constancepohlphotography.com

Sometimes Often I get way behind in my blogging.  This time it’s been really bad – I mean I can count on one hand the number  of times I’ve blogged in the last year and a half… eek!  At this point I wonder how far back do I go… if I go out of order will people take me out back and shoot me be mad at me?  So I’m attempting to blog without listening to the voices in my head.  I really have a people pleasing problem!

This is totally out of order but will be the first of many out of order blog posts in the near future… but I know fall is going to be right around the corner before we evening know it and I want to show off some of my awesome fall sessions – I can’t wait to do it all over again in a few months!

I’m about to run out the door to get our back to school shopping done and that means it’s time to announce our 2012 Fall Family Mini Sessions!

Thanks to FB we only have 5:30pm and 7pm left on the Friday, but all of the time slots are up for grabs for the Thursday!  Because I’m doing this in two evenings vs an all day event it means that everyone is going to have that pretty evening light for their family portraits!  E-mail me at mail@constancpohlphotography.com to book your time slot!

This is birthday week at our house.  Eve missed Hunter’s birthday by a mere hour!  So in honour Hunter’s 6th birthday I thought I’d share my letter to my son this year.

Dear Hunter,

God knew what he was doing when he made you the oldest brother!  We tease and tell you that you are our favourite son, our only son.  You tell me that I’m your favourite mom.  You proudly proclaim to anyone we come across that THIS is your mom!  I’m thankful and appreciative of this incredibly affectionate time in your life as I know that life often teaches boys to hide their emotions.  You love with your whole heart often proclaiming how much you love us, your sisters, and even your friends!  Yes God knew what He was doing by making you the oldest… especially to 2 sisters!

I am thankful for the boy God has made, and the man you will become.  Happy 6th Birthday Hunter!

Dear Evelyn

Happy 2^nd Birthday dear girl!

There is a quote that describes our time together so far.  “The days are slow but the years go by so quick”.  I can’t believe you’ve been such an “active” part of our lives for two years!  You are an emotional girl prone to tantrums and mischief just to get attention even if it is negative!

But for all of that you are one of the most affectionate little girls I’ve ever met.  Each morning you reach up to hug me and just hold me… squeezing so tight and wriggling in love from your head to your toes.  You have a special place in our lives.  God has a special plan for you and we believe with all our hearts that He has created you for His purposes.  We have seen you in action as a mere toddler and know that with God’s love and grace you will become a woman like no other.   We love you Eve!

My cousin Stacey and I had the fortunate pleasure of getting to spend most of our childhood years within a few blocks of each other.  We’re close in age, and were always dressed as “twins” by our grandparents and would often coordinate our outfits in the morning before we went to school – where we were in the same class, had the same friends, and did the same activities!  We don’t dress as twins anymore but some of you may recognize her – she has assisted with a session or two on the portrait side – but is my right hand (left leg, right elbow etc ) when it comes to shooting boudoir!  We went out a few weeks ago with an awesome concept… and this is what we got!

By the way – her husband, Luke, is the owner of Sportball here in Edmonton area.  For those of you that don’t know what Sportball is – it’s a way to introduce your kids to sports (soccer, hockey, basketball, baseball, volleyball, tennis, golf, and football) in a non-competitive, fun way!  Our kids LOVE it!  The coaches are high energy and so much fun – it’s a fantastic way to teach your kids the fundamentals of sports, and improve gross motor skills while having fun!

All in all it was one of my favourite urban sessions!  I love it when clients know who they are as a family and incorporate the things that make them unique!  In a family of boys this was the perfect way to incorporate their personalities into the shoot!

I know everyone expected details on this almost a month ago! I apologize – this season has been busier than we anticipated! So thankful to every one of my clients for making it our best fall season yet! It’s been in my head that I wanted to run one last small round of minis before the end of the year! As I eluded on Facebook, the set is modern, and fairly clean but it puts me in the spirit of the holidays how about you?

Author’s note (because I’m the author and I can!): This little girl has been my fourth child for the last 2.5 months (At least during the day, 5 days a week). I’m going to miss her desperately next month when it’s just down to the 3 kids and I. I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to take photos of her. She’s the same age as Eve and so while it’s been busy having “twins”, it’s also been SO much fun!

I am only opening up a few time slots on the morning of Saturday, November 19th for these minis. Here are the details:

Cost: $200
What you get: 20 minute session, 5 images on a disk with print release, and free image upload to Tiny Prints (http://www.tinyprints.com/storefront/constancepohlphoto).

Call 780.721.8976 or e-mail mail@constancepohlphotography.com to schedule your session!  The package price is required to reserve your spot and we will operate on a first come, first serve basis.

There was a time in my life where I was very inspired by fashion. However things have changed a bit having three kids (in four years) and a couple years of survival fashion (sniff sniff… does it smell *obviously* bad? Nah… ok!)

I still love to shop though – especially if it’s “pretend” wardrobes! (It’s like retail therapy without the credit card bill!) So I thought I would talk some of you through my thought process in planning a wardrobe – in hopes that it might inspire you with dressing your own family for pictures this fall!

