Talking Shop | Halifax, NS, Photographer

I spend a lot of time blogstalking.  Blogstalking - regularly reading someone's blog - is common among photographers.  There's a number of fabulous photogs out there who are willing to share their knowledge, whether it be about equipment, posing, or how to run your business.  In the beginning, I visited their blogs regularly to gain some knowledge and inspiration, but now I visit the blogs to see how they are.  They've become friends and mentors and I love the glimpses into their lives.

I sometimes share stories from the blogs with Jason.  He humours me, listens, and then we talk about something else.  Does he pay attention?  No, it's not usually something that interests him so he lets me talk then we move on.  Or so I thought...

A few weeks ago, I was blah blah blah'ing about something I wanted to try out.  He questioned me about it and I said, "well that's what Justin and Mary do!  Oh wait, you don't know who Justin and Mary are."  He looked me in the eye and defiantly said, "Yes I do - justinmarantz.com."  

He does pay attention.  I didn't know.

Thus began a change in our conversations.  He has an interest that I didn't know was there.  Now he starts the conversations, he has input into what I do, he reads the blogs.  We bandy about names during dinner conversations as though we're talking about people we see every day:  "Justin and Mary did this..." or "Jasmine did that..."

Not only is it much more fun to talk shop now, it's more interesting.  And who knew, the boy actually has some good ideas.  Now, we'll see if I can teach him to shoot, too...

xoxo

...Kare

email:  karenk{at}eastlink.ca

website:  http://www.karenkyte.com

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I Will Eat Cake | Dartmouth, NS, Birthday Photography

It's not a secret... I like cake.  Who doesn't?  That's rhetorical, because it's cake and everyone loves it.  Trust me.  I believe it is my duty as your photographer to try your cake.  So I can gush about it and blog about how good it was.  Really.    

The one thing I promise is that I won't look like this when I'm done...

This cake, by the way, was one of the best I've had in a long time.  It was made with love by a family friend, but little Owen didn't really care about that, he was all over it, shared it with his girlfriends and then went into a little cake coma.

I saved my cake coma for after I left the party.  :-)

...Kare

email:  karenk{at}eastlink.ca

website:  http://www.karenkyte.com

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Elton John | Sydney, NS

There he was, up on stage, just him and his piano.  He was so far away, but it was Elton - it didn’t matter how little he appeared, I was thrilled to be there.

He played to a packed house of 6,600; a smaller venue for him, I’m sure.  The crowd at Centre 200 was typically Canadian – polite and appreciative.  Don’t get me wrong, there were a lot of standing ovations and loud applause, but nothing too overt.  Elton was also appreciative – standing between songs and bowing to the different sections of the arena.

He was on stage for over two and half hours.  Just him and his piano.   He doesn’t just play his piano, he plays!!!!!!!  There were lots of long musical intros to songs where we saw his hands dance across the keys on the big screen.  On and on and on – my hands get tired after a couple of hours holding my camera, I can’t imagine his after a night on stage.

And the songs.  He played them all – some new, lots of oldies, and some I hadn’t heard before.   Rocket Man, Daniel, Candle in the Wind, Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me, Bennie and the Jets, Circle of Life, they were all in there.

While there was lots of singing and piano playing, there wasn’t a lot of conversation with the audience.   I expected more witty banter, but while he introduced a few songs with stories, some just a line or two, mostly he sang and played. 

As he introduced The Ballad of the Boy in Red Shoes, he spoke of the AIDS epidemic.  He spoke of his friend, Ryan White, who contracted the disease in the early 1980s through a blood transfusion.  He spoke of the US government’s lack of involvement in the disease up to that point.  “Fuck ‘em,” he said.   He reminded the audience of the local AIDS organization, AIDS Coalition of Cape Breton, and encouraged us to support it.

As he neared the end of the show, Elton talked about forgiveness and being kind to one another, of living together in peace.   Then he closed the show with Circle of Life and Can You Feel the Love Tonight?  We sure could feel the love, Elton – it was fantastic, I hope you could feel it from the audience, we loved it.

