Saskatoon photography classes

Due to popular demand, we are hosting another beginner DSLR course here in Saskatoon on Sunday, November 22.  If you are looking for Saskatoon photography classes, and prefer hands on learning, with super small class sizes, this is the course for you.  Only 2 spots left!!!  Here are the details:

Here is what one student said about a recent course....

"I would highly recommend the DSLR course offered by Memories by Mandy Photography! I went into the course not knowing how to use any of the features on my camera, but I left with a really good understanding of how to use a number of basic features to improve the pictures I take and in which situations I would use which camera settings. What I really liked is that the course wasn't just theory, but it also included hands on learning and practicing. I'm excited to go out and use the things I learned in this course! I can already see an improvement in the pictures I'm taking."

-Becky

A few more details on our courses can be found HERE.

Fall family photos, Saskatoon

Fall is a popular time for family photos here in Saskatoon.  This family came from Kindersley, SK for their session.  I'm so used to chasing around toddlers so having two well behaved boys who took direction like no body's business was a bit of a surprise!  The whole family was so photogenic.  At the end of the session the youngest said:  "Can we do this everyday?  That was so fun!"  LOL.  If I had the time, I would love to shoot you everyday buddy.  You guys were a real treat.  Thank you, again, for taking the time to come all the way to Saskatoon for your family photos.  It was an absolute pleasure!

Photo Walk - Saskatoon Photographers

We are hosting our first photo walk!  I'm so excited!  We are limiting the walk only to people who have taken a DSLR course through us, to help them follow up with the skills they learned through our courses.  This is a great time to practice and ask any questions that you may have.  If you have taken our beginner DSLR course, please email us to RSVP to the walk!  We hope to see you all there! 

A baby-to-be in Battleford - Saskatoon Photographers

I took a little road trip to Battleford for this maternity session.  The last time I saw this mom and dad was during their engagement session 5 years ago.  Since then, they got married (in Hawaii), moved to Battleford, had a baby, who is almost 3, and now expecting their second!  It's pretty crazy to think how much can change in 5 years!  Needless to say, it was so wonderful to see them again in their hometown, living their dream.  I can not wait to head back later this month when their newest addition is born!  Here is a small selection from their maternity session.   

A new dress, A flower farm, and a 4 year old. - Saskatoon photographers

My little girl turned 4 this summer!  I can't believe it's been 4 years since we welcomed our first born into the world.  She received this gorgeous dress from her Auntie who brought it all the way back from Italy for her!  I knew I had to do a photoshoot of her in it.  I really wanted to do something really girly with her, as that is her:  Girly.  I thought doing the session out at my parents flower farm would be the perfect place!  (Yes, my parents grow flowers on the farm to sell to flower shops in Saskatoon.  Pretty cool right??  You can keep tabs on what they are up to on their facebook page HERE)  While the farm got hit with frost a few nights ago, there was still a lot in bloom and they looked amazing!  We did this session in about 20 minutes, because well, that's all my girl will give me.  Needless to say, I feel like I captured her personality perfectly.  So here she is... my little princess.  I love her to bits!!!  And I'm bias, but isn't she gorgeous?    

A Saskatoon maternity session - Lakeview park Saskatoon

When I saw and e-mail in my inbox from a past bride, I was secretly hoping it would be an inquiry for maternity photos:).  Well, after opening up the email, it was!  I seriously love it when past clients call me to capture the next chapter in their lives!  I photographed this bride and grooms wedding 7 years ago already!  It was so awesome to get them in front of my camera again!  I can't wait to meet their newest addition:).  I know one thing for sure.  This baby is already so loved.  So I sit here and patiently wait for the call to say their little one has arrived.  Until then, here are a few from their maternity session.  The last sunset shot is definitely a fav!   

How to photograph fireworks

With the fireworks festival coming up this weekend in Saskatoon I thought it would be fun to do a blog post on photographing fireworks!  So.. here is a simple guide to photographing fireworks.  You can find out all the details of the 2015 fireworks festival in Saskatoon HERE.

