The Shephard Family & a bit of Creativity

Oct 29^th saw us going to Rockwood Park for another Photo shoot.  Only this time I decided to express some creativity. This is something that we haven’t done really. I usually go to a site and whatever I come up with on the spot that’s what I take. There was a little bit of that this time but Ryan and Trisha are allot of fun and I knew they would indulge me.  

Let me first say that it was a chilly morning. And when we got into the wooded paths it got chillier. But that didn’t stop us. We stayed at the first part of the path then we went to the big playground at Rockwood park which was a great spot for some kid pics.

Here are some examples:

 This picture is super cute. Ryan & Trisha in the BG with Annabelle Peeking through the frame. My wife is holding the frame and Annabelle just did that on her own. I am glad I captured it.

 We saw this on a site and loved the Idea. My wife's penmanship is excellent.

 As you can tell it was cold due to Trisha's sleeve over her hand hehe. I didn't even catch this when I was taking the picture. I am a slacker.

 This would have been an awesome picture if I had a better Superman shirt which I will find. So I am not done with this pose yet...

 Another Idea we came up with is taking a picture from this series and put it in the frame. This took a little while but I like the outcome.

This would be my fav of the creative side of things. As you can see Ryan is a brute to be able to hold her up like that. They are great sports and I thank them for allowing me to capture their family with my Lens. 

Well we are headed out to Rothesay tomorrow for another photo shoot. The leaves are pretty much gone due to the winter blast that we had. So it will be super cold her on out. Stay tuned for the update :D

Thanks for looking at the world through my eyes!

The Gallant Family

Yesterday I had pictures in Grand Bay-Westfield at Unity Park with the Gallant family. I have never been at that park before and I must say it was a beautiful small park. They have a huge Gazebo, Trees and large rocks. A Very nice place.

We started off at the Gazebo and had some fun there. We also went to some Train Tracks which was fantastic. I have always wanted to shoot at Train tracks and I finally did. Once we were done at the train tracks I took them to the brook that was behind a house.

The yard that we walked through was the house of one of my good friends growing up. I hadn’t seen it is 17 years. The only issue was walking down to the Brook. I didn’t even notice until they were sticking into my flesh and that was Thorns!! Lots of them. So we plowed through and made it to the brook. With stinging Bleeding legs I captured what I wanted to and then we were finally done.

Overall the kids did fantastic. They were good from the get go. Here are some samples.

 I know allot of parents want that perfect smile from their kids and that's fine. But there are sometimes that the serious natural looks are the best and with these kids I was all about it. They look great.

 Caleb is a very photogenic. The fallish trees in the background really compliments the style that I added to this picture.

 I really like this Gazebo. Very nice!!!

I really like this picture. His expression is very serious. I was lying down on the train tracks to capture some of these hehe.

 Also lying down on the Gazebo. If they are going to get dirty I might as well too.

 The colours that she was wearing really stands out from the picture.

 One of my Fav pics of the group. She has really bright Blue eyes so I couldn't help but turn the picture B&W, tone down the Clarity and bring out the color of her eyes.

I captured several of these fun pictures. again I am not one to have that Perfect shot setup. I want people to be as natural as can be for most of the pictures.

 Diane had tons of ideas that she found on the internet and this was one of them. I love this picture. Larger format this picture looks excellent.

Jacob, the oldest of the three. He is also very photogenic. 

Thank you to the Gallant family for allowing me to capture your family through photography. I had a great time and the kids did excellent. 

Well for me It's looking like this weekend is clear so I get to relax some with my fam. My wife and I are starting the creative side of photography and we are starting to gather resources. I am excited with some of the Ideas that I have and I just need some Brave souls that are willing to brave my Shenanigans.

Well thanks for looking at the world through my eyes!!

Photoshoot - Oct 22nd ~ A Perfect Fall Day ~

This weekend was beautiful for pictures. The weather was perfect and excitingly I had two appointments. Both appointments were at Rockwood park and it was one right after another. So off to Rockwood Park we all went. Now 99% of the time my family comes with me. I like it that way.

Our first appointment was with our good friends the Yerxa Family. A family of 5 with young twins. The kids were excited and just loved being in the woods. Their oldest Cameron and My oldest Isaiah are good friends so they got to hang out some. They Mostly use sticks as guns and go hunting in the woods some. Nutbars…haha

Here are some samples:

 HAHA Here is Noah. This is one funny kid. He didn't like being perched up on here but when his mom spoke to him this is the look she got. I did get him smiling but I thought this was priceless.

 Twins: Gabby and Noah. Happy to be in front of the camera.

 Here are Cameron, Noah & Gabby walking down the path. I do like capturing this type of picture. Not sure how Real it is though but it looks good. Unless Cam is an awesome big brother and he is more than happy to hold their hands and walk with him. I will say he did everything he was told too :)

 Here is Ben and Becky. The smaller picture doesn't do this pic Justice. I turned it Black and White. Sharpened it and turned up the contrast. I Liked the finished product.

