The Princess Underwater

This is a shoot that I did quite a while ago. It was an experiment more then a shoot. I originally wanted to shoot underwater but finding the equipment and space was a bit of a challenging, not to mention my daughter had just started to learn how to swim. So I searched for alternate solutions, when a friend and fellow photographer of mind suggested the method she had used for a recent shoot she did. Which was to shoot through a water table and create the set underneath. These are the results from the shoot. hope you enjoy them my team and I worked so hard on set to create it. I am happy they have resurfaced again. (no pun intended )

Independence and Responsibilities:

 So this is My Daughter Ariana as you all know. she is 5yrs old turning 6 in November... and i just cant believe it how time flies.. i still see her as my lil' girl like in the first post of my blog, that little 3yr old. but here she is all 5yrs grown up.... and everyday she surprises me and makes us proud. As of recent we have been trying to teach her the value of money, so i set up a chore chart where she has the option to pick the chores she wants to do, and each chore is allocated a  monetary value. but she still has her chores that are a must and that she needs to do regardless, such as making her bed, putting her dish in the dishwasher and putting her toys away. she gets paid for chores that is mainly a family effort such as feeding the family dog, or help putting laundry away etc. She also helped out at her Grandparent's house watering plants and helping her grandmother bake cookies.. although they did slip her more money then necessary, which helped a lot !

Meet  Piggie

 Her goal was to buy a pet of her own. we where reluctant at first especially me because i know i would end up becoming the primary care giver/taker. And  like with all things, with 5yr old  they become bored and lose interest after a while. but my husband and i decided that if she where to work and earn her money for her pet that perhaps she would appreciate it more having learnt that money doesn't just come easy and by simply going to the bank pushing a few numbers on a machine and voilà out comes oodles of money as she seems to think at times. but that its done through time and effort, we also hoped that this lesson would not only help her to appreciate money but to become responsible in spending it wisely too. So after 3months of saving and hard work, she reached her goal, and the delight of seeing her face light up with joy and pride that she did it! was so rewarding. 

Putting the cage together was a ripe pain in my petunia.. luckily a little help from Dad, Piggie was on his way to living in his mansion.

Ariana whipping up Piggies Welcome Dinner! 

 Piggie meets  our dog Bogie for the first time. notice piggies pose for the camera quite a poser!

And Then..... 

Meet Harvey!

So If Having an Extra pet in our house wasn't enough, my husband decided to take advantage of the situation and slip in Harvey... now harvey isn't just a cute "widdle" rabbit no, if you knew my husband you would know that just a normal rabbit wouldn't do. Harvey is a flemish rabbit, and for those of you who don't know what that really means He is a giant compared to other rabbits (well at least he will be  when he grows up his only a month old and already his the size of a regular adult rabbit) Flemish rabbits grow around on average to be 16-20lbs some have been recorded to have grown as big as 40lbs!!... yup harvey just might turn out to be a a fluffy bouncy version of a labrador..... Great! soon we'll be open for a petting farm !

Show Time :

         

I'm  so excited to announce that I will be participating in my first trade show event, held by the Vaughan mompreneurs  at paradise banquet hall on Sunday, March 25th. the show runs from 10am to 4pm and admission is $2. all proceeds will benefit zach's dream room. Which is such a heart touching and worthy cause.

I'm planing to have some fun at the show with a photo booth if you plan on coming to the event, i hope you will stop by the booth to come make some funny faces with your little one(s).

Win a Free photo session! :

         We will also be doing a draw at the show, for a free 1hour mini in home portrait  

        session.Which will be displayed in a 7x7 Rave book along with a Cd of 50 web sized  

         fully re-touched Photographers choice of images

                                            

                                                                   -Valued at $500.

                       

Being Social:

So this past  few weeks i have been trying to become more involved with social networking, and let me tell you it hasnt been easy. You would think sitting behind a computer screen would make it so easy to chat to people. I mean its perfect you dont have to be intimidated by a well established or empowered person or have to worry, did i say something stupid, don't have to worry if you in vogue...So now i sit in  wide eyed and excited in front of my computer..  and then i  draw a blank.  I start skimming through all the current statuses and conversation waiting for that opportunity to jump in and join in. Its like watching my daughter at a park where she shyly dances around a kid or a group of them hoping that one of them will notice she's been closely trailing along and that one of them will eventually ask "hey wanna play?"Yes its become a "playground" for me. and i think to myself no, no, no, this is not going to happen. I need to start taking  my own advise i give to my daughter " To have a friend you have to be a friend"so advice in mind, i'm just gonna jump right in there and be like hey look at me!! can you do this? hanging upside down from the monkey bars (figuratively speaking). So i put a plan into action and joined a group to help me learn the ropes the Vaughan Mompreneurs (www.vaughanmompreneurs.com) its been super great  joining this group i have been to several events where they have meet  ups that have been fun and business building, most recently i went to a social media and networking workshop and it was so informative it helped me not only learn how to interact but also to navigate the tools that social networking has... Trust me for a long time i was all thumbs with Twitter, Facebook, blogging and all the other social media networking outlets, slowly with constant practice and lots of trials and error, i think i am slowly getting the hang of things.  Here is a List of my social networks that i am linked to. I hope that you'll stop by and hang upside down with me on some monkey bars  (figuratively speaking of course).  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/Photasia_CarlaS

Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pages/Photasia-by-Carla-Silva/224882690858143?ref=tn_tnmn

Website: www.photasia.ca

March Madness:

Wow. March has barely begun and it’s shaping up to be a crazy month.

As most mum’s know, March Break is coming up. Always a fun time, it means I’ll have my little one home with me during a busy work week. I’m sure Ari and I will get up to tons of trouble and fun .I posted up some images of last years march break when i took Ariana on a pre-photo shoot.I was scouting potential locations and decided to make the most of it, by creating personal photos. this is my favorite shoot and spot out of the bunch.

On the work front, I’ll be shooting some fall looks half way through the month. I’m just solidifying location and wardrobe. I’m really excited for this. It’s always great to take control on the creative side of things.Who know i might just be adding new photos of Ariana just in time for easter  greeting cards to family abroad.

The Leap of Faith:

Given today being a Leap Day, i decided to Name this post "Leap of Faith" not only is it fitting but  this story is truly a leap of  faith.This photo shoot is of Arwen my true first client. I had been shooting a lot of my friends kids testing out styles and locations, scenarios, what kids tolerated for how long, how could i coax them into uncontrived poses and still create a story out of it all, instead of a series of images that were good to look at. I wanted to approach it with the same principle as shooting a fashion shoot for an editorial spread only challenge now was that i was working with children and not  these tall professional models. it was things to adjust too and nothing too hard to overcome.So with ideas in place, wardrobe pick out, location selected (my backyard) my best stylist and hair and make-up artist in tow we set out on our editorial shoot. and voila! My first Editorial portraiture as i like to call it.

The Beginning,The Genesis, The Start:

Although I had been shooting for almost 4yrs already here in Canada this was really the beginning of a career for me. I had been shooting fashion and commercial photography for almost 4yrs already and  i was still trying to scratch a noticeable mark in the Toronto fashion industry and although I had turned heads here and there I still wasn't quite there yet.Just when i was starting to get somewhere in the industry i got pregnant. Dont get me wrong it was all planned i wanted to be a mother and looked forward to it but, little did i know that it was an end to the career i was struggling hard to make and a beginning to a much fun and rewarding one that i would embark on. these images above and below are the spark to the kindle of my burning desire for the career i was trying to make. thanks to my beautiful muse and daughter I love dearly never have i found such a rewarding job. I hope that you will enjoy the journey of our story  .