! My husband Henry and I discussed our vacation plans last year and came to a quick decision, that based on the rate of the Canadian dollar, we would to stay in our own Canada and explore and appreciate what this great country has to offer. We live in Manitoba, central Canada, and neither us had ever been further east than Montreal. We were encouraged to explore the Maritimes by a number of individuals we knew who had recently travelled there and then decided on a 2 week trip- spending one week in the province of Nova Scotia and one in P.E.I..
This blog I am focusing in on two of the most “picturesque” villages we visited in Nova Scotia- Mahone Bay and Lunenburg. They were, without a doubt, the most colourful as well as being architecturally and historically interesting. We only spent a few hours in Mahone Bay (some of the later pictures in the blog)- but the short time there was FILLED with views of the most beautifully painted historic homes -as you would expect from a village established in the 1750’s to be. The well-kept small shops were so unique and interesting (Like the rug hooking store picture below) and the shop keepers were friendly (even if we didn’t buy anything!) I could have spent more time there just wandering up and down the main road but we had scheduled in more stops for the Day.
Lunenburg was another historic town I would highly recommend visiting. Have to say it was a hub of activity when we arrived. We should have googled town festivals because little did we realize, we arrived on the town’s Harbour Folk festival Day. (Google the town and you’ll find a calendar stating special activities). We arrived there quite early so we were still able to find parking for the day and then walked around the town the rest of the day. If you plan on doing this I’d recommend wearing solid, comfortable, grippy footwear/runners because the town has a number of steep hills. The hike up the town hill from the harbour was well worth the effort to take in the sights of the amazing, black and white , St. John’s Anglican Church!
Being there during the festival was also a bonus as the Bluenose II schooner was docked in the harbour and we were able to go aboard the Nova Scotia’s sailing Ambassador. (Henry was thrilled!). I made sure to include a few pictures of that! I also enjoyed going into a community hall where local vendors were selling everything from homemade delectable desserts to various handcrafted items as part of the festivities.
What impressed me most about the town was its remarkable historical buildings and homes – architecture marvels. I loved seeing the plaques on the homes that included original owners names and occupations. You could go from home to home reading up about the founders of the town. I also was charmed by the details including the unique ocean related signs about the town including shapes of various fish and shells etc. As we drove away from the town at the end of the day, I could not help but think-Yes- I could live here!
My Canada-The Maritimes Aug.2016-Peggy’s Cove
My husband Henry, and I decided to do a 2016 “Staycation” of sorts- Stay in Canada and appreciate the sights the Maritime provinces of Nova Scotia and P.E.I. have to offer. We decided on a 2 week car trip spending a week in each province the last few of weeks of August. We flew to Halifax where we spent a night and then headed out around Nova Scotia. I thought I would share some of the highlights of our visit around the province beginning with our visit to well known Peggy’s Cove. We had a very EARLY start driving to the Cove. It was a misty, foggy, morning and I was just a little excited when we pulled into the cove around 7:45 a.m. It was pure magic- quiet- calm and blanketed in light fog and misting just ever so softly-exactly how I would imagine the ambience of a Cove on the Atlantic to be. I was actually surprised at how small it was with only a smattering of buildings! I also noticed the line of cars arriving shortly after us, so I jumped out the car, leaving Henry to park in the large parking lot at the entrance of the Cove and quickly set up to photograph the Cove and it’s buildings before other visitors arrived. As I was getting set up for the shot above and gleefully, silently, thanking my lucky starts for such a picture perfect weather related setting, another visitor with a camera popped up beside me and in all seriousness said, ” To bad it’s all misty and foggy, eh?” My eyebrows went up and I said ” You sir could not be any more wrong- this is absolute perfection!”
I worked my way up the road a bit toward the lighthouse and the docks and then noticed a small fishing boat with some people getting into a boat. I asked the owner where he was heading and he said “going to see Puffins and Seals!” I ran to a small road stand close by the docks and within a “Walter Mitty moment” , bought the last 2 seats on the tour. I had just enough time to run up the hill to the cafe washroom and back and then Henry and I got on the boat for the 2.5 hour trip on the Atlantic. Let me just say the Tour was 100% worth it but we should have had put a bit more thought into the decision and prepared.
