camera shy

I sure noticed this weekend how camera shy I truly am. I had a great dinner out with friends Friday night and had a house full of friends last night for my hubby's birthday and on both occasions, I was too shy to pull out the camera. I definitely feel more comfortable shooting animals and nature. I think that this is not only due to the fact that I am shy by nature, but also due to the fact that I don't want to be a nuisance and know how rarely people enjoy having their photo taken. But I really want to conquer this camera shy quality of mine because I think portrait photography is what people emotionally connect with the most. Do you gravitate towards photos of people the most? 

my latest crush

Friends of ours adopted this little sweet cat from the SPCA. I am head over heels in love with little Amelia.

my love's birthday

I rejoice the day he was born. He is my life's greatest treasure. He is an incredible husband and this year, I can't wait to see him shine in his new role as a father. He makes me swoon.

after the riots

Back in June, our beautiful city was catapulted into spotlight for all the wrong reasons thanks to a group of drunken hooligans who used our amazing Vancouver Canucks run for the Stanley cup as an excuse to destroy everything in their paths. We were in Hawaii the next morning and were in a state of shock and sadness seeing the bombardment of articles from Vancouver with endless photos of vandalism, looting, cars lit on fire - it didn't look like home at all. It looked like a war torn nation. I couldn't believe that something that had been so positive for the city - the Canucks pulling through round after exciting round to make it all the way to the final match up, cars decorated proudly with Canucks flags, friends planning events together to celebrate the journey - all to be destroyed on the final night by those who used the "mob mentality" as an excuse to just vandalize the city. Store owners terrified and passionately trying to defend their merchandise as hoards of people smashed their way in, ransacking their establishments and running proudly back into the streets to show off their stolen merchandise. The images were endless and completely disgusting. I also whole heartedly believe that the police should have been better prepared seeing as though we had been through this the last time the Canucks made it to the finals. We know history repeats itself and should have learned from last time. During that night, the whole city seemed wildly out of control. But today, seven weeks after the riot,  when I was walking around the sunny streets and saw this boarded up window at Chapters, filled with positive messages about our beautiful city - I was so moved. These are the real Vancouverites. This is what this city is all about. 

my furry daughters

I figure on days where I take a few photos, I'll divide them up between my 365 and the August Break, to keep things a little fresh. 

the newly re-vamped Hotel Georgia

August Break 2011

Last year kicked off the first August Break. It was the first time I attempted taking photos daily for a month. And now, looking back at the collection, it was much stronger than this year's project365. I think it was easier to push my creativity when it resided in a much shorter time frame. The year long 365 is daunting and often an afterthought with the daily busyness of life. I'm excited to jump into this year's August Break. Here's a link to the details: August Break 2011. If you feel like trying daily photos for the month, join up! It's free and full of beautiful photography. I'm on a 12 day work stretch, so we broke it up by having a lovely Monday date night - patio dining and seeing Crazy Stupid Love. I wouldn't classify it as a comedy, it's definitely a drama with some funny moments, but it's a wonderful showcase for Steve Carell and Julianne Moore as actors. It won't be for everyone because the pacing is a little slower, but I really enjoyed the chemistry and the heart found in this little film.