pascale wowak photoblog

Lucy and Stella

Here's another family I've been chronicling for a while.   The girls are so cute and Lucy really loved this location.  I call this my "girls spot" and Quail Hollow Ranch is my "Boy's spot".  The girl's spot (where I chose to do my own personal family portraits as well) is very colorful and flowery and very Alice in Wonderland-y.  Quail Hollow is perfect for boys with sticks and ducks and logs to climb and tractors to look at.  It's so important to pick a location that not only has fantastic light (as both of these do) but that is a good match for the kids, a place they will enjoy and be able to have fun at.  As youc an see Lucy took to her surroundings quite well!  This was a really fun shoot and we had a nice time just playing around, especially at the end with the "throwing" shots, which I just love doing so much, they'r so different from the standard posed images but I think that's why I like them.  People's real expressions come out and it's a blast to see how high daddy's can throw (look at lucy on one of these, a good 2 feet over Liam's head!) and how much laughter comes out of it for everyone.  There were so many incredible pictures that I just had to almost randomnly pick a few favorites.  So, Pamela, how in the world are you going to pick just one of these for your holiday card!? :)  Good luck~

Shannon & Adam

This couple is one of my "founding families" in that they've been letting me document their family since their first born was a newborn and I've taken many images of him as he's grown over the past couple years.  Now I get to watch and chronicle for them the next stage of their family life: baby #2!  I've mentioned how much of a treat it is to stay with families over the years and document for them all these delightful changes.  It's rewarding for me on so many levels and it's also just alot of fun.  I've done about five shoots for these folks so we kinda know each other really well by now.  There's no warm up period, it's just "hey, how ya doing? Let's get started!"  And I love that because we can pretty much be hanging out WHILE I'm doing my thing.  It's quite pleasant really, at least for me! :)  The funniest thing with Adam and Shannon is that Adam is a full FOOT AND A HALF taller (yes, that's accurate) than Shannon.  So in the past I've been unable to get a picture of them standing next to each other without it looking completely ridiculous....like a guiness 'world's tallest man" show picture or something.  Adam is not freakishly tall nor is Shannon teeny tiny but their stark height difference between them is challenging in terms of photography.  So it was with actual, audible, squeals of delight that I figured out a couple poses for them that WORKED (the last two shots posted here) which made me beyond giddy with excitement.  I actually have a whole series of images with variations on those last two but those were my two favorites.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE them!  Shannon, you look amazing as always; I can't wait to meet AJ's little brother!!!

As a side note, both this shoot and my last one were done 2 days apart, same location, TOTALLY different weather and lighting conditions.  It's really fascinating to see the differences in types of images and light when you compare them.  The first shoot (bright sunny day) has lots of bright, glowy backlit images and striking silhouettes etc... and this one (overcast day) has much more muted, soft tones, less contrast, more evenness to it.  You can plainly see how I had to use different locations within the same environment and different approaches with posing based on the light conditions.  Pretty Cool, huh!? :)

Sarah & Chris

I've been so busy lately with family shoots (tis the season!) that I haven't had a pregnancy shoot in several weeks so I'm delighted to have two in a row this week!  The first one is with this lovely couple expecting their first child.   It's so cute to see the intense love they have for their little boy in utero, and for each other.  Sarah has the most magnetic smile and, as you can plainly see, is incredibly photogenic.   They were really so adorable together and you could just tell how incredibly excited they are to be having this baby.   I wish you a very smooth remainder of your pregnancy!  Congratulations!! :)

Jack, Riley and Nick

Oh my gosh these boys were so sweet!!!  Truly delightful in every way.  They were so adorable!  I could NOT get enough of their dark reddish curls and freckles, not to mention killer blue-green eyes.   There was so much love in this family, and the two older brothers were just so sweet with each other, I was melting!  And baby Jack was a happy go lucky little dude.  I have found that, generally, the 3rd child in a family is WAY mellow and easy going.  Nature or nurture?  Hmmmmm. :)

Anyways, it was a real pleasure Lacy, I hope you enjoy your images!

