I have been looking for an antique baby scale for years, and I was lucky enough to find one this Fall while shopping with my sister at Cobweb Antiques in Flesherton. (I always seem to “find” things to buy when shopping with my sis.) Yves would comment that my spending certainly increases when my sister stays with us; what are sisters for if not an increase in fiscal spending! Here is a pic of the scale Laurie and  picked up from Cobweb Antiques on Highway 10 in Flesherton.

My Find: An Antique Doctor's Scale

But, it wasn’t until now that I finally got to use it! Lil’ Kennedy is shy of two weeks, and I was so excited to FINALLY get to use my scale. To do this shot I really needed a young baby.

I don’t usually love props for babies; they can look campy, but I love this one.

Kennedy on Dr Scale

And of course, Kennedy has an older sibling, Noah. Noah and I hit it off right away and he was awesome. Gotta love those big brown eyes.

Lil' Man Noah

I shoot a ton of weddings, and don’t get me wrong I love it! But there is something about photographing lil’ ones.  And I have to give a virtual high-five to parents Brent and Holly. They were so patient and just let me do my thing, which included getting lots of snuggles from these two sweeties. I got my baby fix. (All you Moms out there with kids growing up too fast know what I mean!)

I can’t wait to see them as they grow up.

Dani

Lisa and Graham Engagement Shoot: MacGregor Point

I met the adorable Lisa and some of her girlfriends at the Owen Sound Bridal Show. Lisa was set on having a winter engagement shoot, and when her and Graham told me the story of the proposal (it was at an outdoor ice rink), I knew it had to at least include some skating. After some research, we decided to shoot at MacGregor Point Provincial Point.

I had been to the park, camping with my family, but I did not know about the skating. It was beautiful.

Lisa and Graham Skating Love

Lisa and Graham Feb 06, 2011

Lisa and Graham Skating at MacGregor Point

There were totally adorable and fantastic sports.

Looking "Cool"

I am way excited to shoot this wedding in 2012!

Last year, despite shooting at two separate locations, I didn’t manage to get Easter portrait pictures of my own children.  This year I made sure I did.

Here is a cute lil’ slideshow.

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I will post more soon. Thanks to everyone who came out.

Dani

I know Spring has sprung when it is Easter bunny season! This is the second year that I have done Easter portraits with live bunnies at Hopedale Mall. It is always a blast and you never know what the day will bring. Come by either Thursday or Saturday for your photos. A package is only $15.

Call 905.827.7146 for your appointment.

Easter Portraits at Hopedale Mall in Oakville

See you there,

Dani

I am really excited to post my first attempt at a video blog! It seemed like it would be a good idea to discuss how you choose your wedding photographer.  What it comes down to is “Does this person make me feel comfortable?”

Just click on this link to see my first attempt.

http://www.youtube.com/user/DaniValiquettePhotos?feature=mhw4#p/u/0/gEzdAv6bQ2Q

Enjoy and happy planning.

You may not even know what a parent book is. (And that’s OK; that’s why I have this blog.) A parent book is an album that is prepared specifically for the parent’s of the bride and groom. (There may be more than two if there are divorced parents in the mix.) In most cases the album is designed once and then the album is printed for each set of parents. It is usually physically smaller than the album that is created for the bride and groom, but not always.

Jenna with her Attendants

A parent album can be any number of pages; 12, 24, or 30 are common page numbers, and often it contains many of the same pictures you have chosen for your own wedding album. The album should tell the story of your wedding day and reflect the photographic style that better reflects your parent’s. (This might be the same as your own, but my experience is that parents do prefer the more traditional photos.)

Jenna with her Parents

It is a good idea to talk to your parents about what they would like in their album. Perhaps they would like more pictures of the church or ceremony then you selected for your own album.

Jenna and Dan: The View

You’ll need to keep in mind the number of “detailed” photos that were included in your package. If you pick too many new pictures, you’ll risk going over your allotted amount.  Of course, if you feel that these photos better express the day from your parent’s perspective, we can work together to determine which to include without inflating the price past your budget.

Happy planning,

Dani

This Monday for MM I thought I’d share some hints on how to pick an image for your thank-you cards.

Trust me the first question you’ll get on you big day (especially from your parents) will be a coy, “Soooo when are you guys gonna have kids?”. The next question will occur sometime during your first week back from your honeymoon when someone will ask you if have started your thank-you cards yet. And you and your new husband will look at each other in disbelief. “Already?”, you’ll think.

Though you may not completely agree with where they fall in the list of To Dos, thank-you cards are important.  And though I don’t think you need to pick them before you unpack from Maui, you do need to think about what image you may want to use when you go through your pictures.

Here is my guidance, in general, the image on a thank-you card is one of the more traditional photos taken of the bride and groom. It is small so you may not want a full head-to-toe image, but more likely a head and shoulders shot. If there is an image you really like I can most likely crop it. Just ask and I’ll do my best to accommodate. I have never done a thank-you card that is not of the bride and groom, but this isn’t the only option.

Vanessa and Mike's Thank you card

Please don’t use the following knowledge to justify your procrastination, but the Martha Stewart’s and Amy Vaunderbilt’s say you have one-year to get your handwritten thank-yous in the mail.  Please note that mother-in laws all over disagree.

Happy planning,

Dani

Prepare yourself, this MM might get a little cheese-dog.

Why I Love my Job

I <3 when people comment, “You love your job, don’t you?”. Because, well I do.

My answer is always the same. “I hang out with people on happy days.  What could be better than that?” And seriously, what could be? I have the most awesome clients, and (yes, this sounds hokey, but bare with me here) what I do is all based on love. I think it’s because I <3′ed my wedding, my photographer, our PARTY! And I love being married (and trust me if you had known me in my radical, feminist university years, you’d understand how no one would have called that one!)  So it’s a privilege and an honour (I warned you) to be part of other couples beginnings!

Did I live up to the cheese?

Happy planning,

Dani

Don’t have any idea what to do with your pre-teen/teen this March Break? Sign them up for photo camp with Danielle Valiquette Photography! Spots are limited and going fast so call to book now at 905.582.4015.

The classes run from March 15 to 19. Sessions are:

2 for $80

3 for $115

4 for $150

5 for $175

Remember no fancy camera required. Hope to see all the young, photo enthusiasts there!

Dani

This weeks Matrimony Monday addresses exactly what a photo proof is.

The Proof is in the Pudding

A common question from clients is, “What is a proof?”. And the confusion is warranted because depending on the photographer “proof” can have many meanings. In short, when you get a proof from me it is a picture from me that has been colour-corrected, maybe the exposure has been adjusted, but there is no Photoshop magic. (And how we love the Photoshop <3, don’t we ladies?)

Don’t forget all wedding packages come with a proof book to help you choose the pics for your wedding album.  If a picture calls for it to be converted to black and white, I’ll usually do that in the proof book so you have an idea of the overall feel of the photo.

Digital Proofs

What about digital proofs? All your proofs are available online in your password protected gallery. (Remember, the point of this is to share it with all your friends and family!) You will also be given a proof disc.  These are the files from which your proofs were printed. They are low resolution files (meaning they will look like ca-ca if you blow then up past 8×10 inches) with my website on them. Feel free to email them to Nana in Maine or post them to your Facebook wall.

So that’s a proof.

Happy planning,

Dani