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!

If You're Happy And You Know It Clap Your Hands

Mikki and Kiff came in with their son Lance yesterday morning to do an outdoor family session. We just saw Lance a few months ago for our Siskin Styleworks promotion, and I could not believe how much he had grown in that short period of time. As cliche as it sounds, it really is amazing to me how fast they grow up. It was nice and breezy morning so we got started with Kiff and Lance doing some fun and playful stuff together. As if watching Lance and Kiff walk hand in down the side walk wasn't heart melting enough, imagine how adorable it was to see the huge smile on Lance's face when Dad would lift him up over his head or swing him around like a helicoptor. It made me wish my dad could still swing me around like that, but I'm pretty sure he'd sprout a hernia if he tried.
Mikki came out, and it was Lance's turn to hangout with mom. He was a little sleepy/hungry at this point which made for some sweet moments resting his head on mom, but also made Lance sure to let us know he was ready for a break. So what did we do to keep Lance going in the final stretch? Oh just a little group sing along of one of Lance's favorite song "If You're Happy And You Know It Clap Your Hands." Yes, here at Cansler Photography if you get crabby we will sing your favorite song to you.
We ended our session out back with some family shots, and called it a day.

Daddy's Girls

Abigail and Madison came in with their dad and grandmother as part of our Father's Day Sample Promotion. We decide to do some sweet shots of the girls with their dad Greg in the front room and then brainstormed on something fun we could finish with. I don't know if it was the heat upstairs in that room, but we were just stumped for a moment on how to capture that playful side of Dad and the girls. We knew we wanted them all looking at one another, but after that things got a little fuzzy. We got them into position, and like magic it happened. "It" is when Greg started tickling the girls, and everyone got the giggles. It was such a sweet moment to be apart of. After that we decided to do something of just Abigail and Madison. I caught them whispering to each other about not having enough room, or Madison leaning too hard on Abigail, but then again I didn't have to try very hard. Everyone in the room could hear their "whispering conversation." We did bust them for not being very good at whispering, but I know they still had fun anyway. Thanks girls you did amazing!

The Swimming Lesson

No this isn't a post offering a new service where we teach kids to swim but rather a lesson on what not to do during a session. Several weeks ago I had called Cindy and begged to let me do a family photograph with my new high resolution camera. Last year we had done some photographs at this same location but my favorite image was one that was just a quick grab shot at the end of their session with a low res digital camera. So I wanted to recreate that image with the new camera because of the incredible sense of depth it has. Cindy said she would be glad to do it but considering that there are three teenagers involved she needed to see if they would agree. Yoo hoo they did! I really appreciate their sacrifice, as we all know teenagers don't want to get up any earlier than they absolutely have to. It was a beautiful morning and we arrived at the spot at the perfect time for the lighting. I was wondering if the creek would be high because of the rain we had during the night(at about 2:00 A.M. I wasn't sure we would be a go). Needless to say the creek was up and the rocks were slippery. I warned everybody about being careful then started walking to where I needed to place the camera and tripod. Well you guessed it I went swimming well not quite but I did slip and sat down in the water. Of course I chose a spot were it wasn't shallow I was soaked! Peggy being the concerned woman she is wanted to make sure the camera was OK. I did save it because I made sure to hold it up. Everybody got a good laugh and we then had fun capturing some cool images. So the lesson for today is practice what you preach!

And The Winner Is...

I was very excited to start Addison and Sophie's session. Their dad Danny had called a while back about getting his wife Eleanor a gift certificate to have their children come in and get their portraits made for her birthday. So Danny and I secretly played phone tag, and set up how the gift certificate should look, the message inside, etc. (Husbands, fiances, and boyfriends, I hope you're paying attention...this is a birthday/holiday gift giving gold mine!)

I'll admit this session was HOT! It wasn't really the temperature, but the humidity was a killer. Sophie and Addison were such great sports, and with a couple of cool off breaks they were ready go again. Toward the end of our session The Wiggles came out. The Wiggles in case you're wondering is what happens when kids are made to stand still for an extended period of time. Yes, in the beginning it's easy to be still, but as a big kid trapped in an adult body I can understand the need to wiggle from time to time. So to keep us on track I started the competition of the century between this brother and sister duo. When they split up for their individual shots I informed both that I was keeping score and who ever did the best won a prize. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm not above bribery, especially if it works.
It was a tight race. Poses quickly came naturally, smiles were flawless, and suddenly our friend The Wiggles was gone. We have gorgeous stuff of these two, and they were a joy to work with.

