We'll call this.. breather season! / January 18, 2011 by Danielle Gillan

As much as I don't welcome the cold, window scraping, dark mornings, there is something to be said for the freshness and newness that January offers. Not only does the new year present a great reason to get a fresh start on my lingering 'to do' list around the house, as well as a natural beginning point for all those new habits I want to introduce (or old ones I plan to kick to the curb), it provides a great breather season from the craziness that I came to know and love in 2009.

2009 was a wonderful year for me in many ways, but the one I'm referring to in this post is the whole reason I am writing this, and you are reading it... photography. It is really amazing for me to look back on where I started with this whole thing last spring, and where I am now. I have learned SO much over the past year, but most importantly I have gained an even deeper desire to learn so very much more. Between the 2 am editing sessions with my alarm set for 6 am for my full time job, the what I figured were frost bitten but turned out to be just really really cold shutter pressing fingers and the constant reassuring facebook messages to my friends and family that "yes, I am still alive and I will someday be able to see you again, just 5.75 more sessions to edit" I've realized that photography is part of me, and this is just the beginning! Thank you SO much for all of your support over the past months, all of you! Here's to another wonderful year of learning, 4 hour night sleeps and those wonderful butterflies in the belly brought on by 'oh oh oh' monkeylike sounds after catching a glimpse of something special in the viewfinder.

That all being said, I am heading into a slower time of year when it comes to shoots and I'm really looking forward to taking the time to research future products and create some great pieces to showcase what I will be offering this upcoming season. Stay tuned this winter for those updates! As well, I will use this time to bring you up to speed with some fantastic fall shoots which I didn't get the chance to post yet.

Whew, that was a lot longer than I had planned.. oh and by the way, I've never claimed to be a novalist, nor an English major.. so don't hate ;) In an effort to get all caught up with the great sessions I had this past fall... I present to you a stunning little lady and her beautiful Momma. Enjoy!

Project landscape / September 19, 2010 by Danielle Gillan

It has been over a week since my last blog post and so I thought I would just say hello, I'm still alive, and thanks for visiting! Unfortunately I have a bit more work to do on my next sweet family's session until I can give you a peek. In the meantime I wanted to share my excitement about a photography seminar I just returned from this weekend, but first, a little history.

Since before I can remember I have been an avid collector of PEI tourism guides. I'm sure I drove my mom crazy taking them home with me everytime I came across a stack of them - in fact I can hear her now "Danielle, don't you already have one of those at home?". My mother may have the days of picking them up after me behind her but I wish we could say the same for Dan. I was (and still am) drawn to the book primarily for John Sylvester's images and the way they portray the scenery we drink up on a daily basis outside our windows - sadly the same scenery that we often take for granted. As probably one of few kids that grew up recognizing the name John Sylvester as quick as Jordan Knight or Justin Timberlake, imagine my delight this summer when I saw he was offering a weekend landscape photography seminar!

The weekend was amazing and a whole day (and when I say whole day, I mean whole day - 6:30am - 8:00pm) was dedicated to travelling along the North Shore and shooting. With a group of nine students the one on one instruction was invaluable, not only from John but from the other very talented photographers who attended as well. I come out of the workshop with a handful of nice images, a huge amount of knowledge and having met some wonderful people in the local photography community with whom I hope to keep in touch.

That being said, here are a few of the images that I had prepared for discussion at the workshop, stay tuned as I wade my way through the images from the rest of the day.

Enjoy :)

/ July 30, 2010 by Danielle Gillan

I had the pleasure of spending an afternoon with my cousin and her sweetheart of a daughter exploring rickety houses and abandoned homesteads... my idea of an awesome day! Needless to say we found a ton of amazing photo locations and we tested a few out.. with plans to go back for proper shoots in the proper light... (insert fist pump.. yes I just said fist pump.. these locations are a dream!) Until then, I thought I would post a few images from that day to give you guys a sneak peek... and most importantly for the ladies who have been patiently waiting to see some!

First off our stop #1...