Theresa Wiebe Photography

2009-05-24T21:34:00.000-07:00

Weirdness.

I woke up early to get some Parisian bread and pastries for breakfast. I found this super weird bag of garbage. Why are there only legs?

2009-05-23T21:23:00.000-07:00

The Luxor obliesk at the Place de la Concorde in Paris, France. 5 minutes after this shot was taken, police shut down the circle and a formula one car raced around it. The car was much more difficult to photograph.

2009-05-21T21:13:00.000-07:00

I'm doing the annual 'going through images to archive' process, and am going to post images that catch my eye . . . this is a blue whale skeleton from the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle in Paris. A marvelous (but slightly unnerving) place. There is every skeleton imaginable. Seriously.

You can see the english site here.

2009-05-20T18:53:00.000-07:00

Beautiful buildings & Lego? A great combo . . .

Look at this new offering from Lego - Fallingwater and the Guggenheim! It looks to be the first two in a series. Via apartmenttherapy.com .

* Vancouver's architect died today. RIP Arthur Erickson.

2009-05-07T18:57:00.000-07:00

2009-04-28T22:03:00.000-07:00

Agent Story releases her new CD!

One of our favorite clients and performers - Agent Story - is celebrating the release of her new CD Agent Story: Tales from the Briefcase THIS Saturday, at one of our favorite book stores.

Come experience a story with Agent Story at Once Upon a Huckleberry Bush.

If you see me at the event, please say hello and I'll send you a complimentary image of your child!

2009-04-09T21:06:00.000-07:00

More for my kids:

Thursday – last day:
Some of the photographers I met.

Our illustrious panel.

W Perimeter Hotel in Atlanta – lovely room. I can’t wait to show you photos of the lobby – I went back down tonight to photograph it but they dimmed all the lights. I’ll have to send them tomorrow.

But look at my suite!

Sitting Area

Bedroom - the pillow has a word on it.

Living Room

Living Room, other view.

TV facing couch.

Kitchen.

Miss you all!

2009-04-08T21:15:00.000-07:00

Another update for my kiddos:

Today we had the final two presenters (Audrey Woulard and Lena Hyde), and watched a shoot in progress with Audrey Woulard. Again, two very generous photographers who really held nothing back in their sessions. It was inspiring and motivating, in ways that I couldn't have predicted.

I snapped a few quick pictures of the Chateau Elan to give you a feel for the location.
My room.

The view outside my window.

The atrium of the Chateau.

The winery, with a grape stomping statue.

Some of the grape vines just starting to bud.

This one is a bit further along.

The view from the back.

Some new vine supports.

Do you recognize the place this mural depicts, kids? It was the name of the restaurant this painting is located in. Maybe it is too small to see?

2009-04-07T21:27:00.000-07:00

Day 2

Fun and mind-numbing sessions with Tamara Lackey and Laura Novak. These 'rock stars' of the child portrait photography industry really laid everything out on the table. They both gave generously of their knowledge and advice - I'm quite impressed at what I've learned today. Lots to think about.

2009-04-06T21:25:00.000-07:00

First Day of Learnfest

Meet and greet this evening. Super great swag bags give out, too!

2009-04-05T04:25:00.000-07:00

For the kids . . . .

The Georgia Aquarium. Yay!

Approaching the aquarium from the back -

The view when you first enter -

A close-up of the above tank.

Even closer.

This is the photo of one of the amazing, stupendous tiger sharks in the football field sized tank at the Georgia Aquarium. There is only a small, tall viewing window as you go in.

This glimpse from a different window alone was worth the $25.00 admission fee!

More from the BIG tank:

There was a walk-through tunnel with a movator (like how you see the Queen's jewels).

Here is one of the tiger sharks above the tunnel:

A wide shot of the rotunda of the aquarium.

I love to watch seahorses.

There was a ray and shark TOUCH POOL.

I touched a ray!

And a shark! (I didn't pull that photo up).

Turtles!

A close up of some shark teeth, through the two foot thick acrylic of the tank.

A teeny tiny seahorse.

Another overhead tank - this time tropical.

The view from above.

Jellies!

A Canadian flag in the Olympic Plaza.

One of the Olympic Torch columns in the Olympic Plaza.

The Philips Arena. I took a picture of this because I always associate Philips with the Netherlands, but aparantly it is doing well here in Atlanta . . .

The charming CNN Center.

Some neat facemasks at the CNN Centre. Not a word on the news about the NHL, though.

A Stars Wars Clone Wars promo display at the Cartoon Network office:

I had to meet our group at the Atlanta Airport for a shuttle, and the meeting place was a dinosaur skeleton! It was huge, but everyone I asked directions from did not remember it. I'm not sure why . . .

The Chateau Elan is a magnificent complex - and has great shooting locations. We are working with a 2 and 4 year old boy here. A few amazing moments in the fountain.

Great food, too. This if for you, K:

A scene from the opening gathering - 60 photographers from across Canada, the US and the UK.

2009-02-28T09:32:00.000-08:00

Fantasmic! End of Day 1.

Almost there!

We went home for a nap before the Adventureland action, so we were pretty perky for the evening's activities.

Disneyland tip: In the off season, there are a few days each week that the hours for Disneyland and California Adventure parks are short (our first day, California adventure was open 10-6, Disneyland 10-8). Some of the activities are curtailed, too. There was not a big fireworks display during our five day stay. The Fantasmic show did run, which was spectacular!

Fantasmic!

This was hands-down a favourite for my kids. All the guide books I read said that it was a definite must-see, and some had complex strategies for securing a good vantage point which mostly involved sitting in the same place for hours. There even is an option to have preferred seating for this event at $50.00 per person (adult) for a seat and a dessert box/beverage. I must admit, I did much internal eye-rolling about all that, until I saw the show. If I were going to Disneyland once, and it was high season with record gate attendance, I would fork over the $200.00 to secure one of those preferred seats my kids liked it that much. Yup, I'd ditch the Princess lunch or dinner in favour of the Fantasmic preferred seating.
While the smallest child and I sat and played Poly Pocket Disney princesses while the boys caught a few rides, including Big Thunder Mountain and Indiana Jones.

Warning: capturing images at this event was close to impossible. The darkness coupled with the distance away from the action (due to the pyro part) makes for a challenging photo op. Plus I had a moderately scared five year old on my lap. If there is a next time, I'll have some fabulous photos for you, mostly involving a bigger lens and a tripod and someone else to cuddle the little one.

Basically it is a hydro-pyro (my word) show, with live action, music, dancing, video, huge puppets and projected light images onto fine mists of water.

It has a theme, like many a great story, of good vs. evil.

Good Mickey versus

various incarnations of Disney evil, like the Snow White villainess, dragons,

and snakes.

Is Pinocchio good or bad? How about if he is 50 feet tall?

There was an epic pirate battle as the Columbia sailed by - live action Hook and Peter Pan on the rigging!

