Christmas stocking stuffers!

Are you in need of a last minute gift for someone special? Are you looking for something to add to their stocking? How about one of our gift cards? $50 denominations available. They can be used towards a session fee or products. Contact us today to purchase! Don't forget we accept Visa, MasterCard and Amex!

Family Fall Sessions

I've been forgetting to post these for a while now, but I'm finally getting around to it!

Some wonderful images from a fantastic family's fall session with me!

Fantastic Fall Family Fun Session

November 11th and the Holidays

I know some people may have the opinion that anything holiday related prior to November 11 is disrespectful.  As a military wife I can understand that opinion completely. However, for custom portraits that you hope to send out to loved ones as your holiday card, getting a head start is essential! 

What if you all of a sudden can't make your session time? What if at your session, your child decides to have a bad day so you need to reschedule? Time is still needed for you to see your completed images, pick the ones you want and the design, then wait for them to arrive from the printer - let's say an additional 4 weeks.

If you book and get in today, you will receive your cards during the first week of December. Now you have to stuff the envelopes and mail them out. 

Even with everything being smooth sailing, it's a tight schedule!

In the end, we at least will be closed on November 11th.  It is one day that I have always insisted that I have off.  I attend a ceremony each year - usually the one where my husband is on parade. I hope this year to see some of you, my wonderful clients and friends there with us.

Holiday Magic Mini's

NEW Digital File Price!

We have changed our pricing again!  Now with our create create your package, you can purchase:

    ~ All your fully edited low resolution files on USB for $500, or 

    ~ For $850, receive your fully edited High resolution files on USB with a beautiful wood box and as our special gift to you, 4 x 6 prints!

Halloween

With Halloween around the corner i was reminded of this spooktacular session I did with a very beautiful and talented lady!

Gift Certificates

Now available!  Give the gift of a $50 Gift Certificate towards a custom portrait session with us for Christmas!

The joys of Infertility

A local business owner and friend of mine Karen Stoyles from Nature Prenatal recently posted an article regarding the Ontario Government (article) paying for IVF.  This sparked an urge in me to tell my experience with IVF. In addition I will be adding a special discounts section on my website.  Please check to see what I will be offering to those who have gone through IVF.

My IVF Story

You're walking down the street you see a couple pushing a stroller with a little baby inside, and you just can't help but feel like crying. You sit there and you think, why can't that be us? Why is it so hard for us? Why are we hitting all these road blocks? Month after month, you try and try and try, and it's always negative. 

Then the doctor finally says, "ok, time for an intervention! Let's send you to the local Infertility clinic!.  But there's a waiting list.

"Oke dokey"

Several months go by then we finally see the specialist.

"We got to do a HSG x-ray, a laparoscopy, and a whole bunch of other tests, then we'll try IUI (Inter Uterine Insemination)." "Oke dokey"

Little do you know, that you are going to gain weight like crazy because of the wonderful hormones they give you, and the depression you're going to feel when month after month, you still get a negative....

Time for a mental and physical break!

Low and behold though, you are no longer in your 20's! You're not even in your low 30's! That extra weight from the Clomide is not falling off like it use to, and you know you're on a deadline to reach you're goal! So back to the doctor! 

"What's the next step?"

"IVF..... but we don't do that here. You have to go to Calgary or Burnaby or Ontario. Best clinic right now is Calgary."

"Oke Dokey"

"There's a waiting list"

"Nokey dokey, I'm not getting any younger.... I've got a deadline I'm fast approaching!"

"There's a cost too, big one"

"Well thank goodness hubby just got back from Afghanistan!  We got a little extra there, plus some savings, and RRSP's and some stocks."

So on the list we go and we wait, and wait and wait........

We get the call... We're on the list to wait to come in for the orientation to see if we qualify.

Orientation comes..... We pass the psychological tests (amazing that this point). We pass the general physical. Then we talk to the doctor - one of the doctors. He tells us the chances of it working.  They have to transfer 2 embryo's back into me. Any that are remaining can go into cryo-preservation for future attempts. 

