Michele Dyson Photography

So, it’s that time of year again and even though we should be thinking of ways to help others year-round, many of us don’t take the time to do so. Our own families come first….we take care of our children, our significant others and ourselves often forgetting about the many people, right where we live that could really use a hand. I have been trying to make small changes, and one I was recently reminded of was “cans for comments”. The lovely Andrea Blair is doing the same thing, and I not only urge all of my wonderful blog readers to comment for this great cause, but if you are a fellow photographer with a blog, to do the same. And Brooke, I know you just got back from holidays a few hours ago, but you’re in this with me too, so get your game on and let’s see who can raise more!  If everyone could  pass this on, photogs do up your own post,  let me know and I’ll be sure to send some love your way. So simple. So effective. And so needed. 

So, here’s the deal……you leave a comment, I leave a can. Every comment made between now and December 23rd will mean an extra item of food for the Food Bank. So come on people; let’s challenge each other and see collectively how much can do!  

Happy Holidays:)

Mish xo 

And I just couldn’t post without an image, so here’s an oldie. Si and Nevaeh at 1.5 and 2 years old…..shot with my Nikon D70 and 50mm 1.8 lens. They grow SO fast, don’t they?!

So, after such a fabulous wedding day I was a little anxious as to how our session would go. I didn’t feel as though the bride and groom were truly on board with the idea of getting all done up again, in the heat with what was sure to be many onlookers! Well, they showed up , the weather somewhat agreed; although there wasn’t a cloud in site we were able to work it out….and most importantly we had SO much fun! We had quite a few lookie-lou’s, people taking pics and even a restaurant worker who jumped in with his “eat my burrito” apron; it seemed harmless enough until he lifted it up…..WHOA! Good thing it wasn’t real is all I have to say;  I’ll leave those pics for J& J to view at home as they’re not completely appropriate for a family blog:)  One of the shots I wanted to get was something with a lot of color and an obvious Mexican feel; the first ceramic ones are a few of my faves. Jay and Janine’s request?!  A volkswagon. Hmmm….. considering there weren’t vehicles allowed where we were shooting I didn’t think it was going to happen. But luck was on our side, and instead of flagging a cab on the way back from the hotel I asked if they could flag us a VW. It worked! It was getting quite dark out, the ISO was cranked, but we got it….and bonus…..it’s GREEN!  VW’s were one of the many things that brought these two together so I’m thrilled we were able to incorporate one into the shoot. Guys, thanks for dragging yourselves away from the beach and taking the time to come out again….I’m pretty sure  you’ll agree it was worth it. 

Enjoy!!!

My fave..

Love.

Jay, you are one lucky man!Are they not the poster faces for Destination Weddings?  I think so:)So stylin, and I just lovvve the movement in this one; fave #2.Believe it or not, this great find was outside the Hagen Daz ice-cream shop; yum!Ummmm…..yeah, you two are seriously HOT!   
High ISO, blurry, grainy….and I don’t care! Love them:) Edited to add *** One forgotten image – I had to!

Thank you so much, both of you and each and every person who played a part in me getting to be included in your big day!

Last Thursday, November 19th I had the privilege of photographing Jay & Janine’s gorgeous oceanside wedding in the tropics. It was perfect. The dress, their shoes, the weather, even light seemed to hold on a teensy bit longer for us to be able to shoot a few on the beach. I first met Jay and Janine in Calgary just hours from when we flew to Cancun. Brooke was with me, as we’d just done a workshop with [B]ecker and J & J offered up their place for us to crash at (probably because the heard I SUCK at getting my butt outta bed and didn’t want me to miss the 4 a.m. wakeup call)! B thought I was a wee bit off my rocker to stay with people I’d never met, but through the emails we’d sent each other I had a feeling that I was going to click with these guys. And I was right…they were fab. So, early the next day 59 of their friends and fam met in Playa Del Carmen at The Iberostar Tucan Resort. Even my hubby came along for the ride:)  These pics are from the wedding day, and as I forewarned the bride and groom I knew it would be rushed. A 3 oclock ceremony with the sun gone at 5. So, I made them move, made em sweat, got a little bossy ( okay, a lot bossy)! and we shot until the last bit of light was gone….you can see proof from the night shot; that was minutes after I finished the last shot on the beach ( for you photogs,  I was shooting at ISO 3000)! I could seriously keep on writing about all the great details, but I’ll spare you and let the images speak for themselves. 

Make sure to tune in in the next few days for their After session….by far my fave; we’re talking mosaic tiles, hot pink brick walls, and a roadside bar with swings:) Yup, I was a happy girl! I promise you won’t be disappointed as they were rock stars!