And just when the little one was pretty much done with all the stress of good vs. evil, the good stuff morphed into love & princessess and a few boats with beloved Disney Princesses and their Princes floated by. No John Smith and Pocahontas though.

Finally, there was the Mark Twain steamboat finale, with all your favourite characters in one place at one time, from Aurora to Mickey to the Toy Story crew. And the music - a fabulous Disney score, that the kids and I were humming all week. It even banished the "Its a small world" song from my head!

And fireworks - the end!

We made our way home, but as we had napped, we appeared to have lots of energy left. Luckily (heh) Downtown Disney was open. It was open whenever we went there, allegedly as late as 2:00 am on the weekends. It is an area full of shops and restaurants that is open late. One of the shops is actually a consolidation of all the souvenir stores in Disneyland under one roof, called 'World of Disney'.

For my children right now at this age, there is only one thing better than Star Wars and princesses - and tht is Lego.

And for my boys, this is topped by only one thing: Lego Star Wars!

Disney tip: If you have a Lego fan in your house or that you need to buy a gift for - this is the place. They have everything, and I mean everything available there. The store had all the stuff that Legoland's Big Store carried. And at the back at the till, there is a place you can order some commemorative Lego bricks, which are bricks engraved with your name or phrase on then. Very good for families like mine who don't have common names.

They had a Mommy store, too. Open late - as in after the kids are asleep in your hotel room.

I was a girly girl at some previous point in my life, and this was a fabulous place to indulge that long lost inner-person. And to get some nice souvenirs for the kids' teachers who so graciously allowed the kids to skip a few days of class. It probably won't be as exciting for your trip to Disney if you are into this, as the newest location of Sephora will be in Vancouver this July, 2009.

And with that, we bade California goodnight!

2009-02-06T01:40:00.000-08:00

Day 1 Part 3

We had our touring itinerary in hand for day one, but the park was amazingly empty, so we sort of tossed that out the window.

Basically, all the line-ups looked like this:

No line-ups today at Disneyland. The 10 minute wait was really for the walk to the ride.

After riding some of the Fantasyland rides (Dumbo, Mad Hatter's Tea party, Peter Pan, etc), we headed over to the rides favoured by my boys (and that would require some waiting for the girl). We are just going through a Star Wars phase here, so this section was a dream come true!

Disney tip: People warned me, you warned me, but I was still utterly amazed at the opportunity to load up on souvenirs. Indiana Jones hats after the Indy ride, amazing Star Wars gear after Star Tours, and beautiful and expensive princess gear after the Princess Fantasy Fair. And some of the tchotchkes were ultra cool - you'll see in a later post. Our modus operandi was to let the kids know that our second to last day at Disneyland was the day we would buy them a souvienir, and that they should keep a prioritized list of what they were interested in so that we could choose on that day. For those of you laughing your heads off, it actually worked! We oogled all the neat stuff, but there wasn't any whining or stamping of feet in the gift shops.

Ewoks! So cute, even cuter all lined up and begging to be given a home.

Yoda, rendered cute rather than creepy (I watched the first round of Star Wars at an impressionable age). I took the one on the right home.

We next headed to Adventureland, where we made the only error of our trip. We didn't know that Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island closed down at the first hint of rain, so we didn't head there right way. Perhaps we were dazzled by all things Star Wars? Since Tom Sawyer is my oldest's favorite book, it was indeed an unfortunate call on my part.

We ate our first Disneyland meal here in Adventureland at a skewer place named X that cost (I have to look up the receipts still). The place was very SLLLLOOOOOOW, but the food was great! We had chicken skewers, and one of every other kind. Only one of the beef ones was spicy enough for my kids to notice, and the veggie one was divine! Asparagus, mushroom & tomatos - yum!

Disney tip: Bring walkie talkies! The kids and I were able to ride the the Jungle Cruise and explore Tarzan's place while Kev waited (a very long time for a 4 pm lunch) for our meal.

The jungle cruise was fun, and going on it broght back many memories from my trip 30 (!) years ago. And the guide was so pun-ny!

The Tarzan area was really cute - and a great workout, too. Watch for the cheeky crossovers - Mrs. Potts and Chip from Beauty and the Beast are right at home in Tarzan's kitchen.

Almost at the end of Day 1!

2009-02-05T07:15:00.000-08:00

Day 1: Part 2

Let me just say: staying close to Disney=a very good thing. And a caveat: I'm one of those people who like to be prepared when we travel. I don't schedule too much, but I like to research and plan for a variety of activities we can choose from. I like to squeeze as much out of a travel experience as I can, but don't like to be wrung out when I get back.

After eating breakfast (I ran down to the local McD's ($19.59) while everyone was sleeping for a quick bit of food. Try the McSkillet - a surprisingly great product.), we filled our water bottles, put on our walking shoes and headed out to our first Disneyland experience.

First order of business if you are heading to Disneyland: get a great guidebook! Or even a lacklustre one. Seriously - it will save you much angst and time, even if you only use it for the ride reviews. If you've never been before with kids that are a variety of ages and temperaments, it is difficult to know what each ride/experience entails. The guidebook we used had a great section that rated the rides for each guidebook. Or sign up for the tour, where you can also purchase preferred seating for many of the spectacular shows at either park.

One of the things we did to add an extra dimension to our park trip was to look for 'hidden Mickeys'. Throughout the park are many ubiquitous mouse ears hidden in things like shelf brackets, recycle logos, architectural ornaments and graphic designs. At the ticket booth alone we found five different versions.

Can you see the hidden Mickey? It is the arrangement of cherries in the bottom right area.

Disney tip: If you purchased your Disneyland tickets through a travel agent and received a voucher, this voucher will not get you into Disneyland. I know that the voucher says 'redeem at the ticket booth', and that the ticket booth says 'ticket booth', and that the gates are labelled 'gates'. I'm just saying - get in the ticket booth line up first to get your voucher exchanged. If you have your cute little Disney passes already, then by all means bypass the ticket booth line-up and go to the gate line-up. And some of the guidebooks recommend lining up at gate 13or 20, but I didn't find them to be any faster. Take this time to redeem your character meal vouchers, too. Otherwise you might be dependant on the kindness of strangers to let you in the front of the line the next day when you have only a few minutes to exchange that voucher for your meal tickets.

Needless to say, I didn't get any photos of this process.

Our party had a small 30 minute glitch at the ticket booth, involving missing tickets and another Wiebe family. While it took a team of supervisors to resolve the issue, Disney was kind enough to grant us two golden tickets to get to the front of the line on the rides of our choice. Great service! Interestingly, the same J. Wiebe family that caused our ticket issue at the ticket booth were seated just before us at our Disney Princess lunch later in the week. That is another post in itself. It's a small world, after all . . .

And then we were inside Disneyland!