Oh and in case you were wondering...It was tie. Everyone got a prize.

"You Buy Your Equipment at Bi-Lo!"

When Betty called a couple weeks back and told us about her idea for a outdoor portrait session of her brother Russell to celebrate his 80th birthday, I knew it was going to be an especially fun session. I had no idea though how much laughing I was going to do. Our location was just a block away from where Betty and Russell had grown up. Also, Betty told me and teased her older brother about the girlfriend of his who had lived right across the street from where we were. Aww, but Russell was quick to inform me she was "just a friend." While setting up we had a couple of technical difficulties with one of our lights, which is why we are always lugging around a backup! Backup flash to the rescue! We thought it might be the connection causing us trouble, but Russell quickly pointed out, "of course it doesn't work you buy you equipment from Bi-Lo." I was a little confused until I looked in the back of Brad's car and saw the Bi-Lo bags that were mixed in with our lighting and camera gear. We got to work, and you would have thought Russell had been professionally modeling on the side for years. In reality he was just eager to finish, but he did stick it out and gave us almost an hour. Russell even quickly learned that when Brad uses the phrase "we're done", he doesn't always mean it literally. In that amount of time we were able to do Betty's favorite shot of him standing just like he "always does" arm propped up on the building just looking cool, suave, and Russell said "just like Clark Gable." It was a joy working on this session, I had a blast!

Big Sis...Little Sis Session

Rylee and Addie came to the studio this morning for their session with grandparents, parents, and a Wilson in tow. "A Wilson" is one of the cutest little French bulldogs I've ever seen, and just so happens to throw Rylee and Addie into a fit of happiness whenever he comes around. What I loved about this session, and any session with two siblings for that matter, is not only the bond they have no matter what the age, but how the older sibling cares for and helps with their little brother or sister.

Rylee and Addie were a perfect example of this today. Addie is a 1 year old TODAY! (HAPPY BIRTHDAY GORGEOUS GIRL!) She's still in that "I'm figuring out this whole walking and standing thing" phase. Rylee, who is a great big sister and 3, was right there holding little sister's hand helping her stay steady. The best part though was if Addie got a little wobbly and sat down, well Rylee sat right down with her. Rylee was so attentive to her little sister, and was always ready to help by giving a hand to hold her up, a hug to keep her still, and example to follow when it came time to be a little silly and lay tummies down on the floor. You can already tell these two little girls are going to be the kind of sisters that play together, stay up too late together, share secrets, and probably when they're older share clothes.

I had a blast spending time with these two lovely little ladies who were full of giggles and shy little smiles.

Oh to be a kid again...

Ava Grace came in for her children's portrait session. She was a polite and absolutely adorable little girl to work with. She looked like a little doll in her dress and with her hair brushed back. I had no idea at the time though that she would soon teach me a little life lesson.
Ava came back today with her mom and grandmother for their portrait order. I decided it might make things a little easier on mom if she didn't have a little blonde hair distraction in the portrait order room. So Ava and I headed upstairs to play with some toys, and try not to get into too much trouble.
I had almost completely forgotten how much fun bubbles can be just to play with. Blowing bubbles for no other reason than to pop them is a blast! I would have almost forgot if it hadn't been for Ava. I was just about to tell her thank you, but we were to busy looking out the window. She had just remembered that the studio was her castle. She was a princess, and I was the queen. I haven't been told I was a princess, much less a queen, in ages. We had a kingdom, and she even showed me her steed, which happened to be her mom's white SUV. Then we headed into the dressing room to play make-up.
Now being the brave fashionista she is, Ava went with purple and pink for her blush, eye shadow, and lip color palette, please don't worry too much about the outcome of this. It was "pretend" make-up we were using. When I asked about her choice in colors she informed me those were her favorite and made her the happiest. It's pretty much the best decision making, pick what you like and what makes you happy.
The point of my mid morning pretend extravaganza isn't that playing with Ava was a nice break from work, but it was refreshing to be reminded that life doesn't always have to be so serious. Decisions don't always have to be hard to make, and if all else fails put on a little pink lip gloss not because it makes you look good, but because it's your favorite.

