Michele Dyson Photography » Blog

Here she is….the Birthday Girl in all her glory!!! The party was as successful as a room full of wee ones can be – we had a lot of bodies crammed inside on a cold day and it was a bit chaotic to say the least!….now I understand why women plan to have warm-weathered babies! The littlest Miss enjoyed all the kiddos, her presents and especially the cake. SO very different than her sissy was on her 1st. Nevaeh was oh-so delicate, almost prissy – not wanting to get even a finger dirty. But Eve on the other hand? She dove right into the raspberry colored icing and covered herself in it in a matter of minutes. Hair, face, clothes and even her eyes were smothered. It was fabulous!  Thank you very much to my Mum for flying in to celebrate  (and help out), Brooke for helping with the decor and Brandi for pointing me in the right direction for Eve’s dress… I was looking for something not so light and airy like we always do for parties ( I kind of wish I’d gone with the light tones as the decorations could have hung in her room….I’m going to have to start renting this stuff out so it doesn’t go to waste)!

As for the lack of “people” pics….other than the birthday girl, of course ?! We had so much chaos going on that it really was tough for B or I to get behind a camera, but I’m loving what I do have to remember Miss Eve’s special day. I have to admit I cheated a bit and took a bunch the day after:) Thanks for your photo contributions Brooke…love em!

Found this gorgeous Asian inspired dress at Tea Collection. Love it! The flower is a hair clip I made for Eve…super easy and very sweet….click here for the how to :: Mum and I made one for each girls’ plate – the plan was to attach each to a pin so they could leave with a brooch. Of course, not enough time for that.
Miss “La” with the birthday girl…..at least next to her buddy she still looks like a baby!
The brown flowers are made from 6 paper lunch bags….easy- peasy. Click here for Martha’s how-to. The favours for the party were these beautiful campanula plants – they almost made me forget it was still yucky outside!The aftermath of her first sweets…..by the time she finished she was covered, I’m talking  sleeves of raspberry icing, a pink mohawk, and stained eyebrows from rubbing it all over her face. Quite entertaining for us all!Obviously pre-cake. And if you’ve noticed the multiple hair clips? It’s not because I’m indecisive……the little monkey is a typical one year old and won’t keep a darned thing in her hair.

Well, here it is. Time has passed oh so  quickly, and the Littlest Miss is nearly one. This time last year I was driving my friends, fam and especially my hubby nutso trying everything in my power to get this girl out. She made her entrance ( with a little help) on February 22nd and has kept us smiling since then. I’d thought at first that she was going to be this sweet, passive, girly little thing….but I may be wrong. The last few weeks she’s been showing us another side. A very sassy, very in-your-face kind of side. Oh no, am I going to have TWO fiesty girls?!  Anyways, here I go on rambling again…..the point of this little shoot was to take some “portraits” of Eve in her birthday clothes – before the craziness of the party. Well, she didn’t want the dress on ( yes, that has started already) so I put her in some cozies and then decided that my big girl needed some new “pretty” pics as well. I bribed her with a popsicle:)  I can’t say it was easy getting the shots….my house was seriously trashed; it took all of 10 minutes to make a huge mess while moving quickly to keep Eve relatively happy, and Nevaeh? Well, like I said – she’s old enough to bribe. Oh yeah, I do it when necessary…..

So, here they are – Eve’s One Year pics as well as some of her big sissy……I sure do love these two munchkins.

** Brooke, you’ll be happy – I finally captured Eve’s “cartoon” smile…the last photo of her ( yes, I know…she’s still toothless, takes after her sis:) SO glad I got it!

Here it is people – take note of some of THE best dance moves 2010 is sure to see!  Early January I had Si for a few hours and him and “his girl” decided they wanted to shake it. Well, I decided there should be a dance-off  ….for candy! Oh yeah, I bribed them and of course pulled out the camera. They worked it to ” Boom Boom Pow” and seriously….the two of them are kind of really good. Nevaeh’s not the most coordinated, but she makes up for it in attitude and sass and determination. And Si, he wasn’t giving up….even tried to take her down a few times. I think I may need a few lessons from these two. Man oh man thave they got personality. Bloody hilarious to watch them in action.  And for the record – Si won 1st place for the boys team, and Miss N won for the girls. Surprisingly enough they didn’t even question it:)

Enjoy the pics!

PS  - This would be SO much better with sound…..the tunes of course, and little Miss Eve who was down at their feet squealing her noggin off. Fun times

She gets her “Elaine” gene from me:)
Okay, if this doesn’t crack you up then somethin’ is wrong!They can both shake a meeaannnn  tailfeather!