I had been to Disneyland once before as a nine year old, and don't remember much of the trip. It is interesting what you do remember when you revisit the park - like the entry plaza with the floral Mickey Mouse backed by the train station. I'll bet all children who visited Disney in their youth have that image burned into their brains.

We bypassed the characters waiting in Main Street, picked up our 'First Visit' and '100th Birthday Celebration' buttons from City Hall, waved hello to the statue of Walt and Mickey, and encountered our first Photopass photographer in front of Aurora's castle.

Disney tip: Disneyland has a great little service where they have photographers stationed around the parks that take pictures of you that you can purchase (of course) in the park or on-line. The first time you encounter a Photopass cast member, you ask for a Photopass card. They'll give you one - keep it handy. Every time you encounter a Photopass photographer (they are stationed at many viewpoints and character meet-and-greets), you hand them your Photopass card, they take a few pictures of you and give you back your card. While I only found them out and about during fair weather (they seemed to disappear at the slightest drizzle), it is an excellent way to get some nice group photos of your gang. You can then view them in the park or at home on-line for 30 days, and purchase prints or a CD of the images($59.95 USD), complete with character add-ons.

Disneyland budget tip: There are many on-line communities about all things Disney. Two that I read were disboards.com and mousesavers.com. They have great money-saving ideas! Some of these communities organize group Photopass buys, were families traveling to Disney at roughly the same time share one CD and spilt the cost.

Disneyland luxury tip: Have a professional photographer document your day at Disneyland! I would love to do this for you and provide you a completed book of images from your special day. I have availability next fall, and also have a few colleagues based in and around Anaheim that would be happy to capture images of your trip.

We headed right to Fantasyland as I wanted us to get our ride legs gradually, and because the youngest member of our family wasn't going to able (or willing) to ride some of the other rides in the park, so I thought we'd overdose on the kiddie rides first.

Disney tip: Disneyland has this great concept called the baby swap. Basically, if you have one member of your party that is too short or too scared to ride a certain ride, you all line up anyway, and tell every cast member that you see that you want to baby swap. One parent rides with the kid(s) that want to ride while the other parent waits where they tell you to with the child that doesn't want to ride. When the riding parent finishes, they switch with the waiting parent and the kids get to go again with the other parent. Voila! Everyone who wants to ride a particular ride gets a chance, and some get to do it twice! While I was never able to confirm the precise process or procedure by which this happens (even though I used it a dozen times), just keep asking how it works and where you have to wait and how to get back on until you understand how it works. Many of the bigger ride have more gentle ones nearby, so you can get in a kiddie ride while waiting sometimes, too. Don't forget to bring a little toy or book for the child who has to wait.

We stopped at King Arthur's Carousel, and in front of that is a cute photo-op: The Sword in the Stone. It was here that I experience my first little bit of Disney Magic. While my sons were trying to wrestle the sword from the stone, I could see through my lens that the stone was positioned perfectly to catch the sun's rays. While they looked divinely ordained, neither of them turned out to be King as per the legend.

Fantasyland stories tomorrow . . .

2009-02-04T23:06:00.000-08:00

Day 1

We stayed at the Anaheim Howard Johnson - it came highly recommended, but in the end we chose it because it was the hotel available with our package. It was great - not particularly fancy, but it had fabulous service, great beds, a fridge, two great pool areas, and was really close to Disney and restaurants. There was an on-site little market, laundry facilities, and free parking. There is a really kid-friendly waterpark and wading pool that you can supervise from the hot tub. We were located in one of the low rise buildings, and while the hotel's property was close to the freeway, the room we were in was quiet. The whole property was clean as a whistle and beautifully landscaped.

My children were fascinated by the bird of paradise flowers, which were everywhere on the hotel grounds.

Disneyland!

2009-02-04T22:21:00.000-08:00

Family Vacation!

We're going to Disneyland! Our little family turned 100 (our current ages added together equals 100) and we are going to celebrate by heading down to Anaheim, California.

While our children knew we were going to go on a trip, the husband and I decided to keep the exact location a surprise. When we told them we were going somewhere special to celebrate our family's 100th birthday, and that it was somewhere warm in the United States, my middle child inexplicably exclaimed "WE'RE GOING TO LAS VEGAS!".

He's eight. We've never been to Las Vegas, or talked with him about going. Who knew he had a desire to go there?

And a shout-out to all my fellow photographers enjoying the party that is WPPI next week. Hopefully I'll see you there next year!

The famed sign rendered in Lego bricks.

We eventually did see a bit of Vegas, except through the eyes of some talented Lego artists.

I can't even imaging the planning that must go into re-creating famous landmarks in Lego bricks. The displays at Legoland were truly mind boggling!

Update: We made it through Alaska Airlines check-in (they even graciously called ahead to make sure that the plane wasn't one of the ones wrapped in Disney characters & the staff teased the kids about going to Edmonton), Vancouver Airport Authority security, US Customs (who teased the kids about going to China), and the flight attendants (who gave the kids Disney colouring books). The children realized our destination when the Disney wrapped airport transfer pulled up. Success!

Disneyland Budget Tip: The Disneyland Resort Express was a good value for our transfer from LA airport to our hotel. As of today's date, it was $22 one way/$32 roundtrip for an adult; $19 one way/$25 roundtrip for a child, plus tip. An average taxi ride (depending on traffic) is about $80-$90. They made one stop ahead of our hotel. Alternately we could have rented a car for the week at roughly the same price as the transfers (if you booked ahead with a special and have a Visa card that covered insurance).

Disneyland Luxury Tip: You can have your travel agent arrange a Limo transfer to your hotel. We arrived late, and the sight of a uniformed driver with a card with my name on it would have been a welcome sight!

2009-02-02T23:34:00.000-08:00

Taken at night, handheld. I really wish I would've had my tripod . . .

2009-02-01T14:11:00.000-08:00

Pottery Barn Kids is opening in Vancouver!

My hands-down favorite kids store is opening up here in Vancouver next Saturday:

Opening February 21st
Pottery Barn Kids Vancouver

Join us on opening day for children's entertainment and giveaways!
VANCOUVER - GRANVILLE
2935 Granville Street
Vancouver, British Columbia
Store Hours
Mon-Fri
Sat-Sun 10 am - 8 pm
10 am - 7 pm

I'll update with some of my favorite PBK stuff around here. See you there!

2009-01-10T07:29:00.000-08:00

Same steps, different child.

2009-01-09T23:08:00.000-08:00

Wii.

2009-01-06T21:56:00.000-08:00

The middle.

Child.

This is the one we went to the Egyptian Room at the British Museum for. I took dozens of photos of mummies in various states of undress, dozens of photos of hieroglyphics, and sat with for an hour in front of the Luxor obelisk decoding what some of the signs meant for him. He spotted Cleopatra's needle on the bank of the Thames from hundreds of feet away while suspended from the contraption known at the London Eye. He was the one that noticed the chariots pulled by chickens on the bedroom ceilings at Versailles. He was the one that wasn't jet-lagged. He was the one that remained pleasant no matter what new experience we threw at him on the trip.