Jay, Janine and all of your seriously amazing friends and fam…..I had such a great time and really appreciate you having me; now somebody else get married away…..I’m addicted!!!Are you kidding me?! Janine, you are stunning.  Doesn’t Jay remind you of Hugh Laurie…aka: House??! 
I just adore the expression on her brother’s face here……Does she not look like she could just burst here?! Love.The boys giving us a little groove after the ceremony….Okay, so there’s a bit of a story behind these next two;  these guys are all “city-folk”, and although I’m no country-bumpkin, when it comes to getting a great shot, I will do what it takes. Well, I’d spotted this little cluster of ruins off the side of the road and just had to get us there for a few shots after the ceremony. Well, there were bugs. Big bugs. And lots of em. Of course I didn’t care, even laid on the ground for a couple while getting eaten ALIVE ( I’m not kidding….27 bites just from that afternoon; ouch)! Well, although we got these two, there really aren’t any others….they are literally slapping each other, screaming (boys too)  and/or ripping off clothes in the rest. But come on….soooo worth it! This may be may fave…..I love how real this moment is. These next two were shot at ISO 3000……meaning it was NOT good light.Believe it or not this was taken just minutes after finishing up on the beach; ISO 200, no flash of course. Ain’t it purdy!? 
And the ring shots….it was a bit of a problem as each time I remembered about the rings it was dark out. I shot the first in their jewellery shop, not having a clue really as to what I was doing and the other 2 were shot just before I hopped the bus to go home. Good thing I didn’t pack the macro or there would’ve been an entire post dedicated to their rings!

So, the last time I photographed Miss Milla she was all of 5 days old ( peek here). It was a challenging shoot to say the least, but ended up being one of my favourites. And her Mum…..I mean, come on! You can see here where the wee one gets her looks from; lucky lady!

Now, you’re probably wondering about how old this little beauty is; believe it or not she is almost 2 months younger than my little Eve. She is just 6 months in these. Amazing, right?! And the hair….it was a given. Mum Lindsay the owner of  the chicest salon in town, Heiress Salon & Boutique , so she just had to have great locks! Milla rocked it out for this session – I’m not kidding you. She was hands down the fastest baby I’ve ever seen. Rolling, twisting and trying to dive head first off my bed. She’s a busy little lady, this one! Good thing I had my fast pants on for this session….we flew through it in less than 20 minutes. Phew! 

Linds, I hope you love these – and I am totally looking forward to doing your family session up at the mountain. Can’t wait! 

Thanks again, 

Me.

It’s Thursday. I’m tired. And I was really looking forward to taking an hour break from the computer this evening and watching Grey’s. Sadly, it wasn’t on for what ever reason…which of course at the time I was pretty annoyed at. But, as I always say…it was for a reason. I was trying to find something upbeat to watch while I attempted to hoist up our 8ft tree; by myself ( yes, I’m that impatient)! and I came across a CNN special on Heroes. Well, it was humbling and inspirational to say the least. There were 10 nominees, and each and every one of their stories brought me to tears, and made me want to jump on a plane and change the world. Well, I am a Mum to wee ones, plus my hubby would think I was crazy – so I knew that was definitely out of the question. The only thing I could reasonably come up with was to offer up what I do best. Nope, not burn everything I put onto the stove or scratch the side of my vehicle EVERY time I go through Starbucks drive-thru ( yes, it’s a problem)…..take pics, of course! I do believe with all my heart that this is my calling ( for now, anyways) and I am crazy passionate about it. Soooo, here’s my thought, and I’m hoping you guys can help me out. …..

You know someone. You know someone who’s experienced a tragedy, is struggling to stay afloat, a single Mum holding down more than one job, or someone who is volunteering selflessly although their financial situation is far from steady. You know someone who can’t afford custom photography, but who would cherish it this holiday season. You know someone who deserves a gift of art, love and memories. 

You know someone. I guarantee it.

I want to know who they are, and I want to give them the chance to experience complimentary custom photography — $575 dollars worth. Included in the package is one 90 minute session at the location of their choice, 12 artistically edited high resolution images on disc as well as 3 8×10 and 4 5×7 prints. They will also receive all untouched images on disc as well.  

Oh, and the best part? The person who nominates the winner receives a complimentary sitting fee for their family. What better reason to show some love could there possibly be, people?

The rules:

* You cannot nominate yourself, and the person nominated must truly be incapable of purchasing custom photography. ( Not being able to go on their annual vacation and having to cut back on their hired help doesn’t count:)

* The person you nominate must live within one hour of Penticton, B.C. or Victoria, B.C. as I do frequently visit there as well.  Tell me about the person, what they are experiencing and why you think they would be great recipients.  Please include a way to contact your nominee and yourself. 

* Please email me the full story to michele.dyson@hotmail.com

*Please pass this info on to others as they may have the perfect person in mind! 

The winner will be announced on Christmas Eve , so get on it!!  