 

For Sale

It's time for me to bid adieu to my trusty and much beloved Canon 30d... I purchased it two years ago when it had just come out.  I did the majority of the photos on my website with this incredible camera.  I LOVE this camera.  However, when I purchased my full frame Canon 5d less than a year ago, it was with the understanding (ie: promise) that I would sell the 30d and it's time for me to let go. :(

I plan on selling the 30d bundled with a NON kit lens, the spectacular 28-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS (image stabilization) USM (ultrasonic motor) lens.  Such an awesome all around lens and works so well with this camera and the APS-C sensor.  This lens is leaps and bounds better than the silly little 18-55mm non-IS, non-USM kit lens that the camera usually comes with.

The way the Canon line works, in regards to the digital SLR line, the 30d is in the upper end of the echelon.  It is WAY better than the Rebel XT, Rebel xti and Canon 20D cameras.  It is absolutely a high end professional camera.  This is not a camera for someone who just wants to take "snapshots" now and then, this camera is a commitment to taking better photos!!!

A new 30d, BODY ONLY - NO KIT LENS, sells for just under $1,000 and the 28-135mm lens sells for $400 (at a reputable online camera store - much more in an actual store).  I am selling both together as a package for $1,000.   

It goes without saying that I totally "baby" my photography equipment.  Regular cleaning and upkeep.  Has NEVER been dropped.  I maintained a UV lens filter (comes included) on the lens AT ALL TIMES to prevent any kind of scratches on the lens.  I am ridiculously careful with my equipment.  To the point of possible OCD diagnosis! 

If anyone is interested, or knows someone who is interested, feel free to email me at pascale.w@sbcglobal.net

 

Cassandra, Sabine & Zoe

Big sis is 3 yrs and twin babies are 6 months old and needless to say, it was a recipe for alot of funny moments.  My favorite picture, among the many, is the one where zoe is screaming and has a cheerio stuck on her tongue, clearly visible, Cassandra is giving us her "i'm so done" look and little Sabine is like "what's the big fuss?"  So much great material in this shoot.  There were a ton of hilarious candids but I only posted a few, the rest are on the CD!  Mom and Dad had a preference for BW so there is a predominance of B&W images which worked out well because of the cool colored light we had within minutes of the shoot.  It was a pleasure meeting you all, I hope you enjoy your images!! :)

Abigail and Emma

I posted pictures a while back of Emma's family when mommy was pregnant with Abby.  Well, Abby is here! Congrats to the family!  I had actually gotten pretty sick the day before this shoot but knew I couldn't cancel because of my total lack of availability until January '08, so I checked with mom first to make sure she even wanted me around, and when she said yes, I came to do the shoot.  It was so hard for me to be so close to Abby and not be able to hold her, touch her, smell her newborn smell.... TORTURE!  I didn't want to even chance getting anyone sick so I didn't touch anyone or anything but it was totally killing me.  I wasn't feeling really 100%, so it's with great pleasure (and relief) that I came home to see some truly fantastic images from the shoot.  The ones of Emma with Abby just melt my heart.   But the biggest reason for our successful images was the fact that Abby was like a little rockstar supemodel baby.  She was happy the whole time.  That is unheard of.  Either they are awake and happy (with occasional fits) or sleeping soundly (with occasional fits).  I have NEVER had a newborn that was both, equally, happily wide awake and sleeping soundly during the duration of the shoot.  So we got the best of both worlds.  It was so cool.   She was such an angel, even when being constantly moved, repositioned and head butted by her sister, a total little trooper!  I am positively in love with these pictures...I wish I had something like this of my own two children when they were newborns, I have useless, yucky, terrible snapshots taken on a rinky dink point and shoot... I started my business when my daughter was just a few weeks old and wasn't nearly as good then as I am now.   So, needless to say, I went home with double baby cravings (one: for being around such a delightful and gorgeous baby, and two: for wanting to have a newborn of my own to get similar shots of...so, basically...my womb was aching all night...grrrr.)

It was great seeing you all again, congratulations on the sweet addition to your beautiful family!

