june 7 on 7 (random paris)

Seven photos on the seventh of the month - a no pressure photo project with like-minded photo friends.  No rules and no themes - just tell a story with some favourite photos from the previous month, and link to the next person in line!
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Why these completely random photos of Paris? Timing is everything. In the middle of a very challenging time in my life, a dear friend and colleague asked if I would be willing to come to Paris to take photos for her design business. Um, yes?

Every morning, I would meet Anne for croissants and café crème and then we would hit the streets, she with a plan, and me following along with my cameras strapped to my back. We sometimes walked more than seven miles a day (never even getting close to tourist destinations like the Eiffel Tower), stopping to take photos at places that had deep meaning for her, and some completely random locations.

We wandered through flower markets.

We walked along the Seine for miles, perusing street vendor booths, stopping often for more coffee to sit and watch people and boats go by.

We had some lovely meals, although my favourite evening of all included making a charcuterie board with friends and dining in simply with wine and conversation.

Anne LaFollette, my friend and travel mate, is a talented pattern designer and has also created amazing classes to teach others what she has learned in the world of pattern design. I love her dearly and pretty much jumped at the chance to shoot in Paris with her for a week. We followed our noses around the city, looking for light, texture and experiences. Such as this moment by the Seine where a charming trash collector decided to jump into the photo with Anne.

Yes, this is the 8th photo.

I’m lucky that I have visited Paris before and didn’t feel any pull to visit any touristy spots. Instead, I’m so grateful for having had the opportunity to experience the city on its own terms. Wander, stop, have coffee, repeat. I can’t wait to go back.

(Stay tuned for more Paris photos from my shoots with Anne soon. And… film!)

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Please visit my talented friend Kris McNeil to see her stunning 7 on 7 photos, 
then click through to the next person in our blog roll to see what we've all been up to.

may 7 on 7

Seven photos on the seventh of the month - a no pressure photo project with like-minded photo friends.  No rules and no themes - just tell a story with some favourite photos from the previous month, and link to the next person in line!
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Because when roses come into the house on rare occasions, you take their picture.  Hello pretty...

And when two photo friends call you for coffee and a mini photowalk around the docks in Sausalito, you ditch your to-do list and go.  Thank you Chloe and Birgitte for getting me out of the house and making me laugh!  You two are a joy!

Having a tendency to always wonder if I should be doing/accomplishing something different, I appreciated the following reminder....

And sometimes when I'm on a client shoot in a lovely garden, I tend to wander...

Bonus photo: because #TobyTheMoseyDoodle sometimes comes on shoots with me and wonders if now is the right time to ask for a cookie.

Happy May!  Hope spring is busting out wherever you are.

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Please visit the amazing Kristina Rust for her 7 on 7 post, then click through to the next person in our blog roll (and so on...) to see what we've seen.

march 7 on 7

Seven photos on the seventh of the month - a no pressure photo project with like-minded photo friends.  No rules and no themes (unless we spontaneously decide on one) - just tell a story with some favourite photos from the previous month, and then link to the next person in line.

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During our recent getaway to Palm Springs and Joshua Tree, we went in search of big skies and desert landscapes.  We found them, and more.

iPhone7

There is something for everyone.... wide open spaces and few people to obscure the view.

Canon 5D Mark II (from my recent Viewfinders post)

The mid-century modern architecture and the vintage cars combined to create visuals straight out of the movies.

iPhone7

Style for days. The Ace Hotel in Palm Springs and its diner are a visual delight. I have a special fondness for this location.

iPhone7

We spent a couple of hours in the Palm Springs Air Museum chatting with docents who shared their decades of knowledge with us.

Canon 5D Mark II

Canon 5D Mark II

Canon 5D Mark II

Best of all, my fellow travelers were top notch.

Back home and dreaming of where we'll head next... it doesn't matter whether it's a day trip in the vanagon or further afield.  Just get out the door and go.

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Please visit the lovely Janice of Shine Photo & Design for her 7 on 7 post, then click through to the next person in our blog roll (and so on...) to see where we've all been and what we've seen.

february 7 on 7

Seven photos on the seventh of the month - a no pressure photo project with like-minded photo friends.  No rules and no themes (unless we decide to) - just tell a story with some favourite photos from the previous month, and link to the next person in line.

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As I started pulling photos from my January archive, I began seeing a theme.  There seemed to be a lot of steps, paths and gates.

From my January Viewfinders post.

I'm always intrigued by what's down that path or through that door or up those steps.  Recently, I was reminded of a film lecture during my long ago college days where we watched a Hitchcock film (I wish I could recall which one...).  Hitchcock was a master of suspense and one scene in particular has always stuck in my memory -  a character walks down a hallway and through a door out of sight.  We all know that *something* is going to happen in that room and my fellow students and I all leaned to the right and craned our necks as if we could actually see around the corner.

