We got back from a wonderful and much needed family vacation in Jamaica this winter and had to share this with you all. Our week-long stay at Valley High Villas was amazing in so many ways, but I'm sure the photos will better show you than any description we can write.

The breath-taking views and fantastic accommodations coupled with a friendly staff make this a perfect getaway.  Situated high on a hill, we caught these beautiful sunsets almost every evening.

We loved the rich forests and trees of Jamaica and you can hear the parrots and all kinds of birds living nearby. 

You can see the ocean in the distance from the villas and it is only a short walk before you arrive at a private beach which we enjoyed every day when we were not swimming in the pool. 

There are actually two villas you can rent.  These first few photos are from the original Valley High villa, which has 7 bedrooms.

This is the newly built second villa, called La Palmeras, a 6-bedroom villa with 3 floors of living space and a 4th floor upper terrace. We stayed here with our group of 16 (including kids).

We all dined outside every meal in this covered dining area. The cooks provided were friendly and catered the meals perfectly for us, with a mix of local foods (oxtail was superb as was the jerk chicken!) as well as some customized meals we requested.

Brides, if you are looking for a unique, non-resort destination wedding paradise, we know you and your guests are going to love being catered to at Valley High. Larger parties of 30-50 can rent both the villas, but the newly built La Palmeras villa is the one with the outdoor wedding ceremony and reception venue onsite, as well as the 6 bedrooms.

This is the upper terrace and outdoor ceremonies of up to 100 people can be held here. The pergola structure overlooks amazing panoramic views. We could have stayed and enjoyed the views from up here every day! 

There is a larger dining area upstairs equipped with a bar and lounge area for larger groups or perfect wedding reception.

La Palmeras with the pool at night.

If you are looking for an adventure and would like to experience local culture in Jamaica, just thought we'd share this fabulous villa we found for family vacations and/or the perfect destination wedding. You can find more information on their website at www.valleyhighjamaica.com and contact the owner, Helena, as she is quick to respond to emails and is really fun and easy to work with. For brides, there is a wedding planner onsite that can help you plan your perfect destination wedding!
 
Valley High and La Palmeras villas are definitely high on our "Must Visit Again!" list.

Much love,
Sam and Mary

Pregnancies are another important event that we love documenting.  So much of life is about the busy and get-up-and-go times, but what I love about photographing a woman's pregnancy is that it is all about the waiting.  The anticipation of an expectant newborn child is something that is written on every woman's face (and body).  It is such a privilege for us to be there to document and tell her story, which ultimately is a story of a couple's journey into parenthood. 

Speaking of journeys into parenthood, our 3rd baby is now 2 months old and I wanted to share some images from my very own maternity session.   Being in front of the camera always makes me a little uncomfortable, but as a photographer, I know how important it is to experience being on the other side of the lens.  So, to all our clients... I'm with you guys! :)

Here I am, and what you all have been saying about Sam is so true.  He has a way of making you feel at ease and gives you the license to be yourself, quirks and all; and yet still able to make you look and feel beautiful.  And to top it all off, it was a heck of a lot of fun! :)  Thanks to my awesome photographer husband, for these portraits of this amazing and beautiful time of our lives.

Of course, I had to grab the camera for a few shots of the proud daddy:

Can't wait for more maternity sessions to share with you this year!

Lots a luv,
Mary

2010 is off to an exciting start!  We've happily received a new addition to our lens family namely, the Canon 24-70 F2.8L.  A sort of bittersweet occasion, this lens will replace our well loved, but aging 28-70 F2.8L - one of my fave lenses in our lineup.

First impressions:

The lens is slightly longer and bulkier, but when you're actually using the lens, you'd never be able to tell.  Autofocus is accurate, fast and quiet - moreso than the 28-70, but that could be because of age.  While the 28-70 was beautiful and sharp at the long end (70mm) the 24-70 seems to really shine on at the wide end where images seem crisper and sharper.

For those of you who are wondering: Should I upgrade my 28-70 to the 24-70?  My advice would be that if your old 28-70 still works, keep it and use it.  It's still a fantastic lens and can produce amazing images.  To upgrade just for the extra 4mm is just pure extravagance in my books :)

So what will become of our trusty old 28-70?  Since the AF is not what it used to be, and in the spirit of reusing and recycling, we'll probably re-purpose it as a video lens and use it entirely in manual focus mode.

Happy shooting!
Sam

While nearing the end of their 28 Days of Lust-Haves and Lipstick event featuring prizes, fashion, food, activities and fun seminars at the Billings Bridge Shopping Centre, last weekend's Frugalista Fashionista was definitely amazing! 

Here are some photos from the event that people will be remembering and talking about for sure :)  Entertainment was provided by Amanada Rheaume and DJ Karyen dished up some great grooves! 
   

The event was pulled together by Greta Bloskie, Marketing Director at Billings Bridge, as well as, Samantha Moonsammy and her fantastic team at Starfish Events.  Stylist Alison Hughes (along with Angie Russell of Hush) put on a fabulous fashion seminar! We were thrilled to work with these awesome ladies and all the wonderful people that were a part of this crazy fun day.

The Rideau Valley Roller Girls made a guest appearance and turned heads while serving up coffee shots and treats from the candy bar -- what could be more fun!

Live on location was the girls from HOT 89.9 FM hamming it up in our photo booth!

More action in our photo booth as hundreds of people came by to experience dressing as a star and getting themselves on the cover of a magazine.  It was exciting to be a part of such a big event and the best was seeing all the smiles from people all over the community! Thanks to all the beautiful people we've met, talked with and for allowing us to capture you as you are. 

Samantha also took this photo of us: is there anything this girl does not do! :)

Thanks so much to Greta, Samantha and Aaron Deane for being so much fun to work with.  You guys did an incredible job! We are so grateful to be invited to be a part this community event which brought so many smiles to so many people.

Love,
Mary ( & Sam)

It's finally here!  Yes, we've been anticipating updating our Lifestyle website for some time now and after many (bazillion!) tweaks and working on our new site for the past few months, we are so excited and proud to announce the birth of Sam and Mary Photography | Lifestyle. 

It's everything we've envisioned, with updated new galleries being the most important, larger photos (go big or go home, right? :), and clean, modern and classy - all of which we love!  Sam and Mary Photography | Lifestyle features our work with families, baby, kids, college, models, couples, and bands.  We look forward to capturing fun and stylish Lifestyle sessions with you, whether it be for a pregnancy, pets, portraits, special occasion, birthdays or other events, we'd love to be there this year, so contact us - the skies the limit!

We are the ones blessed by the friendships, lives and laughs shared, and we wanted a site that gives tribute to the super awesome clients that have given us that ultimate trust that we don't take for granted.  We take our work with conscientiousness and passion - nothing less.

We sincerely want to thank all our wonderful clients for sharing your life and love with us. It is truly our gift to offer the very best that is possible in a photography experience.  We approach our photography in a way that is fun and natural, yet fresh and honest -- all the while not sacrificing capturing the essence of who you are, whom and how you love. 

Feel free to check out our portfolio and galleries at our new Sam and Mary Photography | Lifestyle website. We will be adding and updating this site as we go, but please feel free to drop us a line or add a comment to let us know what you think! 

If you are looking to book a session with us, please email us and share your ideas!  We'd love to hear from you and can't wait to share the experience.

Much love,
Mary ( & Sam)