We're on the waiting list.............. again ...............

We then get a call at the very end of August the are sending my drugs via courier.  I start them September 1st (I'm in Quebec visiting my parents getting home August 31st). 

September 1st arrives.... my husband has to inject me! I really, really want a baby, but I'm not to sure about him injecting me! We are lucky enough to have a friend who use to be a nurse. She comes over and demonstrates for him how to give the needle.  How easy it slides in. No issue's.  Slides right in..... Easy peasy!!!! The next day my husband is on his own to give it to me in my belly! I'm sure you've guessed what happened by now..... I'm surprised he didn't feel the need to jump and jab it in!!! OUCH!!! The good thing is, after that he realized how easy it slides in and there were no further jabs!

Weeks went by then we were off to Calgary for the eggs to be removed.... here was the most nerve wrecking part! Not the taking out of the eggs.  Yes there was a little bit of pain. But I was trying to get pregnant, which would lead to birth which is suppose to be painful as well... so it was worth it. The nerve wrecking part is the morning line-up for ultra sounds and blood work to see if your follicles are ready. Many couples, just like you, lining up, hoping all the stars will finally be lined up for them.... their lottery number will finally be called..... the rainbow will end on their doorstep!

And then, even more nerve wrecking, how many.....

19

9 viable

We had to have an additional procedure done ICSI (Intracytoplasmic sperm injection).

7 survived ICSI Process

4 survived to day 2

3 survived to day 3 - Transfer Day

So they transfer them in, and give you a lovely photo of you`re 8 cell embryos. Then into recovery, and then back to your hotel for the night. The next day you`re on your way home.....

With a blood test for pregnancy and more hormones. The next step is to wait.  The first day your period is due you have to go for your blood test and then wait for them to call. If it`s positive they send you for an ultra sound to see how many of the embryo`s took.

We were extremely lucky!  One round of IVF and it worked.  It doesn`t always. I was 39 when Nicholas was born.  My chances of another successful pregnancy coming to term dropped to 15%. 

The total cost at the end with hotels, meals, procedures, etc was around $15000.00. Alberta, at that time, did not cover any of it. My work benefits, covered some of my IUI medication costs but that was it. I`m sure this is a familiar to some of you who have gone through this. It is a long, costly process.  But in the end, the cost is a pittance compared to the miracle we are given.

 

 

Newborn Baby Love

Newborn Baby Love

Images of Maternity

Images of Maternity

Images of Maternity

FaceBook Cover Gift

What a wonderful gift to share with family!

From us to you, and from you to them!

What was that?

Oh my goodness....did I see some leaves changing colours already?......

Book your fall sessions ASAP! You never know how long fall will last, but at least we can make a portrait that will last forever!

Thank you Nature Prenatal

Karen wrote a wonderful article about me on her blog. Please be sure to read it and check out her business:

http://www.natureprenatal.com/interview-with-a-maternity-and-baby-photographer/

Pricing on website

Oh my gosh! I can't believe I've almost got it all done! No it isn't done, but it's almost done, which is a huge accomplishment right now. Not only am I dealing with a 6 year old who is out of school for the summer, I'm still on the road to recovery from my brain tumour surgery (which they say can be 1 - 2 years). 

The good thing is I have learned to step back, relax and enjoy more. So my photography is more fulfilling, and time with my family more loving.

Practice with Light

 Today I was going through some old files. Seeing what to keep and what I could clear out and ran across some random images that I decided to share.

Now you're probably looking at these and wondering why? Light fascinates me! The way it reflects off fruits and vegetables always makes them look so delicious!

Drip, Drip, Drip...

It's raining outside.....  

Puddle Jumping

From now until the end of summer you can book a Puddle Jumping Mini Session for your child for $30.00!!