Lately the days have flown by even faster than usual. I’m not sure if it’s the fact that Eve is busier than what I’m used to, that I’ve been going to 4 workout classes a week, Brooke and I meeting most evenings on launching our new joint venture, or the many albums I’ve been trying to work on……that’s a whole other story ( who does everyone use for album companies, as I’ve literally wasted 2 weeks of work with the current company…..what a waste of staying up until 2a.m.)! Whatever the reason is though, I am so thankful that I have photos of the girls….I still need to work on taking more snapshots, but it’s a tough thing to do when you automatically look through lens with “the shot” in mind. I found these oldies from the summertime; I think Brooke may have shot these ( if so, thanks B)! as for the others of Eve…. I took these a few days ago – isn’t she getting so big?!  We’ll be celebrating her first birthday next weekend and I just cannot believe it. I can’t wait to see what the next year will bring……

And for those of you wondering about the new business goodies Brooke and I have been losing sleep over…..it will be debuting on Valentine’s Day. Stay tuned here on the blog or else catch up with me on Facebook or Twitter. It will be well worth the wait. I promise you:)

Now on with the pics…that’s why you stop by, isn’t it?!

Don’t you LOVE the drool….luckily thats’ stopped for a while…and still no teeth to show for all the wet shirts she went through.  * This image edited with get TRA get faded neutral at 20% and Kubota’s magic sharp. Okay…looking back the headbands were obviously overkill, but Nevaeh insisted. I love this shot:)  * Processed with Nichole Van’s light black and white, TRA burn out- oh snap at 15% and of course Kubota’s magic sharp.
The goods for the next 2 images::  Canon 5D, 105mm macro, 1/240 f.4.0  For processing I used TRA’s lighten up ( LOVE this action) faded neutral at 15%( I masked off her eyes)-burned the edges at a low opacity and finally Kubota’s magic sharp…..yes, her eyes are this incredible all on their own. Of course the macro didn’t hurt either:)
Thank you to my “ex” neighbor Ella for the great chair…….LOVE it!

So, it’s been quite a while of me thinking about taking some shots of the girls in the tub, and I finally got around to it. The way they interact with each other cracks me up! Of course bath nights are more work, especially with Eve’s age and Nevaeh’s….well, very particular ways:) But, it is always SO entertaining. And who doesn’t love free entertainment, right?! Eve isn’t yet walking…..standing quite well but doesn’t try to take steps on her own. Except in the bath. Don’t know what it is, but she goes a little wacky once she hits the water. Crazy splashing, wants to stand at all times, and literally climbs overtop of Nevaeh. I just wish I had audio to go along with these…..she sounds like such a little alley cat. Nevaeh, on the other hand, has always been pretty mellow, but now that she’s got a partner in crime I think we may be in for it. The peel n stick tiles have definitley got to be replaced with some real ones. haha!

Anyways, enjoy the pics…..I obviously have no idea how to use my flash, but in this instance I don’t really care!!!

In other news….make sure and keep checking in; there is BIG news coming in the near future and I can’t wait to share!!!

Now, is it just me, or does she look oh-so-grown up in this one?!  11 months old….CRAZY!!!!

Classic Nevaeh. She stole this one from her Mama!

Come ON – is she not a spitting image of Jack Nicholson in The Shining?! Gotta love her, crazy little lady!

A year in review. Wow….time really does fly by, doesn’t it?!  The past year has definitely been one of the best I’ve had.  Mistakes were made, the learning is ongoing, and I’m still dreaming. Big. There have been times I’ve questioned what I’m doing, if I’m doing the right thing…but the fact that I actually enjoy working away at 2 a.m. must mean something, right?! There’s a quote I read on Tara Whitney’s blog a few days ago, which was so fitting ….” If you want to know where your heart is, look where your mind goes when it wanders”. Well, my mind is always a wandering – all over the bloody place. That’s the problem with being Gemini – I can’t stay focused long enough to finish a thought. Luckily for me I have great friends and fam who (try) to keep me on track( you know who you are)!

This past year or so has brought so many changes…..a new home, new jobs and of course our new baby girl Eve. Lucky for us, big sis Nevaeh thinks she’s just as sweet as we do and we haven’t had to deal with jealous fits of rage, pulling hair or eye poking. Well, yet anyway. Eve’s personality is really becoming apparent, and I’m pretty sure she isn’t going to be the quiet, mellow timid little thing we’d first thought. She may just follow in her “big sissies” footsteps and have a very outgoing “look at me world” kind of outlook.  As long as they can pause for a moment once in a while for me to snap a few shots of their cute little faces, I don’t mind.