1. The first thing you need to decide is the kind of style your family is. Yes you have a style… and NO it’s not sweats and puke stains all of the time! Do you love the outdoors? Would you rather take a walk in a forest or on a beach? What style suits your home? Are you rustic, retro, vintage, or contemporary? Perhaps a more urban look would match the style you have in your home!

After a couple years of trial and error I have figured out who my family is NOT. We are not outdoorsy, wind in the willow type people. Well maybe my kids are…(I think they look cute in anything!) but I’m certainly not… which leads me to my next point.

2. Mom’s YOU are the style of the family. Decide what looks good on you! I am not about to put this body in anything white, creamy or lacy. BUT I feel awesome in an outfit that’s a little more on the urban/edgy side with some pops of unexpected colour. Start with YOU and then move to the rest of the family who somehow manage to look good in anything… sigh

3. Channel your inner home decorator. Gone are the days of matching black/white/puce shirts! Lots of layers, colours and textures are going to make your family look SO put together! Imagine you are putting together cushions on a couch. They don’t all match – but have a similar colour scheme. Here are some easy tips for getting that to work.

* Dress your family in neutral colours (i.e. creams, browns, greys, blacks, whites) and add some “pops” of colour (teals, pinks, purples, green, orange, or yellow) by accessorizing (jewellery, cardigans, jackets, scarves, even shoes) with one or two of those colours!

* Pull colours for the rest of the family from a pattern in your daughter’s dress or son’s shirt.

* Choose the colours you want to go with and incorporate them! If it feels a little too circus-y pull in a neutral coloured cardigan, or that cute cord jacket for your son!

* Jeans look good on everyone! (there now we only have to choose tops! Yay!)

Here’s a quick family look I threw together. All clothes are from Old Navy and Gap. Shoes are from both Old Navy and The Shoe Company, and accessories from Forever 21.

Want your own family look? As part of your full or mini session package you get a “what to wear” consult with me! If you feel good, your pictures are going to look incredible!

We still have some spots available for our Fall Family Minis Sept 17th! (Just over a week away!!) Call or e-mail to book your spot!

There’s something magical that happens at age three. It’s the age where they start hamming it up for the camera and make my job so much easier! I’ve photographed this family of 3 for just about 3 years and had one of my favorite sessions to date with this lovely 3 year old! And isn’t her dress SOOOOOO cute? Her mom is Peekaboo Beans™ stylist Stacy Jackson. Talk about photo-ready outfits that aren’t fussy! LOVE!



Goofball… I love it!


Magical Light…

Today has been a quiet day around the house. I’ve been busy getting a couple sessions ready for their galleries and the kids have been playing quietly on their own which was a blessing after a rather rough start to the day (I’ve been washing bedding all morning lol). In my editing zone I was a little annoyed to hear Eve crying from her room where she was supposed to be having an extra long nap today…she apparently didn’t get the memo.

I decided to take a break and take a couple shots of my poor neglected 3rd child… soon enough her sister came down and joined us in her mismatched purple velour sweat pants, t-shirt and of course pink dress (3rd dress of the day) that she threw overtop. I confess…I contemplated asking her to change clothes or telling her to get out of my shot. I bit my tongue, though maneuvered myself to only take pictures of Eve…

Hunter came down and I asked him to “read” Eve a story. He squints his eyes at me and asks “can I tell a story of my eyes?” That didn’t fit my vision…plus I had no idea what he was talking about! I insisted he read to her…

When I finished taking the picture of him reading to her I got up and put my camera down. He looks at me and asks once again to “tell the story of my eyes”. Sure Hunter – go nuts… He proceeds to squeeze his eyes tightly shut and start with “Once upon a time there was a space ranger named Hunter, a princess named Agelle, and a dragon named Eve.”

…and I’m ashamed by my impatience with him… Dear Hunter – I LOVE your imagination – never lose the ability to “tell the story of your eyes”.

Dear Adelle, You have rocked my world. When you came into my life 3 yrs, 9 months, and two weeks ago – you were a complete surprise. Then you continued to rock my world by showing up two weeks late to your own birthday party after a very difficult day (and tried to crash our anniversary to boot!). I won’t forget it that is for sure! From day one you have taught me to be reliant on God rather than myself, and I thank you for that.

I love you and all that you are. You are love and crazy rolled into one. I love your princess obsession, but hope that I can teach you that true beauty is what God thinks of you and not how sparkly your dress is.

I love the special relationship you have with your brother and hope that as you grow older together that you will remain close.

I love your obsession with soft things! We know how well received something is by the way you simultaneously reach out one hand while putting your thumb in your mouth. You did it when you were 6 months old with your favorite puppy and you did it a few months ago when you met your baby sister (and her soft head) for the first time.

You can be stubborn, but even as we work through toddler issues, I know that God is shaping you to be an incredible woman who will lead rather than follow, love when it’s not the popular thing to do, and choose Him even in the difficult times.

I love you Adelle and wish you the happiest of third birthdays!