Are They Twins?

"Are they twins?" It's the first question I've heard from every person I've shown these girl's portrait to. At first glance there is a split second of uncertainty. They both have beautiful long brown hair, matching porcelain skin, and gorgeous eyes. I guess I have an advantage because I was there for their actual session and saw how very different they look in person. While it's absolutely undeniable that these two are sisters, it's also unbelievable how different their personalities are.
I knew we were doing black and whites, and I hadn't met the girls before. They told me they were fans of Kings of Leon and I knew it was going to be a great session, but equally enjoyable because we were going to be listening to my favorite band. We got warmed up with some shots standing side by side, but what the fun part is when we tell siblings "it's time to get close" or my personal favorite, "act like you like or maybe even love each other."
This reminds me somewhat of how my sister and my sessions were when we were kids, only the portraits weren't near as good and some how my mom had a superb knack for finding not only matching outfits for us (we're 6 years apart) but the most heinous atrociously tacky matching outfits. I don't care how many times she says it I will never believe Day Glow was really that "in".
Okay, Okay, enough traumatic memories.
Back to the session. We were completely done, and I'm finding more and more when Brad says "done", he uses that word very loosely. We wanted to make them uncomfortably close for just a few more minutes so we could try some of our old school Hollywood glamour lighting. I'm so glad we did, and I'm glad they tolerated all the tucking and clipping of clothes and pauses for a hair touch up because these are AMAZING. Had to share with all of you!

Brett and Blair's Breezy Afternoon Session

Brett and Blair came in for their afternoon session, and I could tell right away they didn't have your typical sibling relationship. They really are BFFs and you can tell! I realize all siblings love each other, but especially with young children close in age I see more and more they have a very special bond that is so adorable to watch. It's almost like they have a secret language that no one else can speak. They enjoying playing together and being around eachother. I breathed a sigh of relief because I knew getting them to interact, play, and be sweet to one another for the session wouldn't be a stretch!
It was a gorgeous day outside and although the breeze kept blowing little Blair's bow almost completely out of her hair, it was the perfect kind of day for an outdoor session! We eventually just gave up on the bow, and let it go. They both were great sports, and didn't mind at all that I constantly had to keep readjusting them due to the wind blowing their hair like crazy!
We finished their session with this shot of them together, and I had to share these two with all of you!

A Saturday for Siskin

We recently did a promotion with Siskin Children's Institute for their recent Style Works fundraiser. I wanted to share with all of you our session and images from working with Eli, Eva and Ross' session. Eva and Ross were quick to point out to me that this was not their first visit to see Mr. Brad, and they knew the drill. So without any hesitation, they jumped out of their play clothes and into their portrait clothes. They also were also great helpers with getting Eli in position for his individual shots. Eli was such a little trooper toward the end of our session when we kept stealing the linen shirt off of his back to iron out the wrinkles, but it makes it all worth it when the shots end up being this cute. We had a fun little Saturday session, and we ended up with a truck load of great stuff!

A Simply Adorable Session with Addison

I knew this session was going to be a heart melter when I saw little Addison come in to the studio with bouncy little curls and pink p.j.s! We quickly decided on her pink dress with matching bow for her formal portraits. We knew we were on to something great when Addison kept striking poses that required a mandatory "awww" afterward.



Keeping with our pink theme for the session we ditched the dress and grabbed Addison's ballet tutu and tee for some casual and fun shots of her in the front room, and she continued to pose like a pro and play it up for the camera. This shot is definitely one of our favorites! I think Addison's favorite bracelet she's wearing adds just a little something extra.



For our next to last look in this tiny super model's session, we decide to have some fun downstairs in the studio. Addison had no problem when we told her she had to stand on the bench instead of sit. She also seems to have a knack at coming up with the cutest poses that just seem to come naturally to her! Let me tell you, if there were a tiny tots version of America's Next Top Model, Addison would be giving all those other girls a run for their money. We had a blast and can't wait to show her mom the great stuff we did outside too!