Mistake #1 -I have “sea legs”-Henry not so much. He was quite sick by hour 2, and moved to sit downwind at the back of the boat. We should have brought the Gravol medication for him. Mistake #2 -the sides of the boat were open and it was misty and foggy travelling on the Ocean that early morning-10 min. into the trip-our head and clothes were drenched with sea salt spray. Haha -you couldn’t even run your fingers through the hair afterward, we should have worn a rain jacket of some sort and something to offer a bit of warmth and protection instead of our summer attire.
That said, I still stand by the decision as being well worth it. WOW the view back on the Cove from the boat was amazing and I loved being able to photograph the lighthouse in the mist from the boat! We made it to Pearl Island, a bird sanctuary, where we saw some Puffins and other birds. We then drove a few more minutes when the driver turned off the boat. We idled a few min., the mist cleared a bit and then we saw them!! A line of curious seals with their heads just above the water looking at us. It was one of those once in a life time experiences-and yes- even seasick Henry was struck by the wonder of it all. Here are just a few images from the Cove . Hope you enjoy! Please feel free to follow the blog if you are considering a trip there in the future-I will be posting a lot more of our adventures in the Maritimes!
Back to School!
Oh it’s that time again… Summer is drawing to an end and the Fall routine will begin very soon. Yes -time to think about back to school!
I’m sure the children returning to The Carpenter’s Montessori School can hardly wait to get back into their classrooms and back to the friendly, amazing teachers that work there! The School follows the Montessori philosophy -as their website states: “allowing the children to have a spontaneous desire to learn and the ability to pace their own development.” The school is run under the direction of Desiee Mayert whom I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know over the last few years while photographing the students for their school year portraits. I had the opportunity this past year to capture the wonderful new facility the School now operates out of in the South end of the city. What struck me at first viewing of the school was the amazing amount of natural light pouring into the building and the large class room spaces! If you’re in Winnipeg, looking for a great school for your toddler or preschooler check out their Website at: The Carpenter’s Montessori and give the office a call!
Red River Campus Wedding #5
A grey and yellow theme, a Sweetheart table feature and an amazing amount of hand folded paper cranes adorning the windows, the ceiling, and even the cupcakes! This was the 5th Wedding Reception set-up I’ve photographed for the Red River College Campus located in Downtown Winnipeg. I’ve spent 5 Saturdays over the last few months capturing images for them to use for promotional materials and on their website. I’ve quite enjoyed each session. As a portrait photographer, weddings are part of my work but I seldom get to spend a quiet full hour by myself just photographing the reception room and the decor. I’m also always amazed by the work put into a reception at this venue and how each are unique in colour schemes, decor items and set-up. I can really see how the staff of the Red River facility work with their clients to create a reception room unique to the couple and their Wedding Day plans. I look forward to sharing with you the other 4 Wedding Reception set-ups in the near future-all unique in set-up and colour scheme!
Sum of the parts, Kitchen Reno Fun !
I’m always looking for new photography opportunities to present themselves, a chance to try new lenses, try new lighting scenarios, etc. Thinking outside the box, always pushing, sometimes falling flat on my face,(LOL) but always giving a 110% to what I try with my camera. I remember in photography school we use to have critic sessions with our class on work we had completed. Nothing is more daunting than putting yourself “out there” to be sometimes”ripped apart”, sometimes “politely dismissed”, and sometimes “patted on the back for a job well done”. I do still have a group of photography piers, to whom I still send out links to my work to, and get feedback on. I’m so thankful that they are willing to share their Photography experience and knowledge and are willing to be honest enough with feedback! It’s those tidbits of advice that I treasure and remember the next time I do a similar shoot! Frankly though, once a shoot is done, regardless of other’s opinions, in the real world of cliental, what matters the most, is that you get the shot the client wanted and that they like it.