...Kare

email:  karenk{at}eastlink.ca

website:  http://www.karenkyte.com

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Thankful for... My Wedding Team | Halifax, NS, Wedding Photographer

None of us, including me, ever do great things. 
But we can all do small things, with great love, and together we can do something wonderful.
Mother Teresa

I put together a team for Kathleen and Brett's wedding.  My team, just in case.  I was all set to shoot the wedding, but then I got my diagnosis and everything that was clear became unclear.  What if I have chemo, what if I'm sick, what if, what if, what if...  So we prepared.  With full approval of my wonderful bride and groom, I planned.

My friend, Mary Kelly, was already set to shoot the wedding with me.  Luckily, another friend, Cassie MacGregor, jumped on board and we were good to go.  I planned for if I were sick or if I were healthy, there was nothing left to chance.  Happily, chemo was not a necessity and Mary, Cassie, and I all shot Kathleen and Brett's wedding together.

I'm thankful for the strengths we each brought to the wedding, for our teamwork, and for having friends who also happen to be fab photogs, too.  

 ...together we can do something wonderful.

...Kare
email: karenk{at}eastlink.ca
website: http://www.karenkyte.com
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We breathed a collective sigh... | Sydney, NS, Breast Cancer Treatment

We paced, the three of us.  We had been sitting and waiting for hours and we could sit no longer.  Mom was in surgery and Dad, Lori, and I waited.  We had Jason and Gary (Lori's husband) waiting with us, but we finally left them in the waiting area and the three of us paced, waiting for the doctor.

Mom was diagnosed a month ago.  Just as I was getting the all clear from my oncologist, she was getting the news that she once again had breast cancer.   She and I sat last night and discussed our surgeries, mine from six months ago and hers from 24 years ago, about how well we got through them, and about how well she would get through this one. 

Deep inside, though, we all harboured our fears.  And today we paced.  Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the doctor appeared to tell us everything went just as planned, she was waking up, was in just a little pain, but she was doing great.  And there was a collective sigh of relief, some tears, and lots of hugs.

It was another couple of hours before we got to see her, but as they wheeled her toward me she waved and smiled.  The nurses settled her into her own room, she had a satisfying dinner, and is getting some rest tonight after a very long day.

*Sigh*

Thanks for the prayers and good thoughts - we are strong believers in the power of prayer and positive thinking and we are so thankful for so many of you who were thinking of us today.
xoxo

...Kare
email: karenk{at}eastlink.ca
website: http://www.karenkyte.com/
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Kathleen and Brett - The Ten Minute Rule | Halifax, NS, Wedding Photographer

My fab photog friends, Justin & Mary Marantz, are sharers.  They share business ideas, posing tips, equipment information.  You name it, they share it.  I found their blog a few years ago and follow it religiously... I blogstalk them daily.  In the photography world, that is a-okay.

I've gotten so many tips from Justin & Mary, but I think my favourite is the Ten Minute Rule - immediately following the ceremony, Justin & Mary get the bride and groom all to themselves for ten minutes.  In reality, this gives the bride and groom a few minutes to breathe, to let it sink it, to have an "ahhhhhhhhh we're married!!!" moment.

Kathleen and Brett's Ten Minute Rule wasn't ten minutes, but it was amazing.  It lasted as long as they needed it to last.  There was no posing, no direction, just time for them to be in the moment, to be together, and it was perfect.

 





















*sigh*

...Kare
email: karenk{at}eastlink.ca
website: http://www.karenkyte.com
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Kathleen and Brett - We're Going to the Chapel | Halifax, NS, Wedding Photographer

Kathleen and Brett's ceremony was at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Halifax.  It's such a pretty church and I just found out that it's the same church that my mom was baptized in.

The guys sneak in the side door and head to the back room...

 

Kathleen is most definitely a Daddy's Little Girl; her face lights up when she talks about him. 
During his speech later that evening, he spoke of the moments before they walked down the aisle, 

of the nerves his daughter had, of how he told her to just hang on tight. 

...Kare
email: karenk{at}eastlink.ca
website: http://www.karenkyte.com
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