2009-01-05T22:10:00.000-08:00

Snow.

We've had lots of it. The Husband (bless his heart) took the Kids out to frolic in the snow every. single. day.

Frankly, I'm pretty tired of it. The snow - not the Husband, the Kids or the frolicking.

2009-01-04T10:23:00.000-08:00

The Baby in front of the Notre Dame.

If you as The Baby what she liked best about our European trip, she'll tell you, "Paris, because it had the most pigeons."

That sound you hear is the sound of her mother sighing deeply and shaking her head.

2009-01-03T00:27:00.000-08:00

My oldest on the banks of the Seine. Notice the slightly "perturbed with the mamarazzi" look on his face (thanks for the word,Jules) and the dust on his shoes from hours of pounding the streets of Paris. Does anyone know which bridge this is? I thought I would always remember . . .

2009-01-02T00:25:00.000-08:00

Three kids have created with these lovely foam blocks. S is the last one - she builds them incessantly. I hate to tear them down knowing that this is a fleeting time in this house, the time of the foam block buildings. I wonder what she'll think as an adult, when she comes across the hundreds of images I have of her (and her brother's) creations. I think one of the reasons I am a photographer is to hold on to little moments like these - to document them, so that someone remembers.

2009-01-01T00:19:00.000-08:00

We're 100!
Today is our family's 100th birthday (the 100 comes from adding up all our ages). We are not celebrating the 100th today, though - this is the celebration for the one who turned us 100.

2008-12-31T23:59:00.000-08:00

Time.

I don't seem to have enough of it! Do any of us?

My poor, neglected blog.

I think I'm going to try and give this project some of my time. I have so many images to blog from 2008, perhaps I should start afresh while humming Auld Lang Syne?

365 images?

Can it me done?

By me?

This is a fitting image to start - this is the clock at the Musee D'Orsay in Paris. I had been planning this shot in my mind's eye for quite a long time. I suppose I was inspired by the lovely children's book The Invention of Hugo Cabret. It just so happened that my imagined vantage point was roped off, and my urge to set a good example for my children overcame my urge to leap over the myriad barriers in place to keep me out.

2008-12-10T01:00:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry we're slow on the blog posting lately - I haven't had the time to check for releases, so I haven't been able to post some of the wonderful images that clients have agreed to have on the blog.

Here's a fun snapshot from this summer:

2008-12-01T21:48:00.000-08:00

I love this image of the other members of my family.

Bonus points if you know the location.
Double bonus points if you can name the art.

2008-12-01T20:16:00.000-08:00

One more storyboard sample. This is a six up:

2008-11-19T22:46:00.001-08:00

Trying something new.

2008-11-16T08:44:00.000-08:00

2008-11-15T15:51:00.000-08:00

Go vote! Again!

So, I know we've been to the polls once in the last 30 days, but today is your CIVIC election day. Thanks for making your voice heard, and if you haven't, go vote!

2008-11-06T22:17:00.000-08:00

Twins?

2008-11-04T22:42:00.000-08:00

More storyboards . . . isn't this little subject lovely?

10x20"

20x24"

10X20"

2008-11-03T21:27:00.000-08:00

A storyboard for a greeting card.
Our family sends out Easter cards instead of Christmas cards. Here is our card from last year - I also have this printed as a large storyboard for my wall. I love combining images into one print!

2008-11-02T21:11:00.000-08:00

In an effort to post a few more storyboards, and to be a better blogger - I want to tell you about a wonderful local find for kids. I discovered4Cats Arts Studio while looking for a Vincent Van Gogh art class for my kids. This art studio focusses on hands-on art education for little ones ages 2-15.

The five day class was enjoyed by each of my children (they were 5, 7 and 9). The studio was in a great location, and was attractive, orderly and interesting. The participants heard stories about Van Gogh, examined his work, and studied about his style by creating their own art using Van Gogh's techniques. They produced a silk-screened tote bag, a charming watercolour self-portrait (using the basics of portraiture), a canvas painting (based on Van Gogh's Sunflowers), and a textured acrylic painting a la Van Gogh's Starry Night.
The teachers were engaging and patient, and my kids were eager to go back every day. The kids were very interested in 4Cats' other offerings, including the stop animation Star Wars class.

4Cats has just released their Holiday/Winter schedule. Go go go check it out!

2008-11-01T21:03:00.000-07:00

Bad blogger! Bad blogger!

A client asked me ever so nicely about storyboards - so I've been looking around my archives for examples. Here is a favorite one from this summer - this is a 10x20" storyboard featuring snippets from 7 images.

The images were taken on Dunbar Street in Vancouver - the kids and I had a busy week swirling around this area during our lovely summer. I can't wait to write about it!

2008-10-14T01:00:00.000-07:00

“People often say that, in a democracy, decisions are made by a majority of the people. Of course, that is not true. Decisions are made by a majority of those who make themselves heard and who vote - a very different thing.” - Judd

Today is election day in Canada! You have from 7am to 7pm to make your voice heard. If you don't know where to vote, click here.

I voted, mostly as part of an effort to make a better future for these three:

2008-10-07T21:48:00.000-07:00

If you were an 80's teenager . . .

you have to see this video!

Remember A-Ha? I still have them on my playlist . Did you ever wonder what the deal was with the Take On Me Video? (Warning: coarse language)

Literal Take On Me

Enjoy!

2008-10-01T07:39:00.001-07:00

This is one of this year's TED prize winners. James N. is a photojournalist that has dedicated his life to witnessing and documenting world events.
Warning: these photographs are not for everyone, and certainly not for young children.

2008-07-11T21:46:00.000-07:00

Portrait of a Husband

Well, not really. But sometimes a portrait can be an image that tells a small story about a person.

This is a delicious loaf of COBS White Bread. We don't often eat white bread, so it is a treat when a loaf makes it into our home. COBS white bread is really soft and fluffy. Rather unsliceable, if you ask me. When I try to slice it, the bread ends up compressed and pyramid-like. But my husband can slice it perfectly and precisely. He sliced the loaf in the photo. The fact that he can slice it in this way speaks to his patience and tenacity.

I won't be keeping this image in my wallet, though.

2008-06-19T07:47:00.001-07:00

So cute . . . .

2008-06-16T21:41:00.000-07:00

Relay For Life

I had a remarkable evening documenting this amazing gathering. If you haven't attended this event in your community, I encourage you to do so - you won't regret it! I left encouraged and inspired by the survivors, caregivers, families and friends who participated. It was a cloudy, grey evening with dramatic dark skies - many of the images were very symbolic of the light that people associated with the Canadian Cancer Society bring to the darkness of cancer.

