Merry Christmas to all.

Just wanted to take a moment and wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Hoping that Santa was good to you all...

Included a photo of the kids visiting with Santa this year, not a single tear! Oh and the little man passed his soother onto Santa for delivery to "another baby". Sigh, he is growing up!

they just grow up too fast.

I have been very sick, so a few days have been lost in the "flashback" of the year. Of course, I now have a little something new to share...

Here is the young man of the house, being just that...a young man. How fast they grow I tell yah!

are we friends?

If you have yet to hear of facebook...where have you been? It is the latest in social networking! I was never one for jumping on board with these things...didnt buy into the myspace craze and I am working on the twitter thing...but I have to admit, facebook had me at hello!

When you are all signed up, feel free to add me as a friend!



Please note I take no responsibility for any addiction that signing up for this site may cause!!!

fuzzy wuzzy.

What could be better then a squishy little baby girl hangin' out on a warm fuzzy rug? I cant think of much...

those days.

We have all had them. The ones that just dont seem to go quite right. Today I must admit, I am not in the best of moods. Woke up feeling horrid, tried to keep up with a crazy toddler and sad baby miss all day...and well, I am just plain worn out and having...

One of "those days".

Just when I think the day is a total write off...I look up and see this...



What is it? Just a little boy trying to bring a smile to his mommy's face. I could not stop laughing. Funny how someone so very small can remind you to shake that feeling and take a second to enjoy all the day has to offer...

classic.

I am sure many photographers would say the same...photographing kids is not always easy. The toss to keep ratio is HIGH! Children have their own agenda and more than likely, you are not top of the list.

I find with my own children, its far worse...they just love pushing my buttons...

I set up for a few photos of the wee ones last week in order to get that one amazing shot to send to all the fam of them in their Christmas gear. It didnt work so well...but I was able to scoop this oh so classic "help my brother is mauling me" photo. Have a few more to share, but they will not surface til the new year as I dont want to ruin any Christmas surprises!

all that was old is new again.

The chairs...oh the chairs. I cannot tell you how much I love them! I have two and they proudly sit in my great room. They belonged to my grandmother. They are a fantastic golden colour. They are spectacular! They could use a little love...but I just cannot seem to bring myself to changing a thing about them...okay maybe the sharpie mark that Simon tagged the one with during our move...boys...

Looking back has totally warmed my heart! I adore going back through photos that were once passed over, tossed a side...simply "didnt quite make the cut".

I have an obsession with holding onto photos...if they are not a total toss, I will often keep them. At times I have what looks to be 10 of the same image...but I just think of how i may see it in a different light a few weeks later. I am sure that this also comes with developing a style. I will often have an idea, snap the shot, not totally love it....but something tells me to keep it. At times I will then go back and think "how could I have ever pass it over"!

Had to add the last one as it is so very Simon...

looking back.

I thought this time of year would a fantastic time to look back over the past few months. 2008 has been fantastic to us...a new home, healthy happy children and the addition of our beautiful baby miss miss.

More then likely I will be sharing a lot of the little Miss. I of course cannot get enough of her and since she is a willing little model...[most of the time]...I have a very large vault of photos. As you will see in the last photos...even Diva's have their moments.

I hope you enjoy looking back as much as I do...

tis' the season.

I have been a little scarce lately...it is that time of year. My days are spent chasing the little ones, all the while trying to get a large variety of things done. The nights are spent cleaning, wrapping and trying to figure out what on earth made me think I could pull off a party before Christmas? Maybe Mom is right...I am crazy!

I was hoping to post some photos of my older kids this week...but the eldest fell sick and we just could not seem to get it together. So I leave you with a little something of the wee ones...have you ever attempted a photo of a 6 month old baby and a 2.5 year old with ants in his pants?

For the photogs who wonder what all that chat is about Nikon's at high ISO's...well...here is a little example of the noise, and I was not even that high! Anyone want to get me a D700 for Christmas? hehe.

back to reality.

I arrived back to the wonderful reality of my little ones late Sunday night. It was fantastic to be home and I was far too excited to see the kids...[although I did restrain myself from waking them].

Montreal was beautiful! For those who have never been...it is most defiantly worth the trip. Although, I would suggest a little more than a day & a half of "actual" time in the city. We did not make it to Old Montreal other than for a dinner [amazing]. Thank you to our wonderful friends Stephan & Maud for the company and "quick" tour of the city. Hopefully they will now forgive me for any name misspelling and the lack of correct accent. I am afraid I did not become fluent in my very short trip...I did however have far too much fun!

I had hoped to get some photos, but honestly my camera hardly left the room. We were too busy rushing around to get in all that we could...that and it was FREEZING outside. Not one to post without a photo, I thought I would leave you with a little something I was able to grab of the young man in the house the day I left. He was not thrilled at the idea and had just woken from his nap, but I am happy to share as he is growing far too fast...

rollin. teethin. & chillin.

I am off to Montreal tomorrow for a non-business related vacation. Not really sure I would call it much of a vacation considering I depart Penticton 5:45pm Thursday and arrive in Montreal 9:00am Friday. Yikes. Oh well, I am sure it will be worth it. A little time to chill...child free time I might add! So wish I had more time to spend there and was able to do some form of a shoot...I have heard it is an amazing city!

As for the rollin' & teethin'...my girl of course. Two teeth and yet I was still holding out for this little lady to flip herself over...finally she has showed us that she is more then a diva baby who insists on being carried EVERYWHERE! I am so glad that she decided to show me her new skill before I left town...now thats timing...

So of course I must share something recent of the miss...