 Here is Gabby and her Thinker pose.

 This picture is Priceless. Gabby is hugging Noah so tightly that the look on his face of desperation and help is awesome.

 The Big Brother Cameron.

And here is the full Yerxa family. I did allot of Black & White pictures for them. Sometimes B&W just adds so much more character. Thank you folks for allowing me to do your pictures :)

My Next appointment was with the McElhinney family. I use to work with Jordan before he moved on to Bigger and better things. I have taken there pictures before and I am glad they came back. Like I stated before gotta love returning customers.  

Now I must say that this session was very Unique. And what I mean by that is Katrina came prepared and knew exactly what she wanted. All too often people want pictures taken but they have no clue what they want. When I ask them what they are looking for I usually get “I don’t know, you’re the photographer” haha. Not Katrina, with a carrying case in hand a list of shots that she wanted we were ready to go.

One of her Ideas I found to be fantastic was when she pulled out a Chalk Board! She wrote Merry Christmas on it and they had family pics with it. Next she had 8 x 10 Chalk board Frames and she wrote out an individual letter of the word LOVE and each family member held up a specific word. It was excellent.

Here are some samples of the photo shoot.  

 So here is that Idea I was talking about. Excellent!!

 Another one of Katrina's Ideas. The kids even enjoyed this as well.

 I have never done this pose before and I saw it last week. I really liked it.

 This is Faith. A Very Cute little girl. I really like getting close with the camera to capture just the face. You can do so much with it.

So here is a quick collage that I did up with the four pictures. As you can see this is a great picture and an awesome Idea.

 Here is Isaiah Snuggling with Mom.

This is another quick collage I did of the the kids. With all honesty I am not a fan of this. I could have done better. I just wanted to try this and see what it looked like. Thank you guys for allowing me to take your family pictures again :)

Well there you have it. What's next for John Paul Photography? I am headed out to Grandbay-Westfield on Wednesday and then I have another appointment at the Irving Nature Park on Sunday. I am hoping that the weather holds up. It is looking Sketchy for this week. But I am excited for Snow on Friday :D

Here is a link to my Photography site. "John Paul Photography"

Thanks for Looking at the world through my eyes...

Photoshoot - Oct 15th ~ Gale Force Winds ~

This past weekend I had 3 picture appointments. Sadly the weather didn’t work out for 2 of them. The one appointment that Mother Nature would allow me to have was out in Meenan’s cove. I just want to say that this is an awesome place in the fall with all of the leaves all over the ground.

Also on Friday I picked up my new Camera the Canon D50. I have been using the Canon Rebel Xti for the last 3 years and so this was a big step up. Not only in weight, size, Picture size (Cause I shoot in Raw) but picture quality as well.

Pictures were with the Noftell family. Dad, Mom & two daughters and I must say this was a fun family. Let me first say that the wind was incredibly powerful. It was gale force winds. I’m not kidding. The nice thing was that it wasn’t a cold wind or the fun factor would have been ZERO!

There is a path at Meenan’s cove that I take people around that has so many photo op moments. And finally some of the tree leaves are turning a bright orange which is beautiful. This was a fun family and the daughters seemed to have had a good time. You will be able to tell by the candid pics I got.

Here are some samples:

 So here is a little Collage that I did. There is a wooden fence across from Meenan's cove that looks awesome. My wife said to me that I should take their pics there. Great Idea!!

 This was during one of those Gale Force moments. It was just starting to die down at that moment. Nice capture.

 Ok so this is Miss "Love the camera" She was allot of fun. Loved having her picture taken. She has a great personality

 Some leaves on the ground. We were just starting out the session so they were a bit reserved though you cant tell by this picture.

 Not only are the leaves beautiful in the background this is a nice looking picture as well. Fantastic couple!

 This was another one of those GOTCHA moments. I know people like posing and being told to sit here and do this or do that. I do do that (Yes I said do do hehe) but I would rather have the people do whatever and I capture them. so with this I told them to walk up and down the path and not even look at the camera. And this was one of those shots.

 This is my wifes fav shot of the group and the Noftells are printing a 20 x 30 of this. Its a really nice capture of all of them. Beautiful Family

 I should have named this "Tales of Tay Tay & Kales" I took several Sister pics and put them together. As I stated before these were great kids and allot of fun. Thank you girls!!

 A little HDR action. So every year their mother gets them to do this pose and she captures them. Well I decided to get a better angle so I decided to lay flat down on my stomach so I can be almost even with them. This shot isn't bad. I have better ones of this pose.

So here are the crazy kids again. They were having allot of fun. See getting your pictures taken doesn't have to be that bad  ;-)










So that's it. Today I have my own family pics to do so that will be exciting. And then a few more appointments this weekend. Looking forward to it. If you are looking for more of my work check out my FaceBook page here John Paul Photography

Thanks for stopping in and seeing the world through my eyes.