This includes:
   ~ A phone consultation to ensure we tailor our custom session to achieve your portrait vision. We will also go over location, date and time.
   ~ 30 - 45 minutes of session time
   ~ Time spent fully editing a final selection of images for you
   ~ Your final meeting to reveal the completed images and you may make your purchase decisions.


Look at the weather forecast and if it's 60% or higher probability of rain, book a session with us!


Suggested attire:  raincoat, boots, umbrella, coveralls, jeans.  Solids instead of patterns is always better.  Shirts without logo's or writing.

Favourite Things...

As time has gone by I've had the opportunity to photograph so many different things. Each one has taught me a different lesson, or has helped me to see things in a new light.  Here are a few of my favourite images.

Angel

Deekin

Missy

My Family

My Boy

Lac Megantic - Memories of Summer

Cake Smash Fun!!

Normally I only share 2 images from a session.....but this little one got to try a brand new prop plus, the shear joy expressed in this one shot had to be shared!!! Happy Birthday little one!!

Something's I can do and something's I can't!

I have discovered that although I may have a talent for photography, woodworking is not my forte! No worries anyone, I will either learn how to make one properly or have one made for me (by someone who knows what they're doing) before placing a baby on the moon!

THE PICTURE PERFECT BABY ROOM CONTEST

THE PICTURE PERFECT 

BABY ROOM CONTEST

Why are we looking for a picture perfect room? We are looking for a room to be photographed for our marketing and sales materials. We will go to your home and photograph the room without anything on the wall, so we can, through the magic of Photoshop and other tools, put products on your walls to show off how lovely they can be.

1. Send us a picture or even a video of your baby's room. - Without a flash! Oh yeah there had to be a hitch!
2. Sit and wait, and wait, and wait. After waiting for your bundle of joy to arrive, I know you're tired of waiting but it won't be nine months. Winner will be announced on August 17th, 2015

How Will the Winner be Determined?

I've selected a small group of people to review the images you send in.  They will be looking that them simply for how nice the room looks.  We will narrow down the list, then look again to see how the room matches my business brand. Then I will be look at the quality of light and where the light lands and other photographic details to determine how it will be for photographing it.

The rules

1. The pictures and / or video's cannot be professionally produced.
2. You must live within the province of Ontario, and more specifically - within a .5 hour drive of Rockland.
3. If you win, you must use your $100 certificate within 1 year of the winner being announced. It may be applied to a session fee only (excluding mini sessions). There is no cash value therefore no refund or exchange if not used or if you are for any reason unsatisfied with the terms.  BEFORE YOU ENTER, VIEW OUR WEBSITE AND SEE IF YOU LIKE OUR STYLE. IF WE AREN'T FOR YOU, THEN WHAT GOOD IS WINNING IF YOU HATE WHAT YOU WIN?

What Size?

You would like to get a print made of your sleeping baby to display in your home, but you're not sure what size to get? What size will look good over your couch on that wall? Will it look too small or too big? 

The above image gives you an idea of what each size print will look like above the average sized couch. If you're considering a grouping of images, let us know and we can build it for you. Even better, send us a picture of your space, and we will build it in your space so you can see what it will look like when all together.

Picture Perfect Baby Room Contest

Picture Perfect Baby Room Needed! Is your babies room decorated in nice soft tones that are similar to my brand (blues, browns, pale pinks, creams)? 

Is it simple and and has fabulous natural lighting? Would you like to win a free session for your baby ($100 gift certificate towards session fee for baby up to 1 year excluding cake smash).

Stay tuned to find out more on this up coming contest....

Pricing for Products

Coming soon to our website will be the pricing for our products, and with that will be specialty products offered only with our packages.

A sneak peek at one of our specialty products.....
 - For our Baby Plan customer's you will have the opportunity to purchase 10 page leather books at each stage.  Our free gift to you is a Image Box to hold all three books.
 - For Newborn clients we will be offering a beautiful memory book of 30 (+)pages.  This will include all the images from your session, plus a letter from both parents, foot print and hand print pages, stat's page, a scanned in ultrasound image, a "favourites" page and much more. Our special gift will be a beautiful image box to hold your book.