Thank-you to all who came out to support the Canadian Cancer Society at the first Cloverdale Relay For Life event. A remarkable amount of money was raised (see the comment from the Cloverdale coordinator on my last Relay post).

I was deeply touched by attending the Relay For Life. Here are some images that capture a bit of the event - grab a coffee, the slideshow is just over three minutes long. You can press play to start the slideshow, and you can page through the images without music if you click the gallery icon at the bottom right edge of the slideshow.

2008-06-07T10:54:00.000-07:00

The Cloverdale Relay For Life runs tonight!

I am a community sponsor and will be photographing the event from dinner to approximately midnight.

Please come down and visit to lend some support to the runners, to witness the survivor lap (at 7pm) and to light a luminaria in memeory of a loved one lost to cancer (at approximately 10:30 pm).

Find me and say you saw this on my blog and I'll make an image of you (or your group) and send you a 5x7 print.

See you there!

2008-06-02T21:25:00.000-07:00

Stories Wanted for Junior Authors Writing Contest!

Here is a press release for a contest sponsored by one of my talented clients. She is an inspiring teacher - if you know any tweens/teens that enjoy writing, this is the contest for them!

Ladner author Laura Thomas has partnered with Delta Parks & Recreation to offer a short story contest for kids. Top prize is a free spot in her Junior Authors creative writing course, a $144 value. Delta businesses including Albany Books, Black Bond Books, Ladner Starbucks, Staples North Delta, and Ricki Willing of Sutton Seafair have generously donated prizes for the second to sixth place finishers. There is no fee to enter and the contest is open to any student between the age of 11 and 17.

When asked what makes a winning story, Thomas says, “I’m not looking for Nobel laureates, but my standards are high. It’s an author’s job to sweat the small stuff like spelling and word choice. The winning writers will be those who show potential as storytellers. After all, writing is just telling stories without moving your lips.”

Aspiring authors are asked to send in their best story of 250-500 words, typed or neatly printed and with a creative title. Only one story per student will be accepted. Contest deadline is August 31st and entries can be dropped off or mailed to both the North and South Delta Recreation centres. The winners will be announced September 12, after which prizes will be presented at an awards ceremony.

Junior Authors launched in January of this year and is the brainchild of Thomas who is as passionate about teaching as she is about writing. The purpose of the workshop-style course is to help budding authors work on their creativity and writing technique as well as boost their self-confidence. After delving into short stories, script-writing and poetry, Thomas rounds out the course with a practical discussion of how to get published using examples from her own career. The course wraps up with a reading for family and friends.

In September, Junior Authors will be offered on Monday afternoons in North Delta, and Thursday and Saturday afternoons in Ladner. Enrolment is limited to 14 students per class. Registration opens August 14.

Laura Thomas is an accomplished author and storyteller from Ladner, BC. Her stories and poetry have been published in national magazines and during the last year she has done more than 40 preschool performances. Other courses she will be offering in September are: “Storytelling for Parents” with Delta Parks and Recreation; and “Seven Secrets of Spontaneous Storytelling” with Delta Continuing Education. Laura does her preschool and family shows as “Agent Story.”

You can catch Agent Story at the following venues: “Wonderfaire” at Gracepoint Community Church in South Surrey July 7-11; Tsawwassen Arts Centre stage July 19; Greater Victoria Public Libraries July 24- 26; and at the Firehall Centre for the Arts on August 22.

2008-06-01T12:48:00.000-07:00

Ride For Doug is today!

2008-05-29T22:06:00.000-07:00

Preschoolers week! I've recently been able to photograph the cutest preschoolers in BC. I'll be posting them up this week . . .

2008-05-18T07:36:00.000-07:00

On turning 90.

Nonagenarian. Ninety. 360 seasons.

One of the many wonderful things about being a photographer is that you get a glimpse into peoples' lives. I'm still thinking about the marvelous surprise 90th birthday party I photographed two weeks ago.

I think about the beautiful hands of a lady who raised four children and how those children taught their children to love and respect their grandmother. I can't help but remember the easy family interactions, the inter generational conversations and laughter, and the way everyone came together to make her day wonderful.

Please drop Candice an email if you would like a link to the slideshow of the party highlights.

Happy Birthday, Betty, and thank-you for allowing me document such a lovely celebration!

2008-05-14T10:45:00.000-07:00

Too many great photos from your session? Storyboards are the perfect answer.
Sometimes a client will get into a 'funny face' grove - the expressions are priceless when put together side-by-side.

2008-05-11T00:38:00.001-07:00

Happy Mother's Day!

Please enjoy this sneak peek of a recent session featuring a fabulous mother and her two sons. If you are a mom, I hope your day was wonderful!

2008-05-10T14:27:00.000-07:00

Don't be fooled by his dreamy expression . . .

this little two wears this expression most of the time!

Thanks, Mr. K, for sitting for me!

2008-04-27T21:35:00.000-07:00

Since when do they make tweens . . .

. . . that look this old?

Thanks for allowing me to make your portrait!

2008-04-22T07:19:00.000-07:00

Earth Day - The Rocky Mountain Flatbread Company

In honour of Earth Day, I'd like to share with you a company that provides a "community and organising dining experience" - the Rocky Mountain Flatbread Company.

This lovely restaurant located between Cypress and Burrard on 1st in Vancouver (and one in Canmore, AB) aims to revolutionize pizza. Their pizzas are handcrafted on site, with locally sourced organic ingredients. They extend their commitment to the environment and their community on many fronts, included local school involvement, neighbourhood nights, use of reclaimed materials in their decor. Read all about their achievements in sustainability here.

A lovely thing they do is have family nights on Sunday and Monday evenings.
Your kids get to go into the back kitchen and make their own pizzas!

The exceptionally patient and kind Jade helped our group out.
You start with a thorough hand washing, and then get instruction on rolling out their delicious pizza dough.

After a thorough saucing, you get to choose your own organic pizza toppings. Favorites from our visit were the mangoes, prosciutto, green peppers, tomatoes and olives. Not all on the same pizza.

They are then brought to the clay oven for firing. You can feel the heat from it, it was a pretty dramatic way to cook!

The yummy finished product! I can tell you that it tastes amazing - crispy, chewy crust with perfect toppings.

a

They have a fun little play kitchen (from the cool store Natural Pod - check out the cardboard rocket ship!)where kids can don aprons and chef's hats and pretend to make pizzas. No plastic toys here!

Part of their commitment to sustainability is their use of biodegradable pizza boxes, cutlery and straws. The kids were incredulous that the pizza boxes and take-away cutlery was made of potatoes and the straws were made from corn. No pizza boxes were harmed in the making of this photo.

We highly recommend it for both dining and entertainment. We're excited to try out their curry night soon . . .

And if you are inspired to increase your own commitment to the sustainability of our planet, check out their list of simple things to change the world.

Happy Earth Day!