For me, there is something so appealing visually about pathways and stairs (and doorways too).  Photographically speaking the perspective is what draws the eye.  But my feet (and sometimes the dog pulling me along on his leash) also want to go that way.

What's down there?

What's through there?

What's around that corner?

Let's go see.

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Please visit the lovely Maureen Nichols at Cottage 960 for her 7 on 7 post, then click on to the next person in our blog roll (and so on...) to see where we've all been and what we've seen.

cheers,
kim

5 on 5 - january

We decided to do one more round of 5 on 5 to make it a full 12 month cycle.  I've loved having the opportunity to take part in this no pressure photo project with like-minded photo friends (and one sister).  Here's to 2017!

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I'm in Toronto visiting my hometown family and it is utterly freezing (I love it).  I'm staying warm by looking at photos of the last few weeks leading in to the holidays.  We kept Christmas very quiet - it was just my small family of three, simple food, walks and drives into the city to look at the view, searching for sustenance at the Ferry Building in the early morning, taking the dog for a romp on the beach, and taking the time to breathe and look around and set work and stress aside for a week or so.

iPhone6. Embarcadero, SF 12/31/2016

iPhone6. Stinson Beach, CA 12/30/2016

Canon 5D Mark II. Parking Garage, SF 12/18/2016

Canon 5D Mark II. Fort Scott, SF 12/18/2016

I also used the "Best Nine" algorithm to see my most-liked Instagram photos of 2016.  Although I may have chosen different personal favourites, these felt like a good round-up of the year - a little bit of family, a lot of being outside, the dog, and a certain ballpark birthday.

Instagram Best Nine 2016 (iPhone6)

I'm not sure what 2017 will hold.  I have personal and professional plans but I have deliberately been keeping my head down for the past few weeks and haven't declared any resolutions for the New Year (not that I ever do).  But my intent is to keep picking up my camera and use it to tell stories.  Join me?

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Please visit my amazing sister Lianne at A Glimmer And A Spark next for her 5 on 5 post, then click on to the next person in our blog roll (and so on...).  Happy New Year, and thanks for following along with us for the last 12 months!

cheers,
kim

10 on 10 - december

It's December, somehow.  Looking back on 2016, I see that despite my best intentions this is only the third 10 on 10 I've managed this year.  But I'm determined to end on a high note, so let's have a look at some random photos from my family's recent trip to New York City. 

iPhone6

My daughter had never been to NYC, so we surprised her with a Thanksgiving trip and it was everything I'd hoped it would be.

iPhone6 - Flatiron Building

It was freezing cold (I'm Canadian - I like the cold),

iPhone6

... we walked and took the subway everywhere,

Sony RX1 - Grand Central Station

... we ate good food, we knocked items off our to-do list (although there is SO much we missed),

Sony RX1 - New York City Library

... we looked at amazing art,

Sony RX1 - New York City Library

... spent time with dear friends,

Sony RX1 - Sean at Bryant Park

... and most uplifting of all, my daughter was on board for all of it.

iPhone6 - The Highline

Even though walking the Highline might have been our coldest experience, she didn't complain once.  Although bribery in the form of bagels, donuts and hot cocoa might have come into play.

iPhone6 - The Highline

And when we were just too tired to walk any further, we'd come back to our compact but cozy hotel to take a breather and warm our cold feet.

Sony RXI

We love to travel, but always drag out feet when it comes to packing and preparing for a trip.  But then we arrive, experience everything our destination has to offer and by the time we head back to the airport we are desperate to stay longer.  Although as my husband commented, it was a good thing it was time to go home otherwise we would have gone broke. 

Time to plan our next trip....

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Thanks for joining us on our final 10 on 10 of 2016!  Next up is Leilani of 7th Sister Photography - click to see her lovely work and then click through to the next person til you've been right around the loop!

cheers,
kim

5 on 5 - december

December 5, 2016 - it's the final 5 on 5 of the year!  I've loved having the opportunity to take part in this no pressure photo project with like-minded photo friends.  It has gently forced me to actually shoulder my camera as I head out the door and take photos just for me, just for fun.  Thanks for joining us this year.

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I am a December baby so it seems appropriate to end the year with a birthday post, of sorts. 

I have been making a concerted effort this year to focus my attention on choosing carefully my path forward, both professionally and personally.  After reading about "essentialism" earlier this year, I've begun to embrace Greg McKeown's ideas for extreme criteria when setting boundaries and making choices - basically, if it's not hell yes then it's no.  It's a way of being more selective so that your life is filled with work and experiences that bring you joy.

(Firefly Institute Photo Camp, November 2016)

As I enter a new decade, this is an idea that resonates deeply for me.  No more wasting time waffling over what to do and how to accomplish it.  I'm surrounded by accomplished, amazing people - creatives, photographers, business experts - and there's no excuse for not tapping into their skill and experience to help me move forward.