Open your hearts and minds this Holiday season……I’m looking forward to hearing from you:) 

Of course we always need to end with some eye candy, so here’s one of each of my littlest heroes:)  

Yup, they’re for real…..super hot, super stylish and superDUPER fun in front of the camera. My fave thing?! They were amazing listeners…..I have a tendency to get a bit bossy; well, let’s face it – I am Queen Bossypants, can’t help it. But hey, it worked, they laughed, and we squeezed in a lot in some fast fading light. Janine and Jay, thank you thank you thank you for bringing me to Playa with you, for trusting me without ever having met me ( little did you know what you were in for)! and most of all for letting your real selves shine through in your photos. It was an amazing week, and I feel so very fortunate to have played a role in your day. Hope you enjoy the peek…..more to follow once I finish some blog catch-ups! 

I’m writing this in the wee hours just 4 hours from when I need to get up and at ‘em for our trip. Mike and I are headed to the Mayan Riviera for a little vacay as I will be photographing my first destination wedding. It is a much needed break for us as we haven’t been away together since we were married almost 6 years ago. Nope, it wasn’t even the honeymoon, we’ve yet to find time for one of those! We were working our tails off in Bangkok, Thailand….hectic, crazy schedules each week, which looking back on of course we should have taken more time for ourselves. Hopefully this trip is just what we’ve been waiting for. Relaxation, peace, quiet, sunshine (if we’re lucky) and of course some great photo ops!  I will obviously be missing my girls like mad…..I have had many restless nights wondering if I even wanted to go. Ughhh….it’s going to be tough ( really) but it will be so, so fantastic once we’re back and get to soak up all of their pure goodness!  So, for now…..some of us. All four of us together, not only our first official family session, but our first photos EVER together. Don’t ask me how that happened, but there wasn’t even a single snapshot of us together. You can guess who took these….that’s right- my great friend Brooke. She was a trooper and did these in all of 10 minutes before another family session that day . I wouldn’t stop talking, the hubby was complaining a tad, Nevaeh was freezing her butt off ( hence the expression on her face) and Eve, well…..she was happy as usual, and yes she LOVES her tongue. I’m so glad she decided to make her silly faces in these. So her.  I seriously can’t believe we got as many usable ones as we did ( good thing I love backlighting)!  Of course I was impatient, drove to B’s house for the disc then came straight home to edit them. So, the images are courtesy of B and the processing on these few are the work of yours truly.  And yes, I am in LOVE with each and every one of them. Brooke, thank you:)  Mike and the girls……love you heaps:)  Mwah!

Love you guys:) ….now to decide which of these goes onto the wall; input, anyone ?! I have  a spot for two of these babies only and am thinking #2, 3, or 5…although I do love 4 as well, arghhh – and #1.  Why is it so tough, and WHY can’t I have more wall space !?????

As a photographer, I love it when I’m not the only one who has a vision. When the couple “brings it“, the images are able to go to a whole new level. The location, the styling and the interaction between each other are all equally important. Well, Cara + Mike have proven at each of our 3 sessions that they most definitely have what it takes.  Cara isn’t embarrased to admit she studies America’s Next Top Model…..wouldn’t you agree that is shows? I mean, come on – she has mastered “the smize”!    For the first part of this session we started out at one of the firehalls here in Penticton where Mike is now an official firefighter. I was obviously excited when they informed me that there was a vintage truck….and Graham, thank you for the offer of lighting one of the buildings on fire for us; if we’d had more time it would have happened!. Spring session, perhaps?!  Thank you Mike and Cara for being so creative and open minded, and for inspiring me. It is shoots like this that keep me moving forward. 

Stay tuned for more from their After session…..

An obvious fave……Mike, you are my most stylin’ groom to-date. 

Yup, the sky was that crazy, and the sun was pouring down on them like honey. Love. This one make me smile; laughing pictures are most definitely my faves:)

Great shoot…..rain, wind, yucky light and all-around a challenging shoot; luckily for me I ended up with the best subjects EVER!  Brit and Alicia are sisters and Mum had booked this session to get some pics of her girls…..well, Brittany & Kyle are getting married next year so we thought we’d take a bit of time to get a few shots of them. Seriously, all three of them were easy-peasy.  Have I mentioned lately how much I love my job?! Because I do…..thank you guys, you were wonderful!

And now the lovebirds:) You two are seriously great together- you may just win the award for most laughing accomplished during a session!  Thanks for being so easy on me!

Here is his; brand new Baby Evan. He was just 5 days old in his session and was a sleepy little man almost the entire time.  Thank you to Mum and Dad for coming over, and for playing with my  ”big” baby girl while I clicked away. I thoroughly enjoyed doing his first session, and of course getting my new baby fix! 

Michele

anyone out there who knows great online shops for knit baby hats? Please fill me in, as I’m in need of some new props:)If he were mine this would be hanging on my wall – BIG!!!   a gorgeous little man:) my faves…how can you not just drool over those teensy toes. so sweet.