2008-04-16T21:35:00.000-07:00

Five is a wonderful age for a photo session (although you will hear me say this about every age!). They are so precious, so clever, and about to step over the threshold into their formal education. Fives love to please, take direction well, and are not shy of me or my camera.

Meet my lovely and charming five year old friend T:

This is her session storyboard:

Thank-you, Miss T, for sitting for me!

2008-04-15T23:36:00.001-07:00

Amazing mom, amazing boys!

Our workflow here at Theresa Wiebe Photograph involves the mundane yet crucial task of backing up files. Part of the fun in backing up is getting a peek at some if the session images! Here is the very last image of today's session:
.

This beautiful mommy visited us to get some images of her boys sitting up, and although she didn't plan it, we got some images of her, too!

Thank-you for coming in, L, and allowing me to document your boys' first year. Your slideshow will be up shortly, and perhaps we can share more images of your lovely children here, too!

So that you can see how much they've grown, here are the boys as newborns:
.

2008-04-14T22:42:00.001-07:00

I had the privilige of having Mr. J sit for me.

Here is one for his mother:

And one for him:

Thank-you, J. Your images will be ready soon!

2008-04-04T22:27:00.000-07:00

A rare photo of me . . .

2008-03-22T21:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!

We've been sending out Easter cards as Christmas is such a busy time for us, and Easter is my favorite holiday!

If you haven't received yours, drop me an email and I'll pop one in the mail!

2008-03-09T08:49:00.000-07:00

Spring Forward!

Don't forget to change your clocks!

2008-02-28T17:14:00.000-08:00

Chick Pea Children's Boutique

Remember this post? The same fabulous shop - Chick Pea Children's Boutique - in New Westminster is having a grand opening celebration TODAY, Sunday, March 9th from 12-4.

Check out their new blog for the invitation.

If you have little ones in your life (whether your own or not!), this is the place be! They have the most wonderful and fabulous assortment of clothes, shoes, books and toys.

See you there!

2008-02-24T21:44:00.000-08:00

Just had to post this . . .

I love to see which images parents choose - especially if they are creating a storyboard. Here is Mr. M's storyboard - the center image is a face he makes at this age, and there are several images of him crawling, as he crawled for the first time at the shoot.

I love the images Mom & Dad chose!

2008-02-23T16:07:00.001-08:00

Saturday Ikea Breakfast

It is somewhat of a tradition in our household (as many of us are early-birds) to head to Ikea for breakfast on a rainy Saturday morning. $1.00 buys us eggs, sausage, surprisingly good hashbrowns and a croissant. And then we walk around the displays admiring all that Swedish ingenuity, which motivates me to get some chores done around the house.

How do you spend your Saturday mornings?

2008-02-14T07:25:00.001-08:00

2008-02-05T21:16:00.000-08:00

Watch me grow!

One of our Grow With Me packages includes three photo sessions in baby's first year.

My recommendation for the timing of these sessions is: at birth (within the first 10 days of life), sitting, and then at the baby's first birthday.

A session with a baby who can sit (at around six months) is one of my favorite ages to photograph! Baby can sit up and play with favorite toys, but can't crawl away. Stranger anxiety is at an all time low, and the little cutie pie always laughs at my antics.

Here are a few of my favorite images from a recent 'sitting baby' session. Meet Mr. M, but be warned, he is super cute!

Sometimes, at a first year session, baby will stand or walk by himself for the first time. This time, Mr. M crawled for the first time!

And he only protested a little bit about the Bunnies By the Bay doggie coat!

And I can't leave out his handsome older brother:

Thanks for reading!

2008-02-04T09:53:00.000-08:00

St. Valentine's Day is coming . . . .

2008-01-30T07:49:00.000-08:00

Have you seen this yet?

These are a few of the winning entries in Washington Post's Mensa Invitational which asked readers to take any word from the dictionary and then alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and then providing a new definition. I laughed outloud to many of them, so I thought you might enjoy them to. Thanks to Silverbox photographers for the smile of the day!

Intaxication : Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.

Bozone ( n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.

Giraffiti : Vandalism spray-painted very, very high

Sarchasm : The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.

Inoculatte : To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.

Decafalon (n.): The gruelling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.

Dopeler Effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.

Arachnoleptic Fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.

Caterpallor ( n): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating.

Unfortunately (or fortunately), I don't have any images to illustrate any of the above definitions, so here is one of Miss S in the reflected glow of a snow covered back yard.

Have a great Wednesday!

2008-01-16T22:50:00.000-08:00

Black and white, or colour?

As we shoot primarily in digital format here, many images are available with and without colour. Do you have a preference?

2008-01-06T23:40:00.000-08:00

The Seattle Woodland Park Zoo is amazing!

A tip: the exhibits are almost all outside, so dress for the weather. It was COLD on Sunday, but still well worth the effort.

The tiger - we saw him as a newborn a few years ago. Definitely adult-sized now.

They have something new since our last visit: the Willawong station, where they have literally hundreds of budgies (Budgerigar-Melopsittacus undulatus) in a large enclosed area that you can hand feed.

The kids were thrilled - but if you don't like birds, or are a Hitchcock fan, I don't think this is the exhibit for you.

Correction: hundreds of budgies and two other parrots (Eastern Rosella - Platycercus eximius) . The latin is for my ornithologist sister-inlaw. Did I spell it correctly, K?

Other highlights include the komodo dragons, the birds of prey display, the giraffes, the African village, the penguins, the sound of the roaring lion (we never did see him), zeebras, and the tapir. Definitely a must-see if you are visiting the Seattle area!

2008-01-05T00:03:00.000-08:00

We love science at our house, so predictably a visit to the Pacific Science Center in Seattle was a total hit.

We caught the last day of their special dinosaur exhibit. They had a temporary exhibit of many fossils and models, from tiny

to huge.

There was a special section on dinosaur eggs, complete with models of baby dinosaurs.

Some other highlights included the gigantic table and chairs,

the news broadcasting exhibit,

a great toddler/preschool play area,

a music section,

and an amazing bug exhibit

complete with a butterfly pavillion.

No butterflies were touched in the making of this photo.

We also took an exciting ride on the Monorail from our hotel to the center.

A member of our party was underwhelmed until he realized the one-mile monorail dated back to the 1962 Seattle World's Fair and is the only self-funding transit system in the US.

Did you know that if you your local science center belongs to the Association of Science-Technology centers, you have free or reduced entry fees to member science centers?

2007-12-26T10:33:00.001-08:00

Happy Christmas to you, our clients and friends!
Thank-you for giving me the opportunity to be a part of your 2007 memories, and may 2008 bring you every blessing!

2007-11-22T22:20:00.000-08:00

Fresh.

I love to photograph newborns.The period after they make their grand entrance is so short and fleeting, it is an honour to be able to capture it in images.

I love . . .

the expansion of a family.

how baby is so small compared to Daddy's hands.

the sleepiness.

how they are suddenly awake,

and then tired again.