1.  Put your camera on a tripod.  If you don't have one, you will need a steady surface to put your camera on.  Although a tripod is always best! 

Put your camera on manual mode with the following settings:

ISO:  200 or 400

Aperture:  F16 or around there

Shutter speed:  Here is where you need to play around a bit!  I would suggest starting at one second, then adjusting from there.  Depending on how much ambient light there is, you may want to go a bit lower or higher than that!  If the fireworks aren't the big grand ones, you will likely need to add a couple of seconds. 

DISCLAIMER:  These are the settings I used!  They can totally depend on your surroundings etc., but this is a great starting point!!!

A great tip is when you press the shutter, hold onto the camera with both hands, and don't let go until you hear the shutter close.  If you push it and release instantly, it can cause the camera to move a bit (even on a tripod), resulting in blurry pictures. 

Play around with it, have fun and break the 'rules' to see what you can create!!!

**All off these images are from the Canada Day fireworks here in Saskatoon. 

Adding people to the mix is a whole other ball game!  Of course, I only have recent fireworks images with people in the them, being a portrait photographer and all.  Keep an eye on our page for future blog posts on adding people to your fireworks pictures.  For now, go out and master fireworks shots on their own. 

Another thing to keep in mind is try and get some really great shots right at the start. Once a bunch of fireworks go off, it gets really smoky and they don't photograph as well.

Good Luck! 

I don't like to play favorites...

This mom and I went to photography school together.  Their wedding was the second wedding I ever photographed.  The not-so-little girl was just 2 when she posed for us in class.  It's hard to believe she turned 10 this year!  I'm grateful they come to me every year for family photos.  It's pretty cool to see the kids grow up and the mom and dad look exactly the same (lucky buggers, lol).  They are some of my favorite people to photograph.  Thanks for supporting us over the years.  It makes me so thankful to do what I do!  Looking forward to capturing your family again next year!   

Smokey and the bride (and groom)

When I first met with this couple, they said their wedding could be described in 3 words: Family, Friends and Fun.  After meeting with several wedding photographers here in Saskatoon, they decided that we were the perfect fit!  I’m not sure who was more excited!  The bride, or myself?! 

The bride had so many personal touches in her day.  The salon that did her hair was the same salon she has been going to since she was a little girl, she even had pictures on her phone of the makeup artist doing her make up in a wedding she was in last year.  Her dress was new, but the overlay bottom part was added from her mothers gown.  These were just a few of the details that made her day so uniquely hers on the day she married her highschool sweetheart.

The wedding party fit right into their theme, it consisted of some family, many friends and a lot of fun!  The only thing that wasn’t planned was all the smoke that came from the forest fires up North.  The fires were picking up speed around the weekend of her wedding and the smoke in the city was thick.  Luckily, the smoke added to the images and really made them feel that much more romantic.  

The day started a bit earlier than we usually arrive, as the bride wanted some getting ready shots at the salon, as it was sentimental for her.  We put the dress on at her mom and dads place then rushed off to the church.  The ceremony was beautiful!  We hit up a few locations around Saskatoon, the last being a greenhouse!  The bride loves flowers, so we made the stop to get some nice images with a ton of color.  My assistant and I stopped by the hall to get some detail shots before we called it a day. 

If I could describe this Saskatoon wedding in 3 words it would be:  Sentimental, attention to detail, and FUN!   To the lovely couple:  I hope your day was everything you dreamed.  Wishing you all the best in your married life! 

$25,000 to charity!!! - Trash the Dress charity event

We had our annual Trash the Dress for charity event last weekend!  We raised over $25,000!!!  I will be posting more images from the day soon.  In the meantime, we made the news yesterday!  Thank you to CBC for covering our story!  7 ladies fund-raised their buns off, so we were so thankful that the event got some recognition from the media this year!  You can read the article HERE.  Also, please go follow our event over on FACEBOOK.  I decided to do something a bit different this year.  I used our portable lighting, which gives a bit of a different feel to the images.  We love how they turned out.  Stay tuned for more images from our day!