Wherefore Art Thou Fall-eo

A couple weeks ago I had to drive to Fredericton for a meeting and I wish I had of brought my camera because the fall colors there were amazing. The trees were full of red & yellow and green, such a beautiful site. No where I live in Saint John, NB the leaves are still green for the most part. In fact due to being so close to the Bay the weather is never consistent therefore our seasons are usually messed up.

Now last week it was cold. With the wind chill we saw that it got down to -5 degrees. We also had a frost warning which killed allot of flowers. But then Saturday hits and its +20 and then Sunday hits and I believe it was +25. It was Hot. I had to use the AC on the weekend.

I had 3 picture appointments this weekend and you would think that since we are almost mid October that the leaves would be so beautiful? Nope, not in our city. In fact the leaves that have fallen are still green. And that’s what I mean when I say the seasons are usually messed up. Things die before nature takes its course, which means to capture the incredible beauty of fall I have a very short window.

My first appointment we went to Meenan’s cove. I have taken the Burke’s pictures 3 times prior and it was great to do them again. As I stated the weather was incredible. It was really hot and it wasn’t windy.

Here are a few samples:

This is their Daughter. I have taken her pics since she was a baby. This pose I like to capture when we come to park benches. You really can capture precious moments.

This is their Son. He is an awesome kid. He has a great personality and here you can see it. I think this was his philosopher pose. Maybe even “The Thinker” hehe

Here are the parents. We all grew up together down the Blvds. It’s wonderful to see this family grow.

My second appointment was at Rockwood Park. As you can tell from my previous posts I do pictures here allot. This is an ideal place for pictures. My wife went to High school with the mother of the Dallon  family and it was great to take their pictures. I like larger group shots. It really makes for a great variety of pictures.

This is their family. Can I just pause for a minute and say Family is so precious that it is worth nurturing and investing in it.  And as you can see with this beautiful family it is worth it! Just wanted to throw that out the there.

Here is how I take family group shots. Now this is cutting edge…Are you ready? I tell everyone to get together! BAM!!!! I am not a photographer that needs to set up the perfect shot and annoy everyone by saying sit here and stand there and do this. Yes I do use some poses that I like but for the most part I want the people to be comfortable and I would rather them use their personality and situate themselves.

Working with kids can go either way. That’s why I take a very soft approach when working with them. If you can make them seem as if they have some ownership your window of opportunity opens up more. If you don’t get that perfect shot that’s fine. Photoshop can help with that hehe.

My Last appointment was on Sunday which was allot hotter than Saturday. We went to public gardens which from a distance looked beautiful. Then when you got close you noticed that 90% of the flowers were dead. The care taker said that the frost that we had two days prior killed allot of the flowers. But none the less we found some good areas to take pictures. We then went to a pond at rockwood park to take the rest of the photos. I just want to say that they were awesome pics and I was very pleased with them.

So that was last weekend. It was a bit busy but I am fine with that. I have more pictures this weekend and I am hoping there will be a bit more colors. It’s mid October and I want some colors in the leaves for some pics. I am so looking for some. Fall-eo, Fall-eo, Wherefore Art Thou Fall-eo.

See the world through my eyes…

Sep 25 Photoshoot ~ The Place Family ~

This past weekend I had a photo shoot with the Place family. I think this was my fourth time doing family pics for them. I really appreciate return customers. The Place’s are excellent to work with anyways.

We went to Rockwood Park http://rockwoodpark.ca/ to take the pictures. This is a beautiful area to take pictures in no matter the season but fall is awesome with the leaves changing. The day was beautiful. I think it was the warmest late September day that I ever remember. I even had to have the AC on while I was driving there.

There is a path that I like to take people to have their pictures done. It’s close to the playground. It’s very picturesque with all the trees, leaves & benches. There are many possibilities for different scenes. The path does just about a complete circle so where you start you end up. With taking pictures it takes about 45 minutes to complete.

Here are a couple samples:

 This is a small fence that goes along the path which makes fo rsome fantastic poses and shots. Now some of you who are not Canadian may be thinking "It's the end of September and they are not wearing Coats"? hehe thats what I'm talking about. Beautiful day!

 I Love this tree to the left of the picture. It makes for great individual pics as well as group shots as you can see. It adds allot of character to the picture.

This hill can take it's toll on you when you are walking it but at the base of the hill gives way for a group shot opportunity. I like the fact that they are all not smiling. Another thing that I enjoy about this picture is how they are scattered. Allot of people think you need a Uniform picture where everything is in order but not so. If you are doing a group pic try scattering the people and see what you get. Photo tip: Make sure you watch your F-Stop!

Ok so I am a Photoshop geek. Hands down. I love it. And I use Photoshop for all my pictures that need a little pick me up or need a little character. I Love just capturing the faces of people. I got the idea from Extreme Hom Makeover and when there are kids involved there are always shots of the kids face and thats it. It fills the frame and to me thats Brilliant.



Well that's it for now. I have another picture appointment on Saturday and I am looking forward to that. I just want to say Thank you Place family for your continuing support!

See the world through my eyes!