 

Mia, Sarah & Emma

Anytime you've got three or more children it's kinda, sorta, well...pandemonium :)  In a good way, really, because it means the pictures will be FULL of life, emotions, movement, personalities and REALITY.  Robin is my friend so I know I can post the first picture, which is an outtake image that I would never usually include in the CD much less post, but to me, it was pretty funny because that's exactly how the shoot started out... Sarah screaming, Mia going crazy... you get the picture.  But everything eventually fell into place.  Mia is particularly easy to photograph so I got a TON of gorgeous images of her.  I got the sweetest images of Emma (even though she was doing this hilarious 'jab my tongue into the side of my cheek looking like an acorn in a chipmunk's mouth' thing that had Robin and I in stitches) and I even, yes, got some adorable images of Miss Sarah.  So it all worked out! :)   As a side story, I had the "brilliant" idea of bringing faux flowers for the girls to hold for their pictures.  In my mind, my unrealistic little vision for the shoot, the girls were all sitting still, sweetly, next to each other, each one with her designated flower, looking like little angels... well, see for yourself in the next to last image (my absolute favorite one for this particular reason) as you can clearly see Sarah, oh-so-ladylike, as she is whacking the flower against the ground over and over again.   How hilarious is that!?  That darn flower was such an impediment to the shoot and totally my fault.. me and my bright ideas!  But, it sure made for some funny images! :)  Robin, the pictures of you and Paul turned out beautifully but I didn't have room to include them here, you'll see them on your CD in a couple days! 

Adam

I photographed Adam last year and the shoot was soooooooooo easy that I think it took all of 15 minutes, I'm totally serious!!  This year little Adam was into only three things that day: Tractors, Crackers and Mommy.  Me and my camera were not part of that equation! :)  Adam was also feeling under the weather and not enjoying the frequent snot-wipes he was getting... poor little guy!  But mom drove from FAR away for this shoot so the show must go on!  Adam has the SAME super duper long lashes I remembered from our first shoot together and the big huge doe eyes.  He did add something to his repertoire though, this amazingly funny stink-eye he kept giving me.  I could not stop laughing.  It was the BEST stink eye I have ever gotten from a toddler.  I deleted most of them but had to keep a few, they were hilarious.  See for yourself.   I hope you had a safe drive home guys and I promise you, next year will be much smoother.  I've said this before but the ages of 15 months through about 26 months are extremely challenging in terms of photography.  It is NOT your kid.  It is not permanent! This too shall pass!  I'm happy though because I got one of my all time favorite images from this shoot.  Can you guess which one it is? :)

Quinn and Reilly

I have a handful of families that have been with me since my very first months of business almost three years ago.  This is one of them.  I first photographed them when Quinn was a newborn.  I've followed them over the years as they expanded their family (hello Reilly!) and watched Quinn change.  I've said this before but this really is my most favorite part of my job.  Following these families over the years, chronicling for them the changes that happen so incredibly fast during these early stages.  The other great part is the comfort that really starts to set in after a few years.  There's minimal warm up time for the kids (I've heard from some clients that the kids continue asking for weeks after the shoot: "when do we get to go see Pascale again!?") and the parents have a great grasp as to my style and how I work and what I need from them to make the shoot successful.  Every year it just gets easier and easier and the photos reflect that.  This family in particular I just adore.  Mom and Dad are easy going and relaxed, willing to be goofy with the kids, fun and super nice.  My kind of people!   I thoroughly enjoy their company and even though Quinn was not really in the mood for the shoot, it was still smooth and seamless in every way.

Enjoy your images!!!

Odin

I had the pleasure of photographing Odin's parents wedding (a really lovely, small, intimate, jovial and relaxed affair on the beach) and so it was delightful photographing the family again.  Odin is not quite 18 months old but WICKED smart, signing words left and right and clearly understanding EVERYTHING you say.  The little dude was cracking me up with all his signs for everything he was seeing and all his adorable facial expressions and animal imitations.  He is also a little bundle of eneregy with a capitol "E."  He was happy as a clam as long as he was moving (or being thrown in the air) but the minute we tried to constrain his mobility in any way at all, he was sure to let us know how displeased he was with what we were attempting to do!  So, that left me with the task of getting in one (maybe 2) shots everytime mom or dad held him for a second before releasing him to run free once again.  Kept me on my toes!  And he's a fast little bugger to boot!   Plus we had terrible weather what with a huge, dark, cold fog bank rolling in over us right away, taking away our light.  So the luscious golden glow you see in these pictures is a white balance and photoshop trick because the real light we had was dark, gloomy, blue toned and icky!  Amazing what you can do with a little white balance adjusting eh?!  Despite all the little setbacks, we still managed quite well, doncha think!? :)  It was great seeing you all again!!