All this and much much more......

Puddle Jumping

From now until the end of summer you can book a Puddle Jumping Mini Session for your child for $30.00!!

This includes:
   ~ A phone consultation to ensure we tailor our custom session to achieve your portrait vision. We will also go over location, date and time.
   ~ 30 - 45 minutes of session time
   ~ Time spent fully editing a final selection of images for you
   ~ Your final meeting to reveal the completed images and you may make your purchase decisions.


Look at the weather forecast and if it's 60% or higher probability of rain, book a session with us!


Suggested attire:  raincoat, boots, umbrella, coveralls, jeans.  Solids instead of patterns is always better.  Shirts without logo's or writing.

Sleeping Beauty

So precious!

Maternity

Maternity is full of ups and downs! And absolute amazement. There is no experiences in life that can prepare you for this special time. Every movement, kick, hick-up and turn will be shared between you and your precious little one.  Some may come as a surprise and startle you, others may become a regular routine that fill you with joy each time. 

It's the
beginning of your journey, your transition.

You are preparing to enter into Motherhood, and by the end of the year you will be a Mom.                                         

Time Well Spent

One of the best parts about my job is sharing it with my son. He tells the most amazing stories when he sets up the scene, then I help him to capture it all on camera. 

My View on Print vs Digital AGAIN.......

Why Quality Prints are Important.

Some of you have heard me say "No I don't sell digital copies".  But there are reasons why I have preferred not to.  Reasons to protect you, me and your legacy.

Let's just think about it for a few minutes......

If I was to hand you a cassette tape and tell you your images are on there, you would probably think I'm nuts. But, way back in the NOT so distant past, programs were saved on cassettes.  I know, because my favourite game on my Atari was Jaw Breaker and it was on a tape, and it was a sad day when that tape got eaten by the machine.

If I was to ask you if you wanted them on a floppy, you might think I need to get with it.... To tell you the truth it would probably be several floppy's!

Now here's something a little more scary.... If you had a newer MAC AIR and I gave you a CD, you know what you would have? A nice coaster..... No more CD drives.

Now the other little known fact is that it in the IT world, CD's are not anticipated to work for more then 10 years.  So you load the images onto your computer right?  Ok, computer software is constantly being upgraded, and with that comes hardware that needs to be upgraded to run the new software. If a key component breaks down (your hard drive for example), some things may be retrieved, but some may not.

Those precious moments... That special time.... That key turning point in your life.....

Ok next scenario is that you did get them printed.  You sent them out to that local cheap place, so you could save some money. You hang it on the wall. You come to my studio and I happen to have the same one hanging on my wall as a sample of my work. You then notice, even though they are not side by side, there is a difference. Mine looks rich, and alive, and lush. Yours..... ummmmm.... doesn't?  Did I do something special to the file? No I just sent it to a professional lab to have it printed on HIGH QUALITY PAPER or CANVAS. Mine will last for years and years.  Yours may begin to fade in a couple of years. 

So where does the me part come into it? Well, from a business sense, when I sell you a digital file, you then have the ability to print that image in any medium, any size you would like. How much revenue does that one file potentially represent to me? Yes I know it's a selfish reason, but I do have to make a living also.

With all that being said, I am considering selling digital files as a premium product and in addition to the purchase of a legacy piece.  Watch for this on the new pricelists coming soon.

Below is a link to an article by the UK Telegraph regarding Google's Vice President's view on Print and Digital images.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/11410506/Print-out-digital-photos-or-risk-losing-them-Google-boss-warns.html

Warm Summer days are perfect for sessions out doors!  Maternity sessions are best booked for during weeks 34 - 36. Book early to ensure your session date!

Copyright Catherine Bowser Photography 2014