Dawn Melanson Photography

Lifestyle Photography

Mar 14 2012

Annapolis valley photographer: impromptu family session

Posted in E-sessions, Family & Life No comments

It all began as an engagement session for Michelle and Steve. I had met with Michelle and her two beautiful girls a few times before, as Michelle and Steve had asked me to do their wedding photos, their Engagement session was part of their package. We had planned a few locations, but I also fell in love with Michelle’s field in the back of her house. They have a lovely century home in the Annapolis valley with an amazing field, that leads down to the river, and a few lovely old barns as well. No wonder they fell in love with their home.

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I don’t totally remember the details of the girls joining us but the more the merrier!!!! ….and off we went shooting a few in their field and then out on location. We visited beautiful Fales River in Greenwood, a location I had never been to before, its funny how you live in a place for a long time and there are always beautiful places you over look! The best thing about living in the Annapolis Valley is the lovely apple orchards everywhere. Thanks to Gordon Spurr for letting us have the ability to shoot in one of his many Orchards. Here are a few Images from their Engagement session/Family shoot

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Feb 17 2012

Legacy: preserving your images for the future

Posted in Family & Life, Personal, Photos No comments

When my daughter was very little, I used to shoot with my Vivitar 3000S 35mm Film Camera. I would burn through a roll of film and have it developed, and then I would store what I didn’t put in albums in a white photo box, which I still have, and look through from time to time. I have a few photo albums that I started, and then for some reason I just stopped. Beginning of the digital age. Where images began sitting on hard drives, and disks, and what ever media was around, and not seeing the light of day.

Being a photographer, you would think I would print my images a lot more than I do, I print some but not nearly as much as I should. I want my daughter to be able to look back at these images when she is older and show her children. She won’t be able to do that if they are stuck on a out dated disk somewhere, corrupted over time and un-usable . Just think of how digital storage media has changed over the past 15 years. Most people don’t realize that after a few years most disks will start to corrupt. You can back up, your back ups, but why do that when you can get those images printed and let them see the light of day.

So this is my plan, which I have already set it in motion. I have began to order albums that will hold my family’s memories for years to come, just like my parents did when I was younger. I will get as many as my images printed as I can. I might even make a photobook or two and have them printed. I loved sitting in my parents house, going through the old albums. Some of the images and albums might be a little tattered and worn, but they are still there!! Many times I have heard of friends loosing their images, from their computers from failing hard drives or other unforeseen computer problems. Loosing years of images, and no way to every get them back.

My challenge to anyone reading this post: Get out those family images you have stored on your computers, disks, and media, and print !!! Create an amazing family album that you will be proud of.

HAPPY PRINTING!!!!

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Feb 12 2012

Personal growth & twenty twelve

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Since January, I have been re-educating myself and learning a lot of new things. Growing in my personal life and also trying to grow with my business as well. I love the the old saying. “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”. I’ve never been one to follow the crowd, even in high school and most of my life. I like to be different as much as I can. Sometimes I have to catch myself, step back and say hey, what am I doing, I need to do my own thing and just be who I am! Then refocus and go in the direction I want to go. I have a few projects I want to accomplish this year for my personal growth. Hopefully you will be able to see them on the blog.

Speaking of Blog, and website. Ryan Hunley of Second Street Creative will be helping me develop my integrated blogsite. For those not aware of what that is, its a combination of my website and my blog. So you know what that means! I need to blog waaaaay more than I was. I know this is the direction I want to take my business. It will be more ME! Ryan has already helped me develop my new logo, which you see on the top of my blog, on my facebook page and on my splash page of my website, as well as my business cards. It totally speaks me, and my style. If you need to refine your brand or are in need of a great Graphic Designer, Ryan is the Best. He knew exactly what I was thinking! So in the next few months you will see a change to my website and blog, it will be the new me! Definitely long overdue.

I hope 2012 will be a great year for me. I have two exciting trips scheduled for this year all ready. One is shooting my Cousin Emily’s wedding in St. John, New Brunswick. Which I am absolutely excited about. I remember when her parents brought her to visit in Nova Scotia once, she was probably only 11 at the time, and she was too cute. Its so hard to believe she is a grown woman now, and a wonderful actress Check her out here, and marrying the love of her life on Thanksgiving weekend of this year!

The next trip which comes a few weeks after Emily’s wedding is Marcus and Amanda’s wedding in Wales, UK. I have the honour of shooting their wedding as well, and I can’t wait to see all of my friends in Wales. Zelda, and the boys, Lexie, and everyone I met back in 2008, when I photographed Zelda’s wedding a Ruthin Castle. I first befriended Zelda and Lexie way back in 2004, and I am so glad we became friends, its been a blast. Now it’s Marcus, their brother’s turn to tie the knot! I’ve Already met the lovely Amanda, as her and Marcus were dating since 2008 when I last visited. I will definitely enjoy my visit.

I am looking forward to posting on the blog more. It will be a challenge for me as I sometimes find it hard putting my thoughts into words! In the next few days I will be posting some of my favourite images from 2011. I hope to see you back soon!

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Aug 25 2011

Jessica and Robert: Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia Wedding

Posted in Weddings No comments

I met Jessica and Robert back in the early spring. Little did I know we already had friends in common, I actually think now, that I could have possibly met Robert back about 7 years ago, when he happened to be visiting his good friends in the valley, funny how things happen! From the moment I met Jessica and Robert, I knew they were a special couple. Jessica was just finishing her degree, and Robert is the Minister at the St. George & St. Andrew United Church in Annapolis Royal. We shot their engagement session in the early spring, just after all the snow had disappeared. Little be known that as we were shooting the engagement session a freak blizzard was about to blow by! It made for very interesting photos!!

Their Wedding date was August 20th, 2011. I arrived at Jessica’s parent’s house the afternoon of the wedding, and was greeted by her mother and father and the rest of her family. One thing I notice about the feeling at the moment was that Jessica was extremely calm! Her mother commented on Jessica’s calmness, and how it reflected on everyone else, and she was right.

Jessica and Robert were to be married in the same church that Robert is a Minister at. You can tell his congregation has a lot of respect and admiration for Robert, the Church was full, and there were so many smiles as Jessica began her walk down the aisle with her dad. She was beautiful, and her Bride’s Maids looked lovely in their purple dresses. I thought it was awesome that Robert had chose purple for his shirt, I joked with Michael my Second photographer that michael somehow new the color tone of the day as he wore a purple shirt too. He blended right in with the Groomsmen and Groom!

The ceremony was lovely, Fort Anne was their location for their formal portraits, which was the same place we did their engagement session! Here are a few images from their wedding day. Congratulations Jessica and Robert, best wishes to both of you and your new life together! Thank you to Michael Carty for being my Second Photographer for the day!