I love how they don't mind where they are . . .

as long as Mom & Dad are around.

I love seeing the baby in their nursery.

I love that babies have their own little personality, even when only a few days old.

Thank-you, C Family, for sharing these moments with me!

2007-10-31T18:45:00.000-07:00

Halloween Costumes!
Some shots of the local crew. They were mighty creative . . .

Titanic Passenger #1.

Titanic Passenger #2.

The Princess. That is a capital 'P'.

The Sony Television.

And the award-winning Static Cling.

Last but not least, the Dragon and the Lady . . . .bug.

These guys were guarding the door.

This guy was guarding the pumpkin lids.

Happy November!

2007-10-22T14:14:00.000-07:00

Costume Pictures!

For some families, the end of October means a flurry of creative brainstorming with a few shopping trips to the store, Value Village, or basement dress-up box. All with the intent of creating the perfect costume!

As a special service for you, our clients, Theresa Wiebe Photography would like to offer a special set of 'Dress-Up Mini-Session' for your little trick-or-treater.

Who: Your child in costume (Mom and/or Dad welcome, as long as they are in costume; please book a session for each sibling)

What: A mini-photo session (lasting under 15 minutes), a special treat bag, a private on-line gallery, and two 5x7 prints.

Where: My home studio

When: Sunday, October 28th from 1 - 6 pm (appointments booked on a first-come, first served basis)

How: $25.00 (tax included)

Call or email me today to book your session!

2007-10-12T13:08:00.000-07:00

Have you seen our storyboards?

One thing that I love about my work is that I have the opportunity to create art for your home.

When I photograph young children, I take many images in sequence because little ones can have so many different facial expressions within a few seconds. Sometimes a grouping of a series of images tells a story of that moment in a more powerful way than with only one.

A product we offer, called storyboards, allows you to choose a grouping or series of images and put them together one one print.

Here is a 10X25 storyboard of a little one playing dolls:

Other times, my client and I make a great connection and there are dozens of great images to choose from.

A storyboard allows you to have a group of your favorite in a fun presentation.This is the sweet sixteen - a group of fifteen images plus a word or phrase that describes the subject. I usually print it as a 20x20, but it can also be printed 12x12.

Here is a 3 on 3 - six images stacked together, also available as a 12x12 or 20x20.

All our storyboards are mounted, ready to be balanced on a shelf, hung with ribbon, or framed.

2007-09-14T21:43:00.000-07:00

Yes, B, you are on my website . . . . it will be updated soon :).

2007-09-04T06:52:00.000-07:00

Back to school!
Here in BC we are off to the first day of school. How 'bout you?

I was doing a little bit of labour on Labour Day, and wanted to share with you my favorites from this session:

Meet sweet little K. Can you believe this angelic face?

And her cute brother E:

He treated her like a princess:

And the beautiful Mom!

Thank-you for sharing your newly expanded family with me!

2007-08-31T00:12:00.000-07:00

Editorial Work . . .

I had the opportunity to shoot for the MB Herald earlier in the summer. It was for an article on leadership development in the annual report of the Canadian MB conference of churches - you can see the photos and read the article here.

Pastors Kevin & Dan were easy going subjects, and it was great to hear a little bit about what was going on at their church. As a former HR consultant, I loved the area of leadership development (LD) so it was especially gratifying to shoot images that illustrated an article outlining some LD.

My favorites from the session:

2007-08-16T23:23:00.000-07:00

Grandparents, parents, children, siblings, cousins, in-laws . . .

Every once in a while I have the opportunity to document a wonderful thing - the gathering of extended family who are usually separated by many kilometers, by countries, or even by continents.

Mr. and Mrs. T enjoyed the company of both their grown children and their families this summer. Here are a sampling of some of my favorite images from the shoot:

Thanks everyone, for allowing me to be a little part of your gathering!

2007-08-10T21:35:00.000-07:00

An interesting sky last night - and my house model earning his pay in candy.

2007-08-08T23:56:00.000-07:00

The U family visited us for their yearly portraits.

The tween & gracious big brother:

The always easy-to-photograph gentleman:

The beautiful princess:

And last, but definitely not least: the little man. He gets three photographs published because his individual portraits have eluded me until now:

The whole family:

Don't worry kids, the I'll publish the portraits of your parents a little later this month. Thanks for the visit - I can't wait until next time!

2007-08-03T07:29:00.001-07:00

Twins by windowlight . . .

2007-08-02T23:20:00.001-07:00

Miss B is halfway through her second year, and her mother came to see me to commemorate the occasion. You can see her when she was a few days old and when she became one here.

She's so grown up, and has her own ideas about how she wants her image made. This is one of my favorite stages of childhood that I have experienced with my three kids (although I guess every age has become a favorite so far), and I have the grey hairs to prove it!

I knew the session was over when she asked me: "Mooore Miiiiiilk, pease."

2007-07-01T23:59:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Canada!

Our family's activities on Canada usually include a trip to Millenium Park in Cloverdale. We packed a picnic lunch, some sunscreen & our patriotic gear!

For those of you who haven't been - Canada Day at Millenium Park is a large field with two bandstands set up like a country fair. There is a huge grassy area lined with community & commercial booths giving away information and swag, while local talent performs on two stages. There are carnival rides, a strawberry tea for seniors, birthday cake & lots of people watching opportunities! And for the planners among us, there is free, well organized parking!

The kids & adults love it! Favorites this year include beading bracelets in a tipi with the fabulous Mercy (her aborignal name translates into English as 'pearl skipping across clear blue waters'), driving go-carts, and saying hello to Premier Campbell, Mayor Watts & (my personal favorite) Lui Passaglia from the BC Lions.

Last year's fortification:

Finding ways to keep cool is always a challenge:

As is finding shade:

Isn't that Canada flag T-Shirt great? For all you mothers who enjoy thinking about children's clothing - I just want to share with you that this is the last year my three kids can wear this great T-Shirt - my oldest has officially graduated into 'older boy' sizing!

And for those hockey fans that are wondering why I haven't mentioned hockey in a post about Canada Day - the father of the family was wearing his Heritage Classic T-Shirt. If you ask him, he'll tell you all about it!

2007-06-30T14:14:00.000-07:00

My email account is working properly now (thanks, John!).
If you haven't heard back from me, I haven't received your email - please drop me a line again, and I'll get back to you right away!

2007-06-29T07:10:00.000-07:00

Public Service Announcement

Hello Friends!

A colleague of mine recently experienced a terrible loss, and has founded the Baby James project to spread the word about kick counting during pregnancy.

You can find clear, concise information by clicking on this link:

Please take a moment to read it if you are pregnant or know someone with child.

I counted kicks for my pregnancies,and it doesn't take too much time to chart. My peronality has a tendency to worry, and there were a few times where kick counting helped stop my concern about my baby's movements.

