If you haven’t seen Shu Uemura’s products before, they are all very stylish, very colourful, and of course, very Japanese. At this event, Mr. Uchiide held on-stage presentations, and Holt makeup consultants held private appointments. Definitely a fun Saturday afternoon! And of course, you can never go wrong when you are photographing beautiful people. Please check out my pics below:

Bold, crazy lashes at work — so awesome:

Shu Uemura is known for their unique cleansing oils:

Shu Uemura is also known for their award-winning eyelash curler… so it’s no surprise that they have a crazy/awesome line of false eyelashes as well. Here are a few, displayed in their “Tokyo Lash Bar”:

I couldn’t resist snapping this photo on the left — catching Mr. Uchiide sitting beside a giant portrait of himself:

Suzie, one of the wonderful models and Holt Renfrew staff members participating in the day’s event:

Introducing Mr. Uchiide on stage for his first demonstration:

Working with warm tones to create a natural summer look:

All finished! The artist with his masterpiece:

Mr. Uchiide visits clients inbetween presentations, and Holt makeup artists create new looks:

Personally autographing some palette cases:

Gearing up for a second presentation with bright blue hues:

Gah, she’s gorgeous! Also helps to have flawless skin, be 6’1″ in heels, and 19… oh, and a Ford model:

Taking a quick glance at herself in the mirror at the Shu Uemura counter area:

Beauty stations all booked up with appointments:

Mr. Uchiide himself, lending his creative eye to some customers:

Super warm and friendly, very polite and offering excellent advice:

Mr. Uchiide with a handful of Holt’s talented makeup artistry team:

In particular, jewelry has always posed a challenge because it can often look dull if not photographed properly and also has to look marketable. There’s an element of styling, better angles to make things sparkle, et al, that make it actually a ton of fun creatively. Some of you may also know I did my undergrad in Marketing, so tying in the creative visual to “sell” something is totally my thing…

Last week I tried my hand at photographing some handmade beaded jewelry made by my boyfriend’s Mom, to provide her with some images but also to put myself up to the challenge. I know there are tons of product photography contraptions out there, but this was all done with:

1 – 24″ softbox & 1 AlienBee light

1 – Piece of white bristol board

+ my camera

Mostly, it’s knowing where to bounce all the light and making sure it all looks gooooood. Shiiiiiiiiinnnyyy. And please feel free to contact me if you like any of these pieces!

And thanks to Buff for being my lovely assistant in holding thread and angling the bristol board while I photographed:

You can check out their site here: www.thevlist.com

And, the lovely catering was provided by Edgeceptional: www.edgecatering.ca

I also was able to sneak in a couple of updated headshots for their site:

She’s also a masterful orchestrator of props and sets and ruffles — in the first photo, the backdrop is actually covered in fresh plum blossom branches. And who on earth do you know has a cherry red vintage baby stroller? Um, Michelle Libby, that’s who.

Anyways, here are Libby’s versions of this session: http://www.studio32photographyblog.com/2011/04/little-miss-blossom/

And below, here are mine:

Last week, I went back to the North Shore Equestrian Centre to photograph Dianna and her cherished gelding Marshall. Over the last few years, they have shared a great bond but, as Dianna put it, “all of the photos from the shows are ugly!” (… hey, that’s what I’m around for.)

Both Dianna and Marshall were wonderful to photograph, and I was delighted to see all of the outfits that she had in store. Marshall was also exceptionally handsome, and was very well-groomed for his big close-up. In the full swing of rich autumn colours, it was truly a great afternoon.

Without further ado, here are our images:

Cheeky monkey… he got spoiled with treats:

Dianna is a fashionista – look at her Coach riding-style boots:

Marshall is following Dianna’s lead…

I went out to North Vancouver last week to the North Shore Equestrian Centre, where I photographed one of their trainers, Lindsay. She’s absolutely stunning and she had her portraits done with her Hanoverian gelding, Desi. They have been riding together for over ten years, and they certainly share a genuinely beautiful connection. I loved the beautiful, rich, fall colours and Lindsay has some major style! Ralph Lauren, are you out there? Let’s make this happen…

When I saw this, I was amazed. Then, when I was planning my trip down to San Francisco, I knew I had to meet this remarkable man. So, last week, I headed down to Silicon Valley and met him and his lovely family and had a portrait session in the golden setting California sun.

Here is his portrait, below:

Be sure to check out www.khanacademy.org when you have time

Today, I made my way up to Bodega, CA to meet with Natalie Rooney Pitts, who is a trainer, and the owner of Four Star Farm. Bodega is a little over an hour outside of San Francisco, and Four Star Farm is a wonderful facility nestled in the rolling hills of the Sonoma Coast. Natalie is an extremely talented trainer and experienced rider, who has traveled all over the world to compete in World Cup level events, as well as the prestigious Rolex in Kentucky. Eventing is a demanding discipline and I was very impressed with her wealth of knowledge and of course, her beautiful facility.

I was delighted to photograph Natalie and a crew of six girls who ride there:

Thanks, girls, for being so much fun and so helpful with the day

We were also fortunate enough to trailer up one of her horses, Jedi (aka “Jefferson”) and take him down to Bodega Bay. Unfortunately the fog had started rolling in, but it was breathtaking nonetheless. Crashing waves, ocean mist, fine California sand…  I’m so very fortunate and pleased to have been able to photograph here (and, fun fact — Bodega is where they shot the Alfred Hitchcock movie “The Birds” — the chapel featured in the film can be seen from Natalie’s property!).

This is one of my favourite shots from today — and, of all time:

And, a couple more beautiful shots of Natalie on the beach…

There is much more to come. Stay tuned…

Meet Sarah Taylor. She’s recently started as a residential real estate agent in the Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge area with Re/Max. With a radiant personality and sparkling smile, I have no doubt that she’ll succeed. We snapped some photos a few weeks ago to get her going on the path to real estate empire-building (and as we all know, all real estate moguls have great headshots, see below):

Love the Donald.

Anyway, here are some of the shots that I took that day. I love bright, fresh headshots a lot more than the floating-cutout ones that you see on the side of a bus. Agreed? Agreeeeed!

If you’re in the market to buy or sell in the Ridge Meadows area, you can find her RE/MAX listing here.