Be forewarned, this post is ridiculously long…..I never realized just how many photos we really do have. And to think that the majority of these are the “portraits”.  I’ve been working on a coffee table album for my blogover the past year, so had to include these faves for the end of it. Wondering who I’m doing it through? Blurb. They will actually “slurp” your blog and print it up all fancy for you to hold onto. Something to show for all our late nights, right?! A big thank you to my hubby for never complaining about how much I work in the evenings( well, rarely complaining)! I promise that 2010 will include me coming to bed at least a few hours earlier each night. And of course I couldn’t possibly post with saying thankyouthankyouthankyou to Brooke for capturing all the pics of our fam , as well as a bunch more in this post; love each and every one of them and feel insanely lucky to have you around.

So, here it is. The biggest post ever. And just so you know, it was never intended to be so lengthy….I just started to get all mushy and sentimental and, well…they’re just so darned cute!  I suppose this post was kind of for me to look back at ( perhaps when I’m having a “yuck” day and wish I could have an on call nanny to deal with not-so-fun Mum stuff)! These are pretty much guaranteed to make me smile:)

Enjoy…..

These were taken a few months before Eve arrived :: thanks Brooke!

I think this is a contender for one of the warm-fuzziest belly pics EVER!
33.5 weeks ( yup-I’m counting the .5) It was -14 degrees outside and Brooke still managed to make me laugh!February 22nd, 2009 at 3:30 she arrived. Eight pounds one ounce and easy-peasy. I guess it was a hint of how she was going to be as a baby…..we couldn’t have asked for a sweeter little thing.Eve was under 5 days old in the pics above, and just a few weeks here. What I can’t believe is how much Nevaeh has grown up since then…she still looked so wee here!

Possibly the best little ballerina pic EVER….look at all those hungry bums!Father’s Day. Love these.This image needed a LOT of editing to salvage it; bad lighting and a lot of noise to start with, but it is one of my absolute faves….Eve was just 12 weeks here and looks like such a little doll..

These were taken by Brooke on her daughter’s 1st birthday… I’d photographed Miss Isla and Brooke decided to grab a few of us. So glad you did.

Nevaeh at almost 4 years old and Eve at 6 months. I could just squeeze them in these pics…..Our biggest girly-girl. Love you Miss.
Okay, come ON! If this pic doesn’t make you have baby fever I don’t know what will. Absolutely my favourite shot of her. Mmmm. Thanks again Brooke, man I adore this image.
Baby Miss. 
These don’t really fit, I know….but here are some summertime pics of B and I. Thank you thank you to Andrea Blair for the images us together – so much fun!

My besties of the girls together. An impromptu session at home while Nanny was in town for a visit. Homemade tutus +cardboard crowns = adorable! Miss Nevaeh + her 4th Birthday Party :: Alice in Wonderland Style Perhaps the best “real” moment I’ve captured of them…..I can only imagine what Eve was thinking here!Christmas-time pics…..At last a family pic…..this really truly was the 1st taken of the 4 of us; not even a snap before this one. I dragged B out in the cold and had her shoot us for 10 minutes before she met another fam. Couldn’t have been more thrilled. Love you so, SO much !!!! Mwah! xoxox

You guys tired of us yet??!  My girls and I, that is. I know, it seems like I’ve been doing nothing but shooting these two…but really, I HAVE! It’s almost as though this blog of mine has turned into the ramblings of our little fam and that’s IT!   I’m still staying up late at night- not AS late, usually in bed by 1a.m. instead of 3. It’s progress, right?  Mainly I’ve been working on weddings…..luckily I have a better system in place for 2010. This year, I’m embarassed to say, I had clients choose their images for editing and it didn’t work out in my favour. Of course orders trickle in slowly, and then…WHAM!  11 orders just in December. That’s about 700 images to edit ( I need to learn batching)! and 11 coffee table albums. I WILL be done all by March. I will. I was saying to Brooke last night that luckily for me, I a excited about editing each and every wedding….some are even from 2008! That’s a definite upside, as there’s not much worse in post-processing than working on something you’re not into. Okay, enough babble for now, just thought I’d send out an update!   Onto the newest post of the girls…..yet again!

The first big dump of 2010, and Eve’s first time playing in the white stuff. I was prepared for the whimpering and her quiet little cries, but I wasn’t prepared for her actual response to the wet stuff. And ohhhhhh, was it wet! Just like the good ol days playing in the West Coast slush. I dressed her up in the coziest things I could find; they weren’t actually waterproof, but it was the best I could do. Let’s be honest….I figured she’d hate it and we’d be inside after 2 minutes. I set her down. Waited. She rolled into crawl mode – and totally face washed herself!  I of course grabbed her by the tail to save her….she did it again. Loved it. I clicked off what I could, but it was coming down so fast and wet I was worried about the camera….at least I was using the old one:)  

Nevaeh liked it as well, but I think she’s more of a fair weather girl like her Mama…..10 minutes and she was asking for hot chocolate. I’m hoping she’ll like the fluffier snow up at the Mountain better! Tubing and skating…..I’m not ready for her to try boarding for another couple years. Yup, I’m a bit paranoid, what can I say?! 

