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)

We get asked all the time what lenses we use to create our images.  Well, this week we're letting the cat out of the bag... so to speak.  We've gone through a whole lot of lenses in the past and are constantly upgrading our gear, but these ones have stuck with us so far.  They were carefully selected to fit our style and the type of photography we do. 

Here's the run-down:
Canon 16-35mm F2.8 L II
Canon 85mm F1.8
Canon 10-22mm F2.5-4.5
Canon 24-70mm F2.8 L
Canon 70-200mm F2.8 L IS
Sigma 18-50mm F2.8

We also have a 50mm F1.8 (not pictured above) which is a super fun, super light lens - probably one of Mary's faves!  As for our actual lens bags, I use the awesome Boda Bag created by Jim Garner and Mary LOVES her Jessica Claire Shoot Sac.  Both bags allow us to travel light and comfortably.  They carry and protect our gear without getting in the way, allowing us to do what we do with our cameras!

So there you have it - our well-loved collection of glass.  If you have a fave lens, let us know in the comments below!

This past weekend, we had the awesome opportunity to be a part of the 29th Genie Awards held in Ottawa, April 4th.  The event celebrating the best in Canadian film was held none other than at the Nation's Capital Canada Aviation Museum, which was transformed beautifully to host the main event.  Definitely huge props (pun intended!) to the people that put the event together as it was a huge success!  The feel you get when you enter the building is that this was larger-than-life.  It was amazing to be surrounded by massive aircrafts and to experience the excitement and anticipation as the night went on!

Tulips and Maple was the esteemed caterer for the cocktail event and we were honoured to be chosen to work with them in capturing the evening.  Mark, owner and visioneer, along with his staff did an incredible job in staging the food and presentation!  Here, the chef and his staff are working hard behind the scene meticulously...
 

And the food was exquisite!
  

It was great to be amongst Canadians and to celebrate excellence and achievement in Canadian film.  There is a sense of national pride and awareness that we could see as we participated in the event.  They were definitely a fun crowd with a great sense of humour and unique style.  We've captured some of the gorgeous people that we've had the pleasure of meeting and talking with.  Thanks to everyone who worked it out in front of our cameras, you guys are beautiful and we love you! 

The awards ceremony was hosted by the hilarious, Dave Foley.
 

Also presenting the awards was Kristin Booth, who also won Best Supporting Actress (for her film, Young People F***ing).  Her coveted dress was custom designed by Rosemarie Umetsu, so that is who I'll be checking out ladies! :)

Our last shot of the night... (another self portrait as we tried to not drop the camera, as shown by the concern on my face!)

Congratulations to all the winners and nominees!  Thank you for sharing your work with us.  Special thanks to Mark and his team at Tulips and Maple for being super fabulous! We wish you all the success and look forward to working with you at the next event.

Much love,
Sam and Mary