Your Life As Art Photography by Pam
Artist & Intuitive | Pamela Zmija
Don’t miss all the colours of the rainbow looking for that pot of gold.
My clients rock, its safe to say that it will be “limited photography sessions” for 2012 😉
I am very lucky and thankful for not only them and their appreciation of my talent but also the support and encouragement of my husband and even my kids! Hearing my young kids compliment my photography and talk about looking at pictures to remember our memories… more than worth it 😉
I love this quote!
Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.
Be who you really are and be proud to be that person with strong ethics, morals and values!
Its truly a shame when people get wrapped up in what other people think and are completely fake, some even two faced. Heck at times I have been guilty of it. But if there is one thing being a mother has taught me, its to be true. Be true to who I am and what my own ethics, morals and values are – regardless of what he or she says or what they do, be true to my heart and my family. Most of all be true to my children, if I would be ashamed of my kids finding out something its not worth ever doing or being involved in.
Being proud of yourself and confident in who you are and what you do is caring about how others are also treated but also not allowing yourself to be a pushover or taken advantage of. Seeing through those fake smiles and words to realize its those people who aren’t worth the damage to your character!
Love this quote and this is one of my absolute favourite images!
That old saying, “Actions speak louder than words”.
Yup in every aspect of life.
These days with email, texting, facebook etc its so easy to email or send a message with no thought at all. Heck I’ve had times where I have replied without even having to think, my fingers just typed the message. All of these forms of communication, although they certainly have made our communication better, its also taken away the personality.
Perhaps there is irony in this blog post as it is a public blog post, however a blog is an outlet for expression – mine being photographic art.
Having a heart to heart with a good friend of mine, something she said I immediately related to and agreed with whole heartly. What she said was essentially this…, life is too short, I no longer take the relationships I have with family and friends I love for granted, I hold on tight and show them how much they mean to me and only have those people who truly matter in my life. As soon as she said it all I could say was, I know exactly what you mean.
How spending time with those we love means so much more than telling them whether in person or via technology, holding tight to our close family and friendships of those people who truly matter both to us but also us to them. Spending time and having relationships with people who share a mutual respect for each other and have similar ethics and morals.
Although I do keep in touch via bbm, texting, email etc with those people I love and care about, everything said to them I would tell and show them in person. Its these relationships that have benefitted from our various ways of technology!
Don’t ever take these loved ones for granted, you won’t know what you once had, until it is gone!
Actions do speak louder than words!
It really is the little things that mean the most, actions speak louder than words. Hubby brought this frame home for me one day after school last November, lol I remember because it was before my surgery. He came home with it because he said he saw it in walmart and knew I would love it. It certainly didn’t cost much, but having him bring this home for me meant to very much. See he really isn’t interested in being in photos, but humors me because he knows how much it means to me, so for him to come home last fall with this, its absolutely priceless!
This weekend we had work commitments that kept us close to home and in this heat it would have been the perfect weekend at the beach, however you know what we had just as much fun! Great time together as a family and also catching up with both new and “old” but great, friends! We cooked some YUMMY food all weekend – enjoyed some awesome time with family and friends and of course had some very refreshing drinks!
Sure we’ve had our ups and downs, but considering we can both say this has been the best 11+ years of our lives – yup we are doing something right 😀
I certainly could not imagine my life without you either baby!
While talking with a close friend of mine we talked about various family and friends in our lives and how much we truly appreciate and value those relationships we do have, spending time with them and holding on to those mutally loving and respecting people. Much in this sense, it really does not take much to show someone you care or making time to spend with loved family and friends. Words really mean nothing, its all in the actions. Anyone can tell someone something, however those words truly mean nothing unless they are followed through with.
What we were reminded of just a few days ago was most certainly a reminder to value those we love and hold dear to our hearts.
Not just by telling them, but by showing them. I could tell them all I love them until I am blue in the face, however that truly means nothing unless I show them.
One of both of our favourite ways to show those we love them is spending time – especially cooking some awesome food!
Who knew a couple balls on a string and some pieces of wood with dowels could be SO fun lol! 😉
Made for LOTS of laughs…
And the trampoline fun!
Our kids are very much wanting one now 😉
What better way to end the weekend (and with two very tired children) than with family book time!
No, it really doesn’t take much to enjoy life to the fullest no matter where you are or what you are doing.
A part of me was bummed out that we both had work commitments, however we truly made the best of it and had a LOT of fun!!!
 Especially for the kids, it does not take much for them to be happy and have fun!
No need for expensive outtings or toys – heck a lot of the toys they have they don’t play with.
Spending time together with family and friends, thats when our kids are the happiest~!
This month for our camera club – Mount Forest Camera Club we are taking photos in relation to Depth of Field. My FAVOURITE way of shooting is with my lens WIIIIIIDE open.
This past week Ive had fun shooting everything and anything my kids have been doing, even actually our “new” neighbour at the farm next to us – he is such a cutie! A new baby foal. The little miss and I took a walk over to meet him. On the way over, Miss had to stop and smell the flowers. She loves picking flowers for mommy <3.
This image was shot with my 70-200mm f2.8 on my Canon 5D MIII and it was shot with an aperture of 2.8 – which is wide open for this lens.
Isn’t this little guy gorgeous!
This was also shot with the same lens and camera and at 2.8.
I was totally just playing around with this next shot, but I like it. Bokeh Baby Horse.
This photo I took looking t hrough the fence towards the horses from our yard, but focused on the grass closest to the lens. Loving the creamy background.