Thanks for dropping by….hope your New Year is off to a great start!!!

And for any photogs reading this……WHOA! Can I ever tell the difference in the these pics and how much I had to tweak them compared to my other camera. I usually shoot with the Canon 5D Mark 2, and these were with the Canon 30D. Both great cameras, but what a difference! My point – if you’re on the fence about upgrading and can swing it – WELL worth it!!!

Christmas morning, 7:30 a.m. We woke up to two sniffly girls, the littlest with an ear infection who had barely cracked a smile in the past few days…but once they got up and saw the twinkly lights and prezzies, they were both grinning ear to ear .  Even Eve, at 10 months old was seriously into tearing into her biggest box. And Nevaeh didn’t surprise me, she was thrilled with every little thing right down to the packs of undies, if not a tad overwhelmed with everything ! We had a great day, a little crazy…..Aunty A even got Nevaeh dolled up in a dog collar choker- I think she really thought she looked cool. Great. Thanks Andrea!   And a big thanks to all the family for spoiling the girls ( really, Nanny……STOP it)!  and more importantly, for all making it to the same spot this year; maybe next time we won’t be feeling like sickos and I’ll be able to kick you -know-what at the beer-pong table.  Look out people…….

And enjoy the pics!

 
The four grandgirlies hanging proudly on Nanny’s tree…..We decided to abandon the actual “Christmas jammies” on Christmas Eve and replace them with the cutest jams EVER….they say ” bear hug” on them; I seriously could have squeezed them both alllll day…I swear the excitement of the toys was a better cure for her than the prescriptions……Eve’s big prezzie….she adores it!
The card was written by Nevaeh for Mummy’s gift……A post-present story break with Papa. I believe she was enjoying her snuggle time, and was very unimpressed with me for interrupting yet again…they’ll love me for it later, right?!
Oh yeah, it’s a dog collar. Thing that bothers me the most is she looks freakin’ cute in it! ( If not mildly crazy in that first one)!
Hope everyone had a wonderful time celebrating ‘09…..and thank you ALL for stopping by!

Christmas baking with Nanny. What could possibly be more fun for two 4 year olds?!  Nevaeh and her cousin Ellie, who are 7 weeks apart ( oh yeah, Nevaeh lost out in the height department)! spent the morning with my Mum baking away. Sugar cookies, lots of icing and decorating and birds nest cookies filled with jam. Yumma-yumma! We were quite impressed at the job they did, and I’m pretty sure they were as well, judging by the amount of cookies they ate!  Anyways, thank you Nanny, and enjoy the pics!

Michele

Batch 1….finger lickin’ good, apparently! Taking a break for a Christmas show….Nevaeh didn’t like the bad guy at ALL!They’re pretty darned cute, aren’t they?!Batch #2 Something about this one just makes me smile:) Didn’t they do a fabulous job?!

Cookie “cheers” ! 

A continuation of my previous post. These were all shot by the wonderfully talented Andrea Blair. Please make sure to check out her work – she seriously rocks!  As you can see, there were a lot more smiles and giggling in this round of photos ( as opposed to our individual shots). I was definately the most uncomfortable on my own – it’s always easier when there’s someone to goof off with. And keep in mind that it was MUCH tougher for me being in front of the camera…..not only did I want to look purdy, I also didn’t want to look like an oompa-loompa. So, Brooke being as wonderful as she is let me wear heels ( she was in bare feet) AND always pushed me onto the “higher ground”.  I love optical illusions, don’t you?!  

Big, huge thanks again goes out to Vintage and Vogue for supplying both of our wardrobes as well as the immaculate vintage cruiser bicycle – that thing weighed a TONNE!!!  

Enjoy the pics:)

You can almost believe I’m 5′6 instead of 5′2, right?!  Thanks B!These 2 are totally my faves….I was a teensy bit tipsy and trying not to drop her:)Oh yeah, I can work a mean ” Star Search” smile!Outfit change #2 – we weren’t loving the look quite as much but it didn’t matter – we were trying too hard not to bail off the bike. Can’t believe I trusted B enough to climb on. The bike – how I wish I owned one of these, if not only for photo purposes…..