About a month back, associate Paolo and I, had an awesome opportunity to work with a home renovator and photograph some of his recent renovation work completed in a kitchen in a Home in St. Andrews. I use to work for one of the gentlemen, who was part of this particular kitchen renovations, doing furniture color rendering of designs. This time it wasn’t with marker’s that I had to capture the cupboards/counter details with, but with my camera instead! Paolo and I used wide angle lens and a tilt shift lens to capture most of the images. Working with the Renovator (Wally) right beside us, he directed us as to what he wanted to capture for his files. It was more about the details than the all over room view. Here are some of the images we were able to capture at his request!
Wally wished to have an image capturing the under cabinet lighting reflected in the counter top. I used different exposures to capture and create emphasis is different places. The top image was to highlight the great shine of the backsplash. The below image is with a change in exposure.
Above: Great shot by Paolo using a soft box for fill on the dark cabinets.
The next top and bottom images were all about the counter top. The below image was really difficult to do! We used a soft box (studio light) fill to catch the details on the island’s side of the tight galley and then I had Paolo literally hanging over my left shoulder, filling in the left side of the island with off camera flash! A tilt shift lens was used to have detail fall off at the ends of the image with clarity on the counter top.
Paolo and I are most definitely looking forward to the next opportunity we get to view and photograph some more Wally’s talented Renovation work!
..always Room to Grow
New Years resolution number one: Keep Learning. Think outside the box. Hold onto your dreams and work on making them happen.
My dream – To photograph Interiors extremely well. Many who know me, know one of my dream photography jobs way back when in Photography school, would be to work for a publication like House and Home, entering into and photographing people’s houses and furnishings. Don’t get me wrong-I won’t stop being a portrait photographer first (It’s in my heart and soul) but I think there must be a way to breathe life into the one dimension glossy images of buildings and interior rooms, to give a sense of life within. It’s the family who puts their stamp on the structure to ultimately make it a home. A number of photographers do this well and it’s those images they capture in articles that have me riveted to their pages. Thus- It has become one of my new goals for my Business/personal endeavors this year.
I must say-I have the best friends! I shared my dream with my friend Esther and she graciously, without hesitation, opened her lovely home to me and my camera for a few afternoon hours and Photographer Cory Aronec agreed to showed me the ropes to interior photography – using a Tilt Shift lens. I perused this month’s House and Home magazine to get some idea’s of images I could replicate and allowed myself an afternoon of interior photography learning.
Esther and Fred built their home in 1995, utilizing the self contracting expertise of her father. Their home was a labour of love, both individuals sharing equal passion in regards to the design, the open concept floor plan and painstaking attention to detail in the articles that decorate the home. The 2,400 sq. Bungalow is an open concept design, but surprisingly, works extremely well with it’s focus on traditional design details. It features beautiful dark Hardwood floors and pillars throughout the home. Every piece from furniture to accessories are chosen with thought and never appear to take on a stationary mode. Decor seems to evolve as it is influenced by new family life experiences, such as travel. For example, the beautiful Paris screen in the Master Bedroom was as a Mother’s day gift for Esther. It was purchased by Fred, in a Brandon gift store, after the couple had just gotten back from a memorable vacation in Paris. The most recent home addition is the breathtaking Chandelier above the Master bed, an unexpected find at a local Urban Barn store.
Here are just a few images captured over the couple of hours spent in the Master Bedroom. Enjoy!
Esther with pet Rocky
Vertical shot of the Master Bedroom, new addition chandelier purchased at The Urban Barn.
Fun with the Tilt Shift Lens. Canon TS-E 24mm/3.5L.
Rocky infront of the Paris screen a Mother’s Day Gift for Esther
The top and bottom images were recreations of images seen in a magazine.
Thanks so much Esther for the fun afternoon! (Below) I couldn’t help but notice the amazing dining room as well…I think I may be coming back for another photo session soon!
Ebonie K Photography 