(Firefly Institute Photo Camp, November 2016)

I want to feel focused and productive but with plenty of room to breathe, making time to feel connected with my family and friends and actively pursuing the things that keep me sane.

Like this.  I must have walked in Sausalito hundreds of times over the years and have probably taken photos of the boats reflecting in the water dozens of times.  But it brings me deep peace, especially when it's a walk on my birthday with my visiting parents - two of the most inspirational people I know.

And time, even, to take a tongue-in-cheek photo with the appropriate number on the boat lockers where I have taken many previous birthday photos in my years since moving to California.

Looking askance at that number, I know that it IS just a number.  I've been reinventing myself and my career for many years and that won't stop just because I've reached some sort of banner age. 

I'm ready, are you ready?  We got this.

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Please visit the lovely Stephanie Smith (S.L. Smith Photography) next for her final 5 on 5 post of the year, then click on to the next person in our blog roll (and so on...) to see where we've all been and what we've seen.

cheers,
kim

5 on 5 - november

Five photos on the fifth of the month - a no pressure photo project with like-minded photo friends (and a sister).  No rules and no themes, just tell a story with some favourite photos from the previous month, and link to the next person in line.

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Life can get out of control sometimes.  Too busy and not enough breathing space.  When that happens, I begin to notice that the types of images I'm drawn to making have some element of that space lacking in my daily life at any given moment.  I turn my camera away from people and focus on small vignettes with a simple focal point or maybe some delicious light.

I've realized that as much as I love to interact with and photograph people, it's simple scenes and objects of daily life that fill my camera in between shoots.  Or when weeks go by without any photography at all.

I photograph things that I want to pick up and whose texture I can almost see and smell.

And light ALWAYS draws my eye.

At a recent portrait shoot, while I waited for the makeup artist to do her magic, I got up close and personal with her tools of the trade.

And again, light. 

The holiday season approaches and I've been filled with the need to slow.... down.  To not get caught up in the chaos and madness.  So I plan to take some time every day to see small visual stories around me.  Maybe I'll capture them and maybe I won't, but I'm hoping that keeping my eye on space and balance will reflect in my daily walk through life too.

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Please visit the lovely Janice of Shine Photo & Design next for her autumnal 5 on 5 story (with a sleeping chipmunk no less!!), then click on to the next person in our blog roll (and so on...) to see where we've all been and what we've seen.

cheers,
kim

10 on 10 - july

Can you take too many pictures of the beach?  At the beach?  Your family on the beach?  Your dog digging holes at the beach?  I think not.  This month's 10 on 10 photo project (10 photos on the 10th of the month) is all about the load-up-the-van get-out-of-town roadtrip.

This summer, we are staying close(ish) to home - no traveling overseas, just road trips, some camping, and beach visits for a few days here and there in between projects.  Which is okay by us.  And cheaper.

When we don't have a lot of time we just head up - or in this case, down - the Northern California coast for a few days.  It's usually possible to find beaches with very few people on them.  We stop for 10 minutes or a couple of hours, as the whim takes us.

This trip we had some sun and lots of fog.  Didn't matter ... still beautiful in colour or black and white.

Dog inquires why we are posing for photos instead of playing.

Sometimes the photos are imperfect, but the fact that she is still happy to not only road trip with her parents but immerse herself in what is around her?  Makes me incredibly happy.

The dog doing what he does.

Saturated with sand, sea and sky, we headed to our campsite where our 12 year old led us in some unconventional yoga to loosen up before nightfall.

Marshmallows were roasted, drinks were made, meatballs were heated on the camp stove for dinner and our neighbour played his harp as accompaniment.  So much better than a boombox.

We are back home already and dreaming of where the road will take us next.

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Thanks for joining us on our 10 on 10 this month!  Next up is Maite Pons - click to see her delicious photography and then click through to the next person til you've been right around the loop!

cheers,
kim

5 on 5 - july

Five photos on the fifth of the month - a no pressure photo project with like-minded photo friends.  No rules and no themes, just tell a story with some favourite photos from the previous month, and link to the next person in line.

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I have been shooting almost exclusively for events/work functions lately and haven't been shooting just for myself much.  My personal folders of photos are sadly empty.  Or at least that's what I thought while poking through those folders and realizing that even when I'm shooting for work, I often am grabbing moments for myself.  Capturing food or details or light that catch my eye. 

Community dinner at The Hivery.

Food prep at the Community Dinner.

I don't remember what this was called but it was delicious.

Because edible flower!

Flower crafts at an evening event.

Thankfully, summer has arrived and with that comes roadtrips and camping and time to dream.  Next month, I can guarantee you will be seeing some non-work summer photos!   See you then!

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Please check out Maureen of Cottage 960's 5 on 5 this month and then click on to the next person in our blog roll (and so on, and so on....).

cheers,
kim