The Final Chapter

Well this is the final post to this blog. We launched our new custom designed blog about two weeks ago. Most all of the bugs are worked out and we have been getting good feedback on it. The new blog allows us to keep all our studio info in one place with a clean design and the ability to display larger photographs. Please check it out and let us know what you think. http://www.canslerblog.com/

Such a CUTE Family!

Oh my gosh, how cute is this family? Having just recently been hired at Cansler Photography, I wasn't here for the Skewes family session, but these photographs are great! I really love the ones of just the boys and then just the girls. So precious. And then of course the 3 kids together is just timeless. I come from a family with four kids and so I know from experience how hard it is to get everyone happy at the same time, looks like the Skewes family did AWESOME!

Mom and Dad are going to treasure this photograph always. Time flies by, being able to capture sweet moments and ages like this is priceless!

A new face at Cansler Photography!

Hi everyone, I would like to quickly take the time to introduce myself. My name is Blaire Foster and I am the newest addition to Cansler Photography. Brad and I have been so busy these past 3 weeks getting myself acclimated to all that is Cansler Photography, so we have been slow on updating and blogging. I love it here so far and have greatly enjoyed meeting some of the wonderful families that Brad photographs.

Now, just a little bit about myself. I just gradated from Meredith College (a very small all girls private college) in May of 2008 with a BA in Grahic Design. Much to my loving parents dismay I moved all the way (a whole 7 hours) from home (Raleigh NC-GO HEELS!) to work as a whitewater rafting photographer on the Ocoee River. What I was going to do after that seasonal job ended I had no idea, but I knew I wanted to be back in the mountains and near a river. I came to Chattanooga a couple of times last summer (Riverbend and Nightfall!) and fell in love with the city and the people. I moved here last fall and have loved it ever since. I have a crazy cat named Carter, who almost demands more attention from me than my boyfriend Kliness, a native Tennessee'n (I am not even sure if that is a word!), I love being outside-mostly playing disc golf, camping and hiking, or attempting to paddle down rivers, I enjoy yoga and am a certified instructor, and I am interested in photography and hope to learn a lot from Brad, which I know I will! Oh, and I love clothes and picking out different outfits for people to wear (my boyfriend is glad that I get to do this at work now, so maybe I won't bother him as much!) So, basically this is the perfect job for me!

I look forward to meeting all of the families that Cansler Photography cherishes and all the new ones as well! The one thing that I absolutely love about Chattanooga is how friendly everyone is here. It is such a joy to get to work with such nice and sweet people everyday, I hardly consider it work! We should be caught up very soon and posting again on a regular basis, so stay tuned!

A Rite of Passage

Brad has been working with Betty for sometime now. She is a self proclaimed "framing queen" and she loves having her grandchildren's portraits made for their sixteenth birthday. We recently shared with you the images of her brother's session, and I couldn't help but tell all of you about how he heckled Brad about purchasing his equipment from Bi-Lo. Sessions with Betty are always a blast.
Last week it was that time again. Betty's grandson Hunter turned sixteen recently, and it was time for his session. When we arrived at her home to start the session I caught my self in a dead stare for a moment looking at all the previous grandchildren's portraits and their parent's portraits lining the walls in her living room and music room. Call me a sap if you want, but it really was touching to see all these individual portraits of her children and grandchildren together.
They obviously show she adores and is in love with all of them, is proud to show them off, and that these portraits have really become a tradition or a rite of passage if you will, in her family.
We are so very grateful for all of our clients, and especially for Betty. She's allowed us to be a part of something truly special.

Miracles Come In All Shapes and Sizes

Brad and I have recently had the privilege of working with the Children's Miracle Network on their Miracle Children project again this year. Since 1992 Brad has volunteered and teamed up with CMN by providing photography to help with various fundraising projects. From posters to calendars, we take pride in having helped this great organization raise thousands of dollars to support the families and children in our community.
The past couple months we have had the pleasure of photographing the miracle kids for this year's fundraising project! This year the ages have ranged from 10 months old to 15 years old. They have been an inspiration to meet and spend time with! We will be sure to let all of our readers know when the fundraiser for these Miracle Children begins. For now I just wanted to give you all a sneak peak at one these little cuties!

"Fore!"

Krista and Brad have been trying to plan the session we did this morning for quite a while now. Luckily today was the day, and we were finally going to be able to do Krista's family session. It was a crisp and clear morning. We headed out to the golf course and had a couple of spots in mind already. There are 3 keys to shooting on any golf course in my opinion. You absolutely must pick spots that are
1. Not in the sprinkler system's line of fire, unless you're going for that Happy Gilmore "meet us at ninth green at nine" look.
2. Preferably any where out of the way so that you aren't interrupting the greenskeeper. Remember they wear those ear plugs in part to drown out the mowers and to also drown out the screams of photographers who find them not blending particularly well into the background of their photographs.
3. Look for spots that are lush, green, and gorgeous.
May I also add for the ladies being photographed at the golf course, leave your stilettos at home. Most places only like aerating once maybe twice a year.
All these reasons and more led us to the little walk across bridge for our session. It was just off the cart path, and people you just don't get much better lighting and scenery than this!

Lucky for us, we have subjects like Krista and her family who can make any great looking location even better! They were absolutely a blast to work with, and Brad and I had too much fun driving around in their golf cart with all our gear. I think we broke 10mph more than once. We're wild what can I say? Hope you love these new images, because we sure do!

Now for Somthing Completely Different

When Bob called several weeks ago in response for Peggy's newsletter call for dad and children models it was great to hear from a client who has been with us since the beginning. Bob and Ellen came in to the studio back in 1992 the girls were cute and little but they were still missing the final piece of there family. When baby brother arrived we had the opportunity to record many beautiful and sweet moments as they grew up.

In talking with Bob we discussed how it would be fun to do something a little more casual, gritty and urban. We have done pretty many times and thought that it would be interesting to do something more contemporary since the kids are all grown. We met at the studio and then drove to an abandoned warehouse. Everyone was a great sport climbing through broken doorways etc (including mom who had a cast on her leg from foot surgery), we did something of the whole family a couple of things with dad and the kids and then at the last moment as we walked to the car a couple of shots of just the kids.

Thanks to our family for being with us from the start. It has been cool to see the kids grow up and change. My favorite part of what I do is the people that have become our friends over the years!