Are you starting to feel like you see her so much she might actually be yours? ha.

workin' on workin'

I am really trying to take these cloudy, rainy days to step back and have a good hard look at my business. I want to assess the direction that I would like to go and have everything so organized that I can move forward with bookings without a second thought!

However...while doing this...

I am missing my camera!

She is just sitting here, beside my desk begging me to get out. Okay, maybe she cant talk, but I know what she is thinking. So in my best efforts to keep her happy, I decided to humor her and have a mini shoot with the lovely Miss I in my favorite place. I have a feeling this is going to be a very frequent occurrence over these cold, [sitting at my desk] months.

Love how the last shot captures her love for those tootsies!

better late then never.

I find that I often get so involved in my business edits, that the family stuff falls down the list. It does happen...it just takes a little longer then I would like!

I recently got around to the birthday party of Miss H...she turned 10 this past summer and we had a fantastic little spa party at home for her and a few friends. It was planned in 24 hours...yup, I am one crazy lady. Thanks to Michele for helping me pull it off and to all the girls for being able to make it on such short notice.

We love you Miss H, you are an amazing and beautiful young lady. Your love for the world, beautiful and free spirit are what makes you a truly unique gift in our lives and to this planet. We know you are destined to do amazing things...

Miss H is on the left in the photo below. This so makes me want a cupcake!

hap. 5 months.

Since I am slowing things down over the winter season to focus on restructuring the business...I thought I would keep everyone tied over with a friendly face...

Dont think that means I wont take a booking! hehe.

The little lady turned 5 months recently...hard to believe. 5 months came with this brand new smile that just cracks me up. She sucks her lips in on a pretty regular basis now. Its become her "thing". Oh how I adore her.

just couldnt wait.

I was trying to hold out until my new logo was designed...but lets be honest, I have never been one for patience!

For those who follow the blog religiously [a girl can hope]...you may already know that I have been thinking of a name change...for those who do not follow [bookmark it...hehe] SURPRISE! This is something I have flipped flopped about for far too long and I finally came to the decision that it was to be done. If I kept bringing it up, then I guess that is the way it is meant to be.

So here I am Brooke Bowland Photography. Please bare with me while I work out details and debut a logo in the next month or so. Change your bookmarks too...

Thanks to my friends at the[b]school for the support and advice...very much appreciated!

www.brookebowlandphotography.com
brookebowlandphotography@shaw.ca

thanks much all.

lovin' the light.

There is nothing I love more (in photography that is), than amazing light. I totally lucked out when we built our new home with ONE room...and it happens to be our master bedroom. I LOVE the light in this room.

For those who often ask about my "in home" photos...here are the details on the location...

My master bedroom has 2 large west facing windows. Each is over 5ft wide and about 4ft tall. They are separated by about a 1ft gap. I also have a door with glass (south facing) and another window (south facing) about 3ft. The light has me wanting my camera out most of the day to shoot whatever/whoever I can get my hands on...now if only I could convince my husband that i needed the king size bed on wheels so that I could move it as required. ha.

Here are a few from yesterday afternoon...yum.

the "d" family

Well some of you may have figured out by now whose belly photo I shared yesterday. For those who didnt...

It is my good friend and fellow photographer Michele! I was able to grab a few belly shots while we were out for her family photos...and I love them. As for the family photos, talk about a challenge. I find it tough shooting when another photographer is in front of the camera...as I of course want to impress and be sure that I am seeing her vision as well. I am thrilled with the ones that I was able to get and hope that Michele is equally impressed...

Thanks all for trusting your family photos to me. I had a great time even with the lights struggles, a little girl who wanted her BP treats and goofy smiles (hehe). I know that I had the easy side as photographing my family of 6 will be the true challenge!

belly :: sneak peek

Oh how I love a baby belly. I adore this shot...the light, the colours, the beautiful little belly...

Will have more to share on this one, but for now I leave you with this...

(talk about a vague post...hehe)

i'm floored.

ha. Okay, I have yet to use the HARDWOOD in the new house and thought it was time. I might just be loving the floor! The room itself is dark and having a Nikon (not high ISO friendly)...they were a little on the dark side...but I am loving the outcome! Moody...

which one?

BW or Colour?? I am really loving bw with my indoor shots lately...but the colour of her skin in this one, might just change my mind! I am diggin' the colour conversion myself...

I adore her little smile! I have many from this day...so don't be surprised if you see a few more...

all mine.

I have been working hard to catch up and get my business organized, so I have not been seeking much in the way of work. I would love to get things in order first...its coming, but its slow. I will be making some big changes over the next few months and cannot wait to share...

In the meantime, a couple of my favorite models will be frequent faces here...

LOVE EM'

just a girl.

I could eat this little lady up I tell yah. Yes this one is mine and I adore her, so I thought I would share a few from the other day. She is growing far too fast and weighed a whopping 16lbs 4ozs at her appointment today. sigh...

think christmas.

How can I already be talking Christmas, when it seems that fall has just arrived. Well, we all know that its here before we know it...so I thought I would just say it. Its time to start thinking Christmas!

Here are my 2008 Christmas Cards. I hope that you love them as much as I do.

Cards are customizable. We can change colours, and play with patterns etc. Writing is up to you. These can be done as a photo card with your print on the front, or an actual card which will be blank inside for you to write as you wish. Please contact me with inquiries....

Of course, dont be limited to the idea of Christmas cards, we can modify them to suit all sorts of occasions!

Thank you cards
Baby Announcements
Birthday Invites
(to name a few)

ENJOY!
b.