Canon

So, I had about 10 days off in between shoots during my much needed little vacation break even though we were only gone for 5 of those days.  I knew that it would be the ideal time to have my baby, my Canon 5D, sent to their factory for some general sensor cleaning and calibration etc...  I usually have a shoot scheduled every couple days and knew I would not have the opportunity to send it out again for a really long time.  So the day after my last shoot I packaged it all up with extra special care and attention, attached my request letter, and shipped it out insured, certified, signature, the whole shebam!  I know from personal experience sending lenses and other cameras out to the Canon Repair Center that their average turn around time is at least 10 days, sometimes up to 2 weeks.  I certainly do realize that this is a very fast turnaround but was a bit concerned that it might not get back in time for my shoot this coming Monday.  Rather than type up a really stuffy and formal request laying out how I was a professional photographer and was in dire need of a speedier turnaound, I decided to try a different approach.  This is the letter I included with my camera while sending it in for service:

Dear Canon,

Besides my children (naturally), I can think of nothing I love more than my Canon 5D.  It's a close tie between my camera and my husband.... some days the husband ranks higher, some days the camera wins.  Besides it being the tool that provides my financial livelihood, this camera is pretty much a member of our family.  It is with a very heavy heart that I send it away for service so I ask of you to PLEASE return it to me as soon as possible for every day without it is indeed a very sad, sad day...

Thank you!

Pascale Wowak

The camera was serviced and sent back within SIX days! Unreal!  I had to have Fed Ex hold it for me as I was not even back yet when they were trying to deliver it to me.  Proof that a sense of humor is a way better approach than being all stuffy and demanding! :)

I'm Back!

I just had the most delightful time EVER with my family in Mendocino.  If you are ever looking for a super relaxing place that FORCES you by its very nature/setting to SLOW down and enjoy some real quality time with (or without! ha!) your family, go check out the Stanford Inn in Mendocino.  The place is run by a husband and wife team who have thought of and implemented the most thoughtful personal touches.  The place is set on several gorgeous acres of organic grounds, with horses and llamas for the kids to look at.  It has an organic nursery to walk through.  Beautiful views of the coastline.  Includes a full scale (vegetarian/vegan) breakfast every morning that is TO DIE FOR.  Trust me on this, my husband is a full blown meat and potatoes kinda guy in every way and his heart sank when I initially told him I had set us up to stay at a vegan sanctuary.  Boy, was he in for a surprise.  He woke up every morning giddy with excitement to pick out which new homemade, fresh, organic fruit muffin or scone he would try.   Everything on the menu literally melted in your mouth, bursting with flavor, from the nutty waffles to the sumptious hearty pancakes etc...  There is also a fabulous heated indoor pool/sauna/jacuzzi set inside an atrium with plants and flowers... feels like a little slice of paradise in there.  Yoga classes in the morning (which I didn't attend as we all slept in!).  Easy acces and availablility to super fun Kayaking and easy bike rides for us in the afternoons along the river trail right there.   I even got a massage one day!  We haven't had a family vacation in ages because, honestly, traveling with a baby and toddler is just not my idea of a good time.  Getting anywhere is a huge production and you spend the whole time trying to keep everyone on their best behavior so as to not annoy anyone else trying to enjoy their vacation.  But this place just rocked my world.  Very family friendly.  Every day we'd come back after an afternoon activity (see above) and there would be a new surprise waiting in our room, from fresh baked chocolate chip cookies to platter of cheese, crackers and freshly dried fruit (mango, pear, apple, raisins).  The kids would race to the room to see what treat had been left for us.   Because it was so cold and cloudy we took full advantage of the fireplace in our room every night as wel cuddled up to watch movies I had brought in the DVD player in the room.   Sipping the hot chocolate they had left for us.   Are you making your reservations yet!?    I really hope we can find a way to make this a yearly retreat for our family.  We cannot WAIT to go back.  Thank you Stanford Inn for our first ever relaxing and pleasurable family vacation.   I feel completely renewed. :)