This image of the kids, I specifically focused on the grass which was on the same focal plane as the kids were, and is why they are in focus and why the grass ahead of them is not.
I am pushing myself for more unconventional shots, shots that I used to take a lot of but had fallen by the way side. One of my favourite past-times which photography involves is just sitting back and watching the kids interact and capturing shots.
Next I need to push myself to take photos which have the aperture closed down more… this is something that unless its a scenic landscape shot, I rarely do…
Kids aren’t the only ones who don’t want to go to bed when the sun is still shining bright in the sky. Yup we adults are just as bad.
I swear that even though we have more daylight hours in the days now, time goes by much faster. Or perhaps we just forget that the sun sets much later in the day now so when the two families watched it setting last night and we all wondered what time it was we shouldn’t have been so shocked to realize it was almost 10pm… ah fun times! The kids were having a blast and slept great – feeling slightly sorry for the daycare workers today 😉 however such is life on a PA Day! So we finally got the kids into the house, had no choice but to give them a shower – they were filthy – evidence of the FUN they had with their new friend! Read them each a book, kisses good night, hugs and they were down for the count… too bad during our social time hubby and I didn’t eat a thing for supper – made for a late night, the dishes and laundry I had planned to do are still sitting… but it was so fun!
Lucky for the kids their summer break is coming up soon and they are very ready for it! Lucky for mama as this is going to make my start to the day much more relaxed as well not having to remind them to get ready, to finish their breakfast or stop fooling around. Many mornings, bless our children, I feel like I could get a better response from the wall, well ok not the wall but for sure the dog lol.
Even our baby boy, or as Mady calls him, their baby brother 😉 Beck LOVES Summer!!! He is getting SO big! I cant believe in exactly a month (yesterday) our baby turns 1!!!
Mady loves it when Daddy is able to come pick them up as well, “the girls” get to go in Mommy’s van and “the boys” in Daddy’s truck…
Its funny talking with friends who also enjoy having a great outdoor space about how simple life really can become when you do enjoy your backyard living. From being active to just sitting and enjoying the sunshine and fresh air.
Not only am I loving our home more now that we are getting more and more settled with each passing day, but finally releasing the pressure from myself with regards to photography – I am LOVING every moment I pick up my camera and am loving those moments even more knowing that I am capturing OUR moments – not just shots here and there or having the kids pose – thats not “real” life… THESE photos are real life, these are the moments that when I look back on I will hear their laughter, hear my laughter at them posing the way they were or purposely swinging into each other or the pure joy in their voices when they hear Daddy backing his truck into the drive way.
Yup this is what life is all about… and if some days I end up being tired, so be it. Life is meant to be enjoyed to the fullest and with those you love spending time with!
What would be your dream backyard?.
Yup this would be my dream backyard!
Check out the link above from JJ McLellan
It’s so easy to remind ourselves of this when they are doing something fun, funny or highly intelligent 😉 harder when they aren’t listening, or give you a nice smart a$$ remark back to your request of them.
“I’m going to count to 5… 1…. 2….” then the child says “3, 4, and what do you want” lol yes have to laugh cause otherwise, we’ll we’d cry haha! They are so much like us as kids its hilarious. All the things I can remember my parents saying to me, yup man I can’t believe it they were right 😉 hehe
They totally do learn from watching our example and doing. So many times I can hear them playing mommy and daddy or them being so proud to get to do something with mommy or daddy. Cars even went on to me about how I am special, but daddy is soooo much more special because he can make things (he doesn’t quite get that I made HIM lol).
This past weekend we did some rearranging. I have a usable office now – yeah! Which the kids know is off limits, I have a safe space for my photography equipment (they also know never to touch) and the kids now have a very usable computer desk in the main part of our house. The 4 year old is becoming a whiz on this thing. Of course we have it set up so that they can only get to their part of the computer – Cars watched very closely as I put in mine and Jaz’s password to update the virus protection and quizzed me why we had one and they didn’t 😉 Sunday morning hubby and I both slept in… I could hear around 830 the kids got up (they are starting to sleep in!) And were doing what they typically do, get a Sunday morning breakfast snack and watch cartoons, except this Sunday it wasn’t the tv they had on, no it was the computer, they were playing games on playhouse disney. The lil man is SO proud to make his own PB sandwich and the miss loves on sundays getting her own yogurt and fruit!
Sometimes we get wrapped up in “telling” our kids what to do, when all we need to do is “show” them. When they see what we do around the house or picking up in the yard they are more than happy to do it, especially when we throw the twist at “work” by making it a game! Its one thing to tell the kids to put away their laundry, its totally different when we do it together, without asking they join in and want to help! 😉
Happy Friday!!!
There are days of course that hubby and I talk about one day when they are older, but in all honesty we LOVE every moment that they are little, every moment, ok ok not the crying and whining, that is not fun that can be a headache – but 9 times out of 10 … they are tired so can be resolved with patience. But really its been almost 6 years since we had our first child – WOW. They are just growing up so darn fast! With each passing day their personality develops that much more and my gosh tonight when we were outside after work… yup hello personalities of our little angels!
I am SO glad I finally let it out and have taken the pressure off myself – I am LOVING photography, I am loving playing outside with them and capturing these moments and I had some free time while they had some quiet time inside as we waited for Daddy to join us at home so I could post this photo that I love – amongst MANY others I took in a matter of mintues. No posing just them being them – yup true photographers kids, they pose themselves! 😉
Off to enjoy my family!
Happy Thursday!!! 🙂
For the photogs out there who love settings… taken with my 5DMIII and my 70-200mm f2.8L at 70mm, f2.8, 1/2500