Thanks for taking the time to read through this post!

2007-06-17T08:58:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful fathers that have come in for a photo session here at Theresa Wiebe Photography! I hope your day was relaxing and restful.

We celebrated our favorite father around here:

2007-06-12T22:36:00.000-07:00

Father's Day is this Sunday!

This wonderfully photogenic family came into the studio to make some images as a gift for Father's Day. Wasn't that a great idea?

And for you fathers that are thinking ahead to next Mother's Day, I can guarantee that giving the gift of a family portrait will elevate you to a level above the Super Husband status you've already earned. Just something to keep in mind . . .

S, you and your children were such a treat to photograph! There are so many lovely images that I couldn't choose which ones to post, so I just chose these four at random. Here is your sneak peek!

First, Mrs. S is seven months pregnant. *Sigh*. I know you can't see her beautiful face, but I love the composition of this image.

And her charming children:

Thank-you again for coming to see me, and Happy Father's Day, Mr. S!

2007-06-06T22:27:00.000-07:00

Headshots . . .

Much of my work is about documenting relationships and this sometimes includes workplace relationships. Having left the corporate world a few years ago, I always relish the opportunity to spend time with the interesting and dynamic individuals that make up our business and non-profit communities.

This week the president of the Fédération des francophones de la Colombie Britannique came in for some new headshots. We wanted something traditional for annual reports & promotional materials. If you haven't had a recent headshot for your work lately, please drop me a line. Photo sessions here are always relaxed, and we work hard to give you a great image that visually represents you in your workplace role.

If you are francophone and haven't heard of the FFCB, definitely go to their website. The FFCB and their partner organizations do some wonderful things!

2007-05-25T07:26:00.000-07:00

Fun Family Session!

I had the privilege of photographing the D Family this week. They were such a wonderful group to work with - I shot double the images I normally do! Although the pictures are still in the digital darkroom here is a sneak peek at some of my favorites so far:

Thanks for being such a great subject to photograph!

You and your sister totally worked the camera - there wasn't a bad image of the two of you!

What a great smile you have, A.

The wonderful Mom & Dad.

Thanks for spending some time with me. We'll have your slideshow up soon!

2007-05-16T23:01:00.001-07:00

Grow With Me . . .

I've had a few inquiries about the album that comes with our Grow With Me package, so I thought I'd give you a glimpse into what the images in our Grow With Me album look like. Please press the play button to enjoy Baby E's first year album.

Our Grow With Me Plan offers you the opportunity to have your baby photographed regularly during their first year, and includes an album showcasing your sweet baby's growth. As always, please drop me a note via the 'contact' page at theresawiebe.com if you'd like to receive our products and services guide.

2007-05-08T23:45:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to photograph a beautiful dairy farm this weekend - I can't wait to finish processing them! Here is one favorite:

2007-04-27T22:17:00.000-07:00

Metallic Prints!

I've been wanting to print some images onto metallic paper, but haven't got around to it. I finally got around to choosing some images, and I received my order today - they are really wonderful!

You might be asking yourself: 'What are metallic prints?'. Here's a blurb from Kodak: "This paper uses a proprietary combination of film laminate layers that results in striking, three-dimensional, lasting images on an ultra-bright background. Its professional emulsion set provides extreme sharpness, brightness, and color saturation. In addition, the paper support offers enhanced durability and tear resistance."

I think that they have a reflective look, and are especially good for black & white and sepia prints. Bright colours, and white backgrounds look great on this paper, too! Here are three images that looked great printed on metallic paper:

I like them so much, that I'm offering them to you at 50% off any reprints on metallic paper until May 2, 2007! This means that if I've made an image for you in the last year, and you would like another print of it in a special type of format, give me a call or drop me an email. I have lots of samples availabe at the studio, so drop us a note!

2007-04-12T22:15:00.000-07:00

This little man is such a sweet subject - editing his images makes me smile. Here's a sneak peek for his lucky Mom & Dad:

2007-04-10T22:35:00.000-07:00

Miss A, you were such fun to photograph today! I can't decide whether I like your images in B&W or colour. Here is a sneak peek for your parents:

2007-04-08T07:20:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!

Theresa Wiebe Photography wishes you much peace & joy & lots of chocolate this Easter season.

2007-03-27T22:54:00.000-07:00

I've been working on the album for our first 'Grow With Me' graduate, and was amazed at how quickly they grow and change in one year.

Thanks, R & B, for being such wonderful clients!

2007-03-24T20:50:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I was stuck in traffic on Front Street in New Westminster (we were headed to IKEA), and I looked over to my left, and low and behold, there was the cutest little children's boutique. Traffic started moving again, so I didn't have time to get the name, but they had some sweet dresses and toys in the window.

So today I took a quick drive back to Front Street, and entered Chick Pea Children's Boutique. What a great place! It is filled with the loveliest things for small children - from the softest newborn clothes, funky shoes, fancy Trish Scully Dresses, to feeding journals and funny Jaffa T-Shirts for my older boys. Many items are locally sourced, and would make wonderful gifts to welcome a new baby.

It is nestled in an interesting area inbetween some antique and retro furniture shops. It was like stumbling on a little treasure box - well worth the trip. And besides, it is very close to Army & Navy, and their shoe sale is coming up!

Sarah, the owner, is wonderful, and I'm looking forward to many big things from this charming boutique!

2007-03-15T23:01:00.000-07:00

A Photo Session Tip for parents:

When we photograph your little one, don't forget to be camera-ready yourself. Sometimes small children are a little shy at first, and seeing Mom or Dad or a sibling being photographed & having them in the picture helps break the ice.

This little one was so shy and serious at first, and only wanted to stare at me. I knew she had lots of personality from previous sessions (she is a 'Grow With Me' baby), so I got mom to come into the picture.

We got this:

I love this image because even though it is shot in the studio, it captures a real moment between Mom & Baby. What they will remember from this picture is that the baby could hold up "1" finger when asked "how old are you?". Mom is laughing because she had already asked the baby a few times, but she didn't respond until she had what she wanted - to be on her mother's lap. At the moment of the photograph, Mom had just whispered in baby's ear "how old are you?"

After this, we were able to get some first birthday shots with the baby by herself. Mission accomplished!

By the way, we later noticed that the baby had the "two" sign ready with her right hand. A new photographic birthday tradition, perhaps?

2007-03-02T22:29:00.000-08:00

Remember that course I took at the end of February?

Me Ra wrote about us in her blog .

There was a shoot-out at the end of the day - we photographed a newly expanded family. This lovely little one is their first baby, and the couple were made to be parents. They were so calm and loving, even during a feeding, diaper change and some crying!

Here are three of my favorites:

Today, Me Ra Koh Photography was selected as Microsoft's Pro Photo Gallery featured photographer this month. Check out their gallery - they are truly great photographers.

I'm honoured to have been able to hear her story and learn some of her techniques.