Busy Week at Casa de la Caza

This week, I was challenged in several ways with two photoshoots that took me outside of my element.

The first was the photography of a dance production for a friend of mine, Jennifer Robichaud. Jen is the co-founder and artistic director of the Larchaud Dance Project. I'm afraid you've already missed the production I was shooting, which was showing for 3 days last week, but you can read about Jen and her company at www.larchaud.com.

This experience was different for me because not only was I not photographing kids; but I was photographing contemporary dance, which I know nothing about, and I was shooting in a very dark space with the help of one flash and theatre lighting.

My second challenge this week was a shoot for Today's Parent Toronto, the magazine within a magazine, created for torontonians. I never realized how creatively liberating my style of photography was until I lived within the guidelines of shooting for a magazine cover! I found trying to catch a child smiling into the camera naturally considerably difficult; especially when having to make sure that there were no flinging arms, nose-picking, hunched shoulders, funny faces, or fingers hiding faces.

I never realized how much I loved the quirky photographs I take of kids until I found myself sneaking some between "good" shots. I felt like a girl sneaking a bad pair of leggings on in a change room on TLC's "What Not to Wear"!

But! As challenging as these experiences were for me this week, they were rewarding; the photographs were fantastic, and I love them. I'm not able to share the Today's Parent Toronto shots until the November issue is published, but here are a few samples of the dance shots.

Josée

Shooting Moms!

Well there's something I don't get to do very often! Today I had a shoot with Laurie Gelman, host of The Mom Show, and her fellow co-host, Catherine Marion, came along for the ride... which added alot of fun to the mix!

When we were through with the formal headshots we needed for Laurie, I was able to capture both of the girls together. It was great to see that there are still things that are true on television today; the friendship between these two was tons of fun, and shooting them together made me feel like I was a photographer at a girls' day out!

I've been photographing families for so long that I've forgotten that they aren't the only treasure to capture in life; I think it's time I get together with my girlfriends to celebrate friendship!

Josée

Did you say 23 people? In two hours??

This past weekend I had the pleasure of photographing the loveliest family. When Zainab first e-mailed me and inquired about portraits for a family of 23, my first thought was : « This is going to be a challenge! ». But after meeting everyone, I quickly realized that the only real challenge would be the ruthless sun that was beating down on all of us that Saturday afternoon.

This family was beautiful both esthetically and in spirit, and I felt honored to celebrate them with my work. Eighty-three year old Nana was one of the inspirations of the shoot, and she was such a sweet woman. One of my favorite shots includes her surrounded by her great-grandchildren.

I believe the most valuable riches in life are those we’ve created with love, and photographing the generations of this family was something that reaffirmed that for me. Here are a few portraits from that day.

Josée

Me, on TV!

Well, it's official! Last Tuesday, I was at the Alliance Atlantis studios in Toronto as a guest expert on The Mom Show! My goal was to give great tips to moms on how to take better pictures of their kids, and I think I succeeded... though I was so nervous, looking back on it now, the whole experience is a bit of a blur.

All I remember is waiting in the greenroom and feeling so anxious, that everytime I heard my name said on the TV set broadcasting the taping, I twitched a little. I was a little embarassed and self-conscious because it's not like me to lose my cool, but in the end, everyone was very pleased with what I had to say.

I was a little too busy to ask for a photograph of myself and Catherine or Laurie, but I'll see what I can do about getting a still-shot of the segment, and post it here if I do.

For all of you interested, the episode is set to air in the Fall, on Life Network. The show airs at 7:30am, at 11:00am and again at 2:00pm. There is no specific date planned yet, but the episode number will be 2097, the title of the episode being "Drifting Apart".

Josée

Little Beach Princess & The Anatomy of my Child Portrait Session

Today, I photographed Maria at the Beach. She was, as predicted, the perfect little beach princess, giving me a zillion and a half gorgeous photo-ops. I thought I'd use a few of my favorites to illustrate what I strive to achieve with every child photography session.

I want every angle!

Most of you are already acquainted with my candid style of photography. I believe I have a talent in deciphering beauty on many levels; in the features of your child, but also in the way your child relates to its environment, and in the shapes and lines created by their movements. You're hiring me if you want original work... so expect the direct opposite of the standard commercial shoot.

All work and no play make boring photos!

I'm very married to the idea of letting children be themselves; I try to get as far away as possible from the standard practice of sitting a child down on a platform where he/she is expected to perform for the camera. I *hate* posing. If there is no dangerous reason not to let a kid run, jump and be wild... I welcome it! This is the reason I don't charge extra for location shoots, and love shooting at the beach. The more room there is to play, the very merrier!

Smiles, schmiles!

The most difficult and important thing that I insist on doing during every photoshoot is capturing as many expressions as possible. This is mostly difficult because of the performance issue; very little children don't automatically respond to a camera pointed at them with smiles and giggles. It's also difficult because children are often coached by their parents to be happy during a photoshoot, and will accordingly try to make sure that they get as many smiles as possible during the time we spend together. When the years have passed and you sift through your collections of smiley photos and find these unique and touching expressions moreoften ignored, you